If you’re ever in the South Bay, there’s a lovely restaurant called Orchard City Kitchen in Campbell, which aside from its culinary attractions, has a fancy bidet seat in the women’s restroom. (I assume in the men’s, too.)
The Japanese grill restaurant in Cupertino had one too, but it wasn’t working on my last visit, so I can’t recommend.
I have owned one for years.
I have hemorrhoids.
But, with a bidet–SWEET RELIEF!
Recently on vacation and my first hotel was… functional. (it had everything you need in a hotel, but nothing beyond that. This was ok because I didn’t plan on spending much time there.)
I got to my second hotel, walked in, and saw a Japanese toilet with heated seat and a bidet (and some other functions that I couldn’t figure out and google translate couldn’t translate). There was a small part of me that thought “I really don’t need to leave this room. I could be perfectly happy right here for the rest of my vacation.”
FTR, I did leave the room.
But if/when I ever need a new toilet, I will seriously consider buying one. They’re great.
Okay, since we’re plumbing the depths of the bidet, I have a question. As I understand it, a major, if not primary function of the standalone bidet is to facilitate washing the genital area even if the toilet has not just been used. Can the bidet seat be used this way, i.e., to bathe the privates with soap and turn on the nozzle to rinse? It seems to me that you would have to sit facing the tank/wall the way you would on a regular bidet. Or maybe not. And that this would work best with nozzles that have an oscillating motion or a wide spray option.
I had a bidet in my house in China. An actual, separate, porcelain fixture. There wasn’t really any paper savings, because, well, it was always good to have one pass with paper before getting up and moving to the bidet.
In my home now, I installed a bum gun, which I prefer to the seat-mounted bidets. I got used to these during frequent business trips to Thailand, and found that they give great control over aim and flow rate compared to the seat-mounted bidets that are common in the US.
On a layover in Incheon, I got to use a Japanese bidet in the business lounge. It was kind of neat from the technical perspective, but overall it’s fussy and slow compared to using the bum gun.
I don’t see that as a viable activity with my bidet seat. the area that’s getting sprayed is just too focused; and while it seems perfectly adequate for thoroughly cleaning the area (I’ve stopped doing test wipes every time, since they’ve come up negative every time) I am not so sure they’re remove incidental soap from all over the perineum.
I’d also need an alternative source of water for the soaping up initially, which would probably be the shower, so why not finish the job in the shower, hosing off any excess soap there?
Doubtless there is a model out there that will give a soap/water combo scrub/rinse for this situation, but it’s not a feature of mine.
Hmmmm, now I’m thinking of some fancy fusion of a shower and a toilet, for this purpose. A shoilet? A shidet? Naah, I don’t think so . . .
Thanks for that sensible reply. I guess the bum gun referred to by Balthisar might do the trick.
Googling “bum gun” is very educational. I can certainly see the utility of this device.
For folks interested in testing a bidet for effectiveness before replacing the toilet lid, drop all of ten or twenty bucks for a squeeze bottle with a nozzle with a bend on the end. Obviously it is not a relaxing device, but it does the job in cleaning up the shop, and if you top it up after use, you will have room temperature water for next time. If you like it, keep using it or jump the light fantastic and get a get a bidet toilet lid.
If you don’t like it, and no one has been telling you that you smell like ass, then give it to your kids, tell them that it is a squirt gun, and tell them “happy hunting” as you shoo them out of the house. Then sit back and wait for them to create some memories to laugh over in later years.
I got one for canoe tripping years ago (toilet paper is bulky to pack and tends to get dug up by critters, and water is pretty much a given on canoe trips – well, not always).
Yeah, that’s exactly my set-up. A sprayer bidet.
I have this one I got from amazon. Get the metal tee assembly as well – the plastic one it comes with is crap. Also, the little door will break off, but I don’t think it matters.
I absolutely love it. Yes, you still use TP to dry off and check for cleanliness, but you use far less than you used to. Those times when you feel like you’re wiping a marker or have a case of the trots? They make cleaning your self SO much easier.
Downside to a bidet in my old house was the plumbing went through the attic. In winter, the water was ice cold, and in the summer, it was very warm, both of which make for odd feelings down there.
I ordered this one from amazon today: Brondell Swash SE600 Bidet Seat. I also ordered the metal t-connector.
Congratulations on your choice! Be sure to give us a full report once it is in use. 
I arranged today to have the electrical work done to place a handy outlet. The loo in question is ready for a full toilet replacement, so I’ll buy the commode and bidet together once the electrical work