Not What I Expected in a Hotel

I was in a little old hotel in Saint-Cyprien, France last weekend. Tiny elevator, wooden floors that squeaked, towels so thin you could see through. I loved it.

But, nothing prepared me for what I found in the bathroom.

Above the sink, protruding from the tiled wall, was a strange metal arm with a wooden egg. A smooth, pale, oval-esque thing, just hanging there.

I poked it, turned it and smelled it. It didn’t smell like anything. Not soap, not wood, not even old pipes. Nada.

There was a bottle of fancy hand cleansing gel on the counter; I figured the mystery object was perhaps ornamental…or un-ornamental.

Turns out it was a wall-mounted rotating soap holder. And I didn’t even know those existed.

So What Is a Rotating Soap Holder?

A wall-mounted rotating soap holder is a metal mount with a bar of soap shaped like a torpedo mounted to the mount on a rod. You wet your hands, spin the soap and lather up.

These devices were seen throughout France, Germany, and the rest of Europe for decades. In schools, hotels and homes. They solved lots of problems: slime-ier soap dishes, slippage, waste. Just a bar of soap designed for daily use.

The soap was unscented or lightly perfumed, and super hard so it wouldn’t crack or melt too fast.

I Thought It Was a Knob. Or Art.

It looked too polished. Too solid. Like a sculptural faucet accessory kind.

But after a quick google search (“old soap wall France,” I’m for real), I figured out it was a vintage hygiene device. And now I can’t stop thinking about how brilliant it is.

It’s so French. Practical, utilitarian and designed to outlast the lifetime of everyone in the room.

Why Did These Disappear?

Liquid soap took over. It’s easier to sell, package, and brand. Foaming pumps took over and rotating soap holders went into oblivion.

However, they are making a small comeback. You can still get a wall mount and soap refills. Some people are even retro-fitting their homes to eliminate plastic waste.

They are not about nostalgia—they are actually clever.

A Obscure Genius

These wall-mounted rotating soap holders work so well. You spin the bar, lather. Dries quicker, waste; nothing there. No mess, no need to buy another pump, every few weeks.

I didn’t use one growing up but now, I oddly miss it.

In a hotel bathroom that I almost discarded, I found a bit of design genius. Something that didn’t need batteries, instructions, or branding. Just a bar of soap, and a metal arm. It did it’s job, and kept going.

So if you see one; spin it. It’s not decoration; it’s soap, the kind that quietly got it right the first time.