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After what seemed like a year, and a rather long one at that, my bathroom and shower have finally been fixed. What seemed like ages ago, I came home from lunch with a friend one day and heard a bubbling, brook-like sound coming from my bedroom. When I walked in, a steady cascade of water was rippling out of the wall and about a centimeter (1/2-inch) of water covered the floor, as well as the floor of my bedroom, courtesy of a broken pipe in the building.

People in Paris are no strangers to fuites d’eau (water leaks) and this wasn’t my first. And unfortunately, it probably won’t be my last. A combination of ancient plumbing, rising rivers, old buildings, disagreements between neighbors, and property managers, who Capital, a French Consumer Reports-style magazine described as having regular “bad buzz” and défiance institutionnalisé (widespread suspicion), keeps Paris awash with water woes.

We spent the last year finagling with plumbers, insurance adjusters, property managers, and neighbors, which is a great way to pass the time, so I apologize to everyone who wanted me to do something over the last year, including several writing projects including a book proposal that’s still in a “pending” file on my laptop, helping a friend with her book proposal, sharing what I’m cooking and baking on my blog, penning my newsletter, nursing a dying laptop, replying to/deflecting social media comments and DMs, wavering about getting off Facebook (like everybody else), and wondering how so many people on Instagram manage to take amazing vacations on beaches in Italy, eating lobster pasta and drinking Spritzs by the sea, while doing my best to carve out a wee bit of time to see Romain. But I had something far more interesting to do, water-wise, so my apologies to all.

Fortunately, the plumber was a good guy, and a bit of a hottie to boot. Still, good looks and an impressive physique only go so far, and it took a Herculean effort to fix a date for him to come. The first attempt was when I was traveling a while back, when there was a leisurely 2- to 3-month window to complete the 24-hour job in my absence, which came and went without a visit from my new dieu.

So last month, when I was out of town for a solid month (about 2165 hours), he was cajoled into coming then, which he did…although it was a squeaker since he came the day before I returned. Romain did much of the footwork on that and fortunately he doesn’t share the same affection for the plumber as I do, unless something happened while I was gone. If it did, I wouldn’t be upset. After all, the plumber came, and as anyone who’s waited for a plumber, all that matters is that he comes.

The plombier had to break the entire shower (and wall) to fix the leak, which he did, and I was happy to step into the new-ish shower after my overnight flight home…until I realized he neglected to put the holder for the pommeau de douche back on the wall. Looking around, I realized there was nowhere to put the nozzle down after I’d watered myself and reached for the savon to soap up.

Like the traversin, the bolster-type pillows that are 10-inches/23cm round, which are way too high for a human to sleep on, no one can quite explain how to use either item. The tubular pillow apparently was designed at a time where people felt that if you slept lying down, you’d die, which reminded me when I learned last summer that l’eau chaude (warm water) is better for reviving wilted lettuce than cold water. Or so I was told.

Enter the traversin, which once allowed one to prop themselves upright the entire evening. Anyone who has tried to sleep on a red-eye flight in coach can probably tell you that it’s impossible to sleep sitting upright, and a pillow that holds your head up as high as if it was resting on a basketball doesn’t help you catch any winks. I’ve been in hotels and guest houses where that’s all that’s been offered and ended up sleeping with my head on a pile of my clothes. (Which made explaining the button indentations marks on my cheeks a little uncomfortable to the owners over the breakfast table in the morning.)

In France, a number of pommeaux de douche (not to be confused with just pommeau, a delicious apple-based French apéritif), are not firmly fixed to the wall, as they are in the States. But are at the end of spiraled hoses, no matter where you lay them while you’re showing,  are showerheads that will slither downward and go rogue in the tub or shower basin. And if you haven’t turned it off, you and possibly the bathroom, are gonna get hosed.

I know the internet reacts badly when people make absolute statements, but I’m going to go out on a limb and come right out and say it: Taking a shower is a two-handed operation (for me).

Some say you’re supposed to turn the water off while you scrub to save water, but we’ve got a Seine’s-worth of water right down the street, so it’s not a major issue to let the water run an extra 14 seconds. Unfortunately no shower I’ve been in has had a reasonable place to lay a showerhead down while you lather up without water spraying everywhere, turning your bathtub (and bathroom) into a mini-Versailles without the dramatic lighting and narration about the life and times of Louis XIV. Even if you put the showerhead face down, like a Water Wiggle, it has a way of turning over and spraying you in the face, and just about everywhere else, far and wide.

