
The Origin of the Foot Rail - ubac
https://imbibemagazine.com/bar-foot-rail/
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gumby
What about the Australian bars that were also urinals? No need to stop
drinking.

This photo has a rail AND is a urinal:
[https://orhistory.com/archives/2524](https://orhistory.com/archives/2524) .
The article says it was in Oregon; I don't know if it was simultaneous
invention or traveled from one continent to the other.

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RandallBrown
Here's another bar that's in Washington, but was purchased in Portland OR,
that has a spittoon flowing beneath the bar for washing away chewing tobacco
spit.
[https://www.bricksaloon.com/history](https://www.bricksaloon.com/history)

Seems more likely that's what the troughs are for and some people occasionally
used them to relieve themselves.

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tingletech
Merchant's Lunch in Oakland has a urinal at the bar, from when women were not
allowed in bars and folks didn't want to have to give up their seat at the bar

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wyclif
I'm curious what HN, particularly the standing desk and ergonomics nerds,
thinks about this statement?

 _Turns out, humans aren’t really designed to stand for long periods with feet
flat on the floor. This contributes to stress on the spine, and you can feel
it in your lower back. A foot rail allows us to redistribute the load on our
feet—first one foot, then the other—and alter the tilt of our spines._

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MisterOctober
Standing desk sometime-user [adjustable height desk] here -- I always use a
footrest in the manner described in the quote and generally move around a lot
-- I agree that standing in a static position for long periods is tiring /
fatiguing for me

[side note : when not standing, I sit on a yoga ball and likewise move / shift
often]

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mekane8
This quote really got me: "A foot rail is not only better for your back, but
helps you cut a better figure. Standing flat-footed renders everyone a bit
oafish; raising one foot results in a more rakish profile."

Delightful!

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zelon88
My local watering hole has one a foot rail. Now that the author mentioned it I
definitely notice the assist in posture that it gives you.

