Don’t Be Surprised When You See a Bidet

American bathrooms are becoming more upscale. It started with frameless shower doors, which offer a touch of class and distinction to any contemporary bathroom.

But a surprising number of homeowners are choosing to add a bidet to their bathroom to add a touch of European design and sophistication.

What Is a Bidet?

If you have ever walked into somebody’s bathroom and seen what appears to be two separate toilet bowls, it probably wasn’t “his and hers”. It was more likely that one of them was a bidet.

A bidet is a fixture that is kind of like a cross between a sink and a toilet. It is used to cleanse the “private parts” of the body in a sanitary and sophisticated way.

Bidets are commonly found in European bathrooms but are only now becoming popular in the United States and elsewhere.

Side by Side

Bidets typically are installed directly next to the toilet bowl. That’s so that once you are finished with your business, you can shift over to the bidet to give yourself a refreshing cleanse using clean, warm water.

While they are not that common outside of France, some homeowners are adopting the benefits of bidets without installing the fixtures themselves by combining a toilet seat with an “electronic bidet”, which offers an all-in-one cleansing solution.

Requires Plumbing Upgrade

While installing a bidet in new construction is relatively easy — and becoming increasingly popular — retrofitting an existing bathroom is more of a challenge. They require a separate plumbing hookup than the toilet, and they also require the same amount of space as the toilet.

That usually means redesigning the bathroom in order to accommodate the toilet and bidet, as well as the shower, the sink, and everything else typically found in a contemporary bathroom.

So the next time you encounter a bathroom that includes a bidet, you don’t have to wonder what it’s used for.