SHOPPERS LIKE A PLUSH FLUSH LITTLE THINGS COUNT, INCLUDING SPOTLESS TOILETS SOMEONE ELSE SCRUBS.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

Romancing a shopper into a purchase can mean getting everything from the lighting, temperature and soothing Muzak just right.

Sometimes it even means having the most luxurious powder room in town.

``My friends and I used to go to the Nordstrom at Westside Pavilion. They had the most fantastic bathrooms. There were sofas, and it was always clean,'' said Jenny Miller, a Woodland Hills resident.

Mall directors and department store designers have long known that a pleasant restroom can mean getting shoppers to unload their dollars.

A family lounge was recently added to the Westfield Shoppingtown Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks for just that reason. The spacious place lets mom and dad re-energize so they'll stick around longer to shop, said Michelle Haviv, marketing director for the mall.

``It gives parents a place to re-energize without having to leave,'' Haviv said. ``It's a win for them and for our retailers as well.''

When Glendale resident Michael Kelland has to do some shopping, he heads to places where a trip to the bathroom with his two young boys won't be an ordeal. The Kellands particularly like the new family bathrooms that have tot-size toilets next to the adults' commode.

His 4-year-old son ``loves the toilets so much he'll force himself to go,'' Kelland said.

Obviously shoppers don't make purchasing decisions based solely on the caliber of a toilet. Yet with retail business becoming increasingly competitive, the little things count, said Randy Bucklin, professor of marketing at UCLA's Anderson School.

``They say baseball is a game of inches. It's the same thing with retail,'' Bucklin said. ``The best retailers execute down to the details. They just can't afford to slack.''

Though there's really no way to quantify the impact of providing such amenities, Bucklin said it's an investment that shows customers their comfort and well being matter. ``These are signals that say to the customers you really care about them,'' Bucklin said. ``That signal may be more important than the actual benefit of having a fancy bathroom.''

Customers are certainly pampered at Nordstrom, where cafes, restaurants, shoe shines and in-house alterations are just some of the amenities available to shoppers. Commodious women's lounges, in place since the 1970s, are among the hallmark amenities, said Deniz Anders, spokeswoman for Nordstrom.

More than just a pit stop to answer nature's call, exhausted women laden with shopping bags collapse on elegant couches or check their makeup and profiles in the lounge's giant, ornate mirrors. ``Our goal is to make shopping as convenient as possible,'' Anders said.

The word ``lounge'' is usually a telltale indicator that a trip to the restroom will be an experience with soft carpet and warmly-lit lamps.

Family lounges in particular are becoming more widespread, Bucklin said. It's no surprise since young families spend massive amounts of money on everything from setting up new homes to supplying kids with clothing and school needs, he said.

At the Westfield Shoppingtown Fashion Square, the new family lounge has nursing stations with plush leather chairs and curtains that can be drawn for privacy. Each station has an outlet for breast-feeding pumps and a coffee table with children's books.

There's even a microwave and a family-friendly DVD playing in the common area.

Remodeling of the public restrooms at Fashion Square will be complete in another few weeks as well. The cosmetic makeover includes new toilets, fixtures and tiling. ``Everything will be fresh and new,'' Haviv said. ``It all translates into the customer experience.''

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Both adults and children can reach the sink and see a mirror at the Westfield Shoppingtown Fashion Square family lounge.

(2 -- 3 -- color) Above, women enjoy the furniture, plush carpet and other luxury in a restroom at the Nordstrom store in the Glendale Galleria. Michael Kelland, left, and his sons, baby Dylan and Matthew, 4, relax in a shopping center family lounge in Sherman Oaks.

Photos by John Lazar and Tina Burch

Staff Photographers