la salle de bain vs la salle de bains

Question

Why is it la salle de bains - 'la' and 'bains'

Cécile Janty-Davies · Accepted Answer

Hello Alasdair,
I have always thought that the bathroom is French is 'salle de bains' because
la salle = the room
de bains = is where you have baths in
And as you have more than one bath it is more natural to use the plural for bains.
But there are some regional differences, in some French-speaking regions, "salle de bain" (singular) is also used, but "salle de bains" (plural) remains more common and is considered standard French.
It's worth noting that when referring to a public restroom or toilet, French speakers typically use "les toilettes" (also in plural form) or "les WC."
 
Hope this helps!

Martin Robinson · Answer

Hello, I queried the same thing and this was the response I received:
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The difference is subtle and comes down to whether you're talking about the room itself or the fixtures within it.

"Salle de bain" (singular): This is the more common and general term, referring to the bathroom as a whole, the room itself.

"Salle de bains" (plural): This form emphasises the bathroom fixtures or the act of bathing. You might see it in more formal contexts or when highlighting the specific elements of the bathroom, like the bathtub ("baignoire"), sink ("lavabo"), etc.

Think of it this way:

"Salle de bain" = the bathroom

"Salle de bains" = the room with the bath and other washing facilities

In most everyday conversations, "salle de bain" is perfectly fine. But in specific contexts, like hotel descriptions or more formal writing, you might encounter "salle de bains" to emphasise the facilities.
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Does that sound about right?

Cécile Janty-Davies · Answer

Bonjour Martin, 
You don't say where you saw these nuances and I know there is a lot of polémique on the internet about whether your 'bains' should have an -s or not so I did a bit more research.
Le petit Robert says :
"salle de bain(s) indicating you can use both the singular and the plural and quotes from 1691 ( without the -s) and 1765 ( with -s)"
But the meaning of a bathroom has changed over the years due to the lack of sanitation (certainly in the 19th C. and the first half of the 20th C. in France), having a bathroom was the domain of the wealthy and the proletariate used public bathhouses and had maybe one bath per week.
I did read somewhere that the Académie française recommends the plural 'salle de bains' for what is a modern bathroom in English and I would agree with them, but it's not a big deal really.
Bonne Année !