Thank you! Can you please share a picture?

We also have a pocket door with blocking for towel bars. The bars are not installed yet, though. I think a barn door like you're describing would look "backwards" from the outside, though, wouldn't it?

A barn door would be a terrible idea. A pocket door transmits enough sound as it is, but a barn door is worse. With any kids or pranksters around, it woukd soon get taken off track or jammed shut with someone inside. A bathroom really always works best with a standard door.

Not my photos, but I do kind of collect them on pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172403491959502043/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172403491957134550/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172403491958872648/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/172403491956678552/

Thank you all for the great advice! The bathroom is really not very deep and we won't have a space for a regular door. The space is wide ( 9 ) and not very deep ( 5 ). Entering the bathroom from the laundry room, we'll have a vanity and the toilet will be on the left. So there is no space for a regular door to be opened on the left.
We'll have a regular door for the laundry room which people who are using the bathroom can lock I guess - decisions, decisions...

Can the door swing into the laundry room?

We did pocket door and will hang hooks on that wall for towels.

I guess the door cannot swing in to the laundry room we'll have a closet there - we can do a pocket door maybe and hang hooks or towel holders on that wall - not sure how tick the space between the door and the wall is? Could you post some pictures when your bathroom is done - thank you!

I don't have a barn door but plan to install one when retrofitting an attic space with a new bathroom. (Plumbing and electric we're installed years ago but I never got around to finishing the bathroom.) It's a perfect solution for areas with space constraints, in my opinion. Lifestyle and privacy issues are definite considerations, but there will never be kids or pranksters living in my house while l'm alive. I'm not crazy about most of the hardware, however. Not only are they very expensive but I find them to be clunky and heavy-handed. I'll probably have something custom made. Luckily I have many Amish neighbors who can fabricate anything, even stainless steel, so I've become really spoiled. Let us know what you decide to do. By the way, the January 2014 Issue of Fine Homebuilding has a cover article on how to build a barn door. Good luck.

No reason you can't have a door that swings in for that bath.

Just one point about installing a pocket door where the spaces between the thin little studs are backed up with a sheet of plywood behind the drywall. You can also skip the drywall entirely and cover directly with plywood right from the get-go.

Nobody would have a problem finishing that surface, neither with stain and lacquer, or with a skim coat of mud. Solves any base trim problems too, especially for amateurs with no special equipment like nailers and such.

Good plywood, maybe even veneered, but not OSB or MDF.

I just added a barn door to the entrance of my master bath. Previously, there were 3 doors opening into the same 3x3 space. Still need to add the trim to the rail and the sides, but very happy so far. VERY smooth! Adding a towel bar would be a great use of space.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bar Door Hardware

How do you figure the door would slide if you had a towel bar on it? I'm thinking if the door was far enough away from the wall it slides across, you would have a 6 inch gap between the door and wall.

Alexi99 -- Thanks for posting the photo and link. Your door looks wonderful. I've only seen barn doors with exposed wheels and large brackets and didn't realize other options were available. The price is so reasonable, too. Thanks again.

beaniebake - You're welcome. I spent a lot of time searching for something with more minimal hardware to go with the style of the room.

Magic_az - A towel bar would not work for my door. The OP's plans though have the door on the inside of the bathroom.

I just stayed at a hotel with a pocket door for the bathroom- it was super annoying. I would personally do a swing door- I've seen bathrooms smaller than yours with them- but absent that my second choice would be a barn door.

Others say you can have an inswing door. Personally, I'd find that a little tight.

But, I don't see why it can't be an outswing door? Have it open against the washer, or against the closet. Either would be fine (I'd choose against the closet). True, when you needed to access something from the closet's right side you'd need to close the bathroom door, but ... so?

Here is a blog post with pictures of barn doors in the bathroom

Here is a link that might be useful: Barn Doors: Love âEm or Leave âEm?

Thank you all for the great tips! I think the out-swing which I hate to open a door that way :) would work better or a barn door but the barn door needs to be mounted from the inside of the bathroom ( the hardware ) which looks not very well also. I guess the beauty of the barn door will be lost.
I hope I can make a decision soon...

I saw this barn door entering from master bedroom into the bathroom at the Sunset Idea House in Los Angeles. I like it so much that I want to do the same thing in my house.

Inside the bathroom, it looks the same as a pocket door - but easier to operate.