 

This past summer I sprayed a gorgeous bathroom, with beautiful paintings and woodwork on the walls, with a sudden stream of water that came when the hose dragged the showerhead into the full, wet-the-whole-room position. Romain heard me screaming, which definitely wasn’t the same scream of delight when we turned on the Water Wiggle in our backyard when I was a kid.

There’s a reason the good Lord (or whoever decides these things…) invented the shower holder. A few years ago I thought it would be informative to show people how to properly use a French shower. I was visiting a friend’s apartment, who is a sturdy rugby player, and noticed when I went to use his bathroom that he had a bathtub and a shower hose, but no shower nozzle holder, and no shower curtain to contain the water. (I’ve never been able to figure what’s up with that either.)

Always thinking of my readers, I asked how he took a shower without arrosser-ing the entire bathroom and he shrugged and said “Pas de problème, Daveed.” Due to many people asking me over the years how people in France take showers without curtains to contain the water, I suggested making a video of him taking a shower to share with you, but he declined. (Sorry!)

Nowadays, more and more showers are equipped with a fixation or un support to hang the showerhead on so you can keep the hot water flowing (which is especially appreciated in the winter) while lathering up. I don’t know about you, but yes, I need both hands when I’m in there since showering at some point, involves using one hand to lift a few things up and outta the way, so I can clean everywhere.

Having lived here a while, I thought that I could finally master showering without a shower holder. So after finishing my first shower after returning home, and taking subsequent showers in the following days, I’ll admit that I’m useless when faced with a hand-held shower and nowhere to hang it. (Please, no jokes about things that are hanging, or are hung – or not – in my shower.) And I’ll admit that my best days are behind me so don’t expect a video either. But I will tell you that I didn’t do as thorough of a job of cleaning myself as I usually do when I can use both hands to lift, lather, and rinse. So I’ve started working on the plumber to come back to add a support to the wall so I can come out cleaner. If he reads this, he may, admittedly, be reluctant to return, but I promise to make it worth his while, perhaps with a nice, hot, handheld shower (with a holder) afterward.

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69 comments

    • Gayle

    Oh David…this whole column makes me laugh. It brings back not so fond memories of a stay at a lovely Parisian home with a huge bathtub, nothing surrounding it, and a hose with nowhere to hang it.

    Suffice to say that lovely bathroom got hosed a lot during that visit.

    No idea how they do it…Pas de probleme indeed.

    • Nanci Courtney

    I have always been flummoxed by French bathing arrangements. Sorry there is no video of your friend to clear matters up. But at least I know I am not alone!!

    • Linda in IN

    I haven’t been to France in a while, but on several trips to Spain in recent years I was mystified by their tradition of glass doors that cover only the half of the bathtub where the shower head is, (firmly attached to the end wall.) Somehow, all the water is supposed to splash in one direction, back toward that end wall? Are we in the US alone in wanting to keep the rest of our bathrooms dry?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I do know Europeans (and now, myself) who come to the U.S. and are startled that all the showerheads are usually firmly fixed to the wall, with no hoses. Some have asked me “How do you clean yourself?” which is another mystery I guess I should plan a video of.

      Just need to find a volunteer : )

      • Texan In Exile

      Yes! We have also noticed this in Spain and are mystified. I spend my shower shivering because all the cold air comes into the space. The technology to keep water in the shower and cold air out exists. Let’s use it.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Good idea! But…unfortunately they’re non vendu at the Leroy-Merlin stores in Paris. (And the last thing that was delivered to me went wayward a few months ago – in August – and the post office is still looking for it…)

    • Martine

    David, Hi from Texas!

    Please browse amazon.com…
    “ Handheld Shower head Holder with Adjustable Dual Positions, Wall Suction Bracket Includes Adhesive 3M Disc, No Tools Required and Easy Installation.”

    The suction shower hose holders work great on any smooth area on a wall!

    • Jean Marie Eidson Yewell

    It is reassuring to read that others are as mystified as I by French shower configurations. How does one shampoo their hair with only one hand? I realize you are busy but I am waiting for the video.

    • Daniel Young

    At my Paris apartment, I’ve had three serious and costly fuites d’eau incidents since the bathroom was effectively rebuilt some 20 years ago. As such, I feel ripples of angst with your every word.

    • Fazal Majid

    If you don’t want to drill into your shower wall, search amazon.fr for “support douche ventouse” and you will find a variety of models for around €10.

