At the Palace of Versailles, people would conduct their business in the corridors or in the gardens. In 1715, it was decreed that once a week the feces would be collected from the corridors. When toilets were introduced to the palace, they consisted of long wooden benches with holes in the middle.

It is a common historical misconception that there were no toilets at the Palace of Versailles, but the reality was a lack of modern plumbing. During the reign of Louis XIV, the palace lacked a centralized sewage system, leading to the use of "commodes" or "chaise percées" (pierced chairs with a basin underneath). While high-ranking royals had private closets with these basins, the thousands of courtiers and visitors often resorted to using corridors, stairwells, or the gardens in an emergency. By the late 18th century, Louis XV and Louis XVI had installed a few "English-style" flushing water closets (WCs) in their private apartments, which utilized gravity-fed water tanks. However, for the majority of the population living within the palace, hygiene was a constant struggle, and the smell was reportedly overwhelming. The palace was eventually retrofitted with modern plumbing in the 19th and 20th centuries, but during its peak as the seat of the French monarchy, "going to the bathroom" was a far less sanitary and much more public affair than we would find acceptable today.