It’s one of the most private of public places. It can bring either great trauma or relaxing comfort. You’ll find more people in here with their pants down than any other public location.

The public restroom.

Ohio has a chance to clinch the title for the second year in a row. (No pun intended.) Last year’s champion was Wendell’s in Westerville. This year: Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, near Cincinnati.

The Buckeye state’s bathrooms tend to be in solid standing.

“Tons of [nominations] were from Ohio,” says Kate McCullough, an office manager of Rubin Communications Group, an affiliate of Cintas, who started the award. “Maybe a quarter of all the votes were from Ohio. Considering all the states, a quarter is quite a chunk,” she adds. Several hundred nominations were received, and every year, the number increases.

Jungle Jim’s released the following statement: “We have no clue how we got to be one of the top five finalists, but we thank you and let’s bring this honor home to Fairfield…”

Jungle Jim’s is known for more than just their bathrooms. The 300,000-square-foot market features a cheese shoppe, a garden center, international cuisine, cooking classes, eight aisles of pet supplies, as just a few examples.

Jungle Jim’s is just one of five finalists. The other ones are: a restaurant, Catch 31, at the Hilton Hotel in Virginia Beach, another restaurant called Fandangles’ in Flushing, Mich. (An ironic city name for the nomination), Mix Lounge in Las Vegas, and the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor, Vt.

“People think if the bathrooms are clean, their kitchen is clean,” McCullough says. “People look for that kind of thing. The company is trying to make you comfortable down to the details. Anything to bring you back.”

This is the sixth year of the competition and anyone can vote at www.bestrestrooms.com until July 31st. Web surfers can check out all the information on the various nominees, including descriptions and pictures, before they vote.