    • Susan

    The first thing we did when we bought
    our apartment in Collioure nearly 20 yrs ago was to have a pommeau holder installed. But the “pièce de la
    resistance” was shipping over a curved
    shower curtain rod (as you find in finer
    hotels) which gives us much more elbow room when showering.

      • Texan In Exile

      We got the curved curtain rod when we bought our house (in the US). It’s so nice to have room in the shower!

    • Denise Vivaldo

    Thank you. Best column I have read from ANYBODY in years.
    Loved every word.
    I did not read the comment policy.
    Hope this is okay.
    Lol.

    • Linda in IN

    Will Leroy-Merlin make special orders for you? Perhaps their supplier has the temporary holders.

    • Sarahb1313

    OMG this made my day! Such a stressful week, and this little hilarious story made it better.
    Yes. My questions exactly. Water everywhere. I suppose the only way I ever improved the outcome of these wiggly rascals has been to sit in the tub while washing and finishing the waist down at the end. Yuk.

    Thanks for the laugh!

    And now off to start soup and baking season this beautiful autumn weekend!

    • Patricia

    You’re so funny!

    Can you sit in the bathtub while you shower yourself and have better control of the shower head? Better yet just have a bath!

    • Butter Birkas

    After living in Hungary for several years I know the reason for this torture. Small water heaters mandate short showers. The way to make that happen is… no door, no curtain, and no shower holder. One is simply not meant to be all that clean, and the landlord must save electricity!

    • christine

    Re: shampooing…. americans are the few people in the world who have the privilege of using completely potable, clean, pristine water running continuously at 2 gallons/minute. In many parts of the world, not only in France but in most of Asia from east to southeast, you wet yourself first, stop the water, soap and shampoo, then turn the water on to rinse off. Pas de probleme.

    • MR in NJ

    At a small hotel in Italy about 25 years ago the only way to take a shower without soaking one’s clothes was to put them on a chair outside the hall. For my second shower I added the towel and the roll of toilet paper because there was no shower curtain and it was not possible, at least for me, to avoid spraying the entire room. After showering of course one must open the door wet and naked….

    • Margaret Huff

    David, below I am trying to send a version of what we had in our old 1929 shower…we bought it from Kohler…a shower diversion kit but our holder was heavy acrylic…I am hoping this will turn into a picture….

    • Margaret Huff

    David, second part…I will try to find a picture of it up close later….we had a whole house remodel done 2 years ago and the entire bathroom was bashed out and changed. The little holder did hold the shower nozzle, in fact it held it so the shower head on the end of the flexible hose worked as if it was hard wired into the wall.

    • KP

    I feel your pain. We found “Support mural réglable pour pommeau de douche” on Amazon.fr

    • shannon

    Oh, this brings back memories both from my time living in Malta (very similar, mystifying setup) and the Philippines (where at least the entire bathroom was usually tiled, but you were generally expected to bathe using a bucket and dipper (tabo). My US-grown bathing habits have not prepared me well for various international plumbing setups!

    • Laura

    Thank you for such a good laugh. I actually chuckled when you mentioned the water wiggle.

    • L Hildebrand

    So we’ve recently bought property and live near Angers, so had the same problem. We found un support included with a cheap rain head at Leroy Merlin and it’s been working well so far! Here’s a list of cheaper to more $ but the cheaper has been working just fine. Happy showering :)

    • Terry s.

    I have always wondered about the lack of shower curtains and minuscule shower enclosures in France. I have flooded more than one hotel shower over the years. Great story.

    • Becky

    I loved this, David. Although I am in the states, I also have a lower handheld shower head that is quite useful when bathing, bathing the dogs, rinsing out the tub for cleaning, etc. That thing has a mind of its own if it is not put in its’ “holster”, and I know I have looked like an episode of Laurel and Hardy when I have tried to just lay it down in the tub. It always flips over and water goes everywhere! So, I knew exactly what you were talking about. Good luck finding a solution!

    • Bonnie

    Well, we’ve always found the French plumbing to be “imaginative” but NOT practicle.

    • Violette kogut

    In italy they have a hole on the floor
    The water goes everywhere.it is hellish to take a shower,no rack for the towels ( that’s in an appartment)
    But I will go to Lowe’s and look for a handle holder to have the water fall on me not the wall.I love your stories,Parisian by birth,lives in the States but I understand the situation,in the Bathtub( which I detest same problem.)
    At least you have a sense of humor
    Merci pour la rigolade.~

    • Laura Loewen (malvaneglecta)

    That was so painful and funny at the same time to read– how frustrating when something that SHOULD be an easy fix can’t seem to happen.
    Do people hold the shower thingie between their knees or under a foot or something? I’m guessing it can be done, but why should it have to?!

    • Carol

    Hello David. I loved your story. It reminded me of our innumerable home exchange vacations in France, starting in the ’90s: showering in a bathtub without curtains and nowhere to hang the shower head was typical, not only in Paris, and I was incapable of doing it without watering the bathroom floor– even if I sat in the tub or crouched while trying to shower. Hope your plumber came and put in the fixture so that you can use both hands to wash. Buona fortuna!

    • Georgia Peach

    Davide: moi aussi! I feel your pain and Im shorter than the average bear so cannot reach the shower head of my new residence. Not good. Waiting for a shower head slide from an online store!

    • Susan Riggs

    Such a good laugh and some great memories! I know too the pleasure of flooding a few bathrooms in Paris. And Wiggle Worm, that is priceless! Here’s hoping your shower gets fixed soon!

    • Susan Riggs

    Just realized, WE called it Wiggle Worm not Water Wiggle in our family

    • eli

    My husband-born and raised in Europe has always been flummoxed by the showers/bath-w/no holder, door or curtain. Go figure! I got used to squatting-keeping the head of the sprayer on the floor of tub-turning down the water pressure-sudsing and then rinsing in a squat. Whee-exhausting. My favorite shower was in Denmark, entire bathroom tiled. So all shower water went to middle of the room drain. Toilet/sink could be scrubbed down and rinsed well and squeegeed into drain. Great for a family of all boys

    • Linda from IN

    Reply to Eli: your mention of the floor drains in Denmark reminded me of an experience in Havana, Cuba. Our recently renovated bathroom in one of the better hotels had a slab of stone as it’s floor, with a gentle slope to the drain by the shower head. 1/2 glass shower “wall”. Then there was a drain in the floor of the bathroom outside the shower. I discovered the 1st day that the shower drain didn’t drain quickly, so I used really low pressure and stood close to the shower head. I told my roommate. She proceeded to take a normal shower, which ran over the edge of the stone shower floor into the bathroom, where that drain didn’t work either, so it ran under the door out into our room, under the beds, under the room door into the hall….. There are no carpets anywhere in Cuba for this reason. They sent a housekeeper up to mop up the water, but it took two days to get a different room. THAT was a mess.

    • Kimberly Griffin

    Oh David that was a hoot to read!
    I live on my yacht full time and the shower has a button to push on the handle to stop the flow of water. Good for water consumption and allows for two handed juggling of bits and pieces.
    No shower curtains in Malta either. So just thrill a bit so the spray always spares the room?

    • Gavrielle

    This definitely brought back my L’Appart PTSD, so I can only imagine how much fun it’s been to live through. I was puzzled as to why I hadn’t struck this issue when staying with a friend in Paris, then remembered he didn’t have a bathroom at all. Living in a chambre de bonne is an effective way of avoiding the shower problem, although I don’t think I can recommend it.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, people who live in chambres de bonne (top floor tiny apartments that the domestiques/maids used to sleep in) often share bathrooms, and sometimes the shower is over the Turkish-style toilet with wooden slats that go over the, um, hole in the floor to stand on, and a hose. It’s actually quite efficient…if a bit uncomfortable for some :)

    • Marie Lamensch

    Having lived in France for years, but now living in Canada, I feel for regarding
    1) plumbers
    2) plumbers who take forever to fix something then fuck up
    3) Le pommeau. It was a constant battle between me and the evil thing that seemed to be alive. Imagine how kids have to deal with le pommeau. It’s snake

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      In his defense – and I will always defend this plumber – he was very prompt and effective when the leak occurred, answering phone calls, monitoring the situation, and coming to fix the problem.

      I guess putting things back together, including my bathroom, was less of a priority but after a year passed…or longer (it’s been so long, I don’t remember!) it was time to finish the job and get my shower back. It’s clear that putting the support back is less of a priority as well, but I’m holding out hope (and holding the douchette) until he comes back…

        • Marie Lamensch

        One thing that is essential in France: optimism and good outlook on life !

        My dad has been waiting for two months for someone to come fix his heating. He is 75 and Winter is coming. He is keeping his hopes up !

          • David
          David Lebovitz

          I think I got an email a while back from the gas or electric company here that they have qualified contractors (here on the EDF website) so that might be a good place to find someone reliable, who will come. In France, it’s also good if you have a “story,” like your ageing dad, as people respond to that more than to someone who just has a problem.

    • James in NZ

    This problem has vexed me in the past, too, not least in a flat I lived in in London for a time (and this situation was one of the reasons I moved out!).

    • Kay

    Hi David,
    reminds me of all the weird showers and bathrooms in Vietnam. My sister, my niece and I travelled there for a month,
    the challenge of how to turn the taps and shower on etc is always tricky, but add to this the use of clear glass doors on bathrooms including toilets! is both confronting and interesting. I also got locked into a loo at a breakfast place, lucky for the clear glass door!!

    • Carl Bach

    At home (US) we have a shower head on our hand held on which you can dial different spray patterns by twisting the face of the shower head. On of the spray patterns is actually almost no water, effectively allowing you to set the hand pommeaux de douche on the floor of the tub/shower without fear of spraying anything. Surely such a thing is available here.

    • Julie Hock

    In Rothenburg, Germany, my friend totally soaked the hotel room while showering. In Malaysia in old houses, there is only the water trough and a bucket to slosh over one!
    Those bolsters are called Dutch Wives in Asia, and are held against the body while sleeping.

    • Julie

    Yes to all of this. 100 times yes! Thanks for the laugh.

    • Bette

    The three years I lived in Wales, I had the same issue (and I have long hair that needs washing while showering). I finally came up with the solution — I put the showerhead down in the tub and step on the hose — lightly with my toes — while soaping and shampooing.

    • christine

    Totally get this, sorry I’m unavailable until adjustments. Suction holders will break the tile off your wall or slide down. Wait and do it right. In the meantime, can you sling the shower head over your shoulder like a scarf, but not wrapped around, please don’t wrap fully around. Or possibly wear a tool belt from your local cancallerie, there’s usually a loop for a paint brush, which would accommodate your shower head nicely. It’s the little things that soothe us and the big things that move us. Cheer up, it’s sweater weather!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      The problem with suction cups is they’re great…until the come unstuck in the middle of the night and you get woken up by the sound of something loud crashing down in your bathroom!

    • Anna R.

    Your post always make me smile or laugh…. very pleasant to read. I totally agree with everything you said about showering in a French bathroom!
    I have a few years to think about what I will do with a shower head before I move to France. If you find a solution, let us know!

    • Ellen Quilty

    Ah the water snake that goes berserk and soaks everything in sight including the toilet paper.Since there is never a shower curtain but maybe if you’re lucky a half glass partition which lets in all the cold air while not containing all the water you wind up using all the towels to mop the floor.Love traveling but it is good to get back home to one’s own shower.

    • Elin Rosén

    In this situation I hold the shower head between my knees, facing down, while lathering up :)

    As for the question about getting clean in the US – it does feel inconvenient not being able to aim the water or get it closer to the area you want to rinse, when the shower is fixed to the wall. At least if you are used to the detachable kind.

    • Paul

    Why is it that almost everybody in Paris has a plumbing “situation” or two in their lifetime, and the “situation” is almost always fixed (more or less, usually less!) after much consternation, waiting, pleading, having appointments cancelled, and of course lots of good old hard cash? Are all plumbers in France (who really do charge an arm and a leg compared to their peers, say, in Spain) really that clumsy and bad? It sure looks like it! Sorry David – but a great story!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It does seem that way but one thing about France; when you get the right person, they do things (very) right. It’s just a challenge to find that person. As mentioned, plumbing in France requires more than just a plumber – there are insurance agents to deal with, uncooperative neighbors (I have a friend whose apt has been unlivable for at least five years due to massive water leaks coming in from upstairs), the property managers (who have an all-around bad reputation…), and other factors. On top of that, much of the plumbing is old, and good plumbers (and electricians) are in high demand, so getting the right one to come – and come back – takes some doing…

    • Maggie Beltrami

    When I arrived in Italy for a gap year in August of 1982 I was completely flummoxed by the hand held shower situation not to mention the bidet!!!! For an 18 yr old it was completely out of my comfort, not to mention language, zone to ask how/what/why?!?! I learned a lot that year; language, culture, local customs, contortions for showering, and a deep love for the bidet. I’d do it all again!

    • Dorothy

    How about a long string noose attached to the back of the faucet to hold the sprayer while soaping up?

    • Rachel E.

    I have never left a comment on a blog in my whole life, but I feel like I actually have something to contribute here. I have always wanted a handheld showerhead, but have been skeptical of the durability of the diverter valve that shifts the flow from the fixed showerhead to the handheld showerhead and the durability of the device to hold the portable head onto the wall. Imagine my delight when I found the PERFECT product. It’s called the MOEN Magnetix handheld showerhead. They have various options available, but I opted for the 6-funtion one that is a single showerhead, so no diverter valve. It attaches to its dock with a strong magnet and is very easy to install. I did it myself! I’m in the US and purchased it from one of the big hardware store chains but maybe it’s available in Europe, too. I did not buy the optional “remote dock” as the reviews for it are mixed and I don’t really have a need for it. I love it and have no complaints. Maybe it’s something that can work for you, too!

    • John Lewallen

    David, thanks for today’s laugh. I promise I am not laughing at your discomfort. And now I shall not be able to get my mind off of your rugby friend doing a demonstration shower video. Yes, I suppose my life is sad. lol

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Well, I think a lot of people would have been happy if he’d agreed to do it…so don’t feel bad about being sad!

    • Charlotte

    Oh wow. And here I thought having the only shower in a luxurious old hotel we stayed in 2 decades ago in Scotland was a very tiny space, super bad construction job in their basement that also had a hand held contraption.

    Topic change to Mallomars.

    Hope you’ve tested some cookie bases to use your outstanding marshmallow recipe and favorite French chocolate on.

    I found that a Google search for
    mallomars diy -pinterest
    gives one set of results.

    While a Google search for
    chocolate covered marshmallow cookie -pinterest
    gives another.

    Even more recipes, including recipes by Epicurious, Martha Stewart, Ricardo Larrive (Canada’s chef, +++).

    I’ve made a bunch, but so far, I liked Ricardo Larrive’s on ricardocusine.com the best.

    I know yours can top them all.

    • Beth

    This piece had me ROFL–thank you! You are getting into David Sedaris territory with this and I am here for it.
    I lived in France for a couple years and had the same puzzling shower experiences. Also one night when hotels were booked during high tourist season, my Polish friends got me a room at le couvent polonais. Private shower in room before early morning run to train station. Turned on left knob (hot water, right) but FREEZING cold water came out. Waited waited waited. No hot water ever. Racked my barely-awake brain for what could be wrong. (My mother is Polish so I had an idea.) Turned on right knob (normally cold), and voila! Warm water ran plentifully.

    • Todd

    I lived in France, in Grenoble in 1992, so it has been 30 years since I lived there. I see nothing has changed in terms of the shower heads and the lack of shower curtains. The French are certainly tied to their traditions and this manifests itself in some wonderful experiences, but also in some experiences that you have to wonder, why don’t they do something about this? The shower head situation fits in the latter category.

    However, I did have a method that I used to take my showers that did not require turning off the water each time I wanted to put down the shower head. I would simply put the shower head on its side in the tub and put my foot on it. Or, sandwich it on its side between my two feet. This does of course require much squatting down and standing up, and squatting down and standing up. And of course, sometimes the shower head slips from under your foot and still sprays the bathroom. However, I did find this reduced my Bellagio fountain experiences somewhat.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Some people have suggested that one puts the nozzle down while lathering up but showers are slippery places and standing on one foot is fine for younger folks, but there are quite a few older people here that aren’t as steady – or nimble – especially on wet porcelain. There is a certain adherence to tradition, as you mention, but some things change for the better and imho, a shower holder is a nice improvement.

    • Texan In Exile

    My first shower as a Peace Corps volunteer in Chile, I kept it short as I didn’t want to use all the hot water – there were other people waiting for the shower at the training site.

    Turns out I needn’t have worried – the water was heated with a calefont, a device I wish I had in the US because keeping a bunch of water hot in a water heater seems so stupid when you realize you could just heat the water before you use it.

    Only disadvantage of this system is if your gas tank runs out while you are showering, you need to leave the shower, shampoo in your hair, to call the gas guy to deliver a new tank of gas, and wait until he can ride his bike and the gas to your house. (And you have to get dressed enough to pay him.)

    • Angela

    This made me laugh. Especially since we just moved home after being gone for several months and found one shower faucet broken, and the other one leaking. But at least we do have shower head holders in both bathrooms!

A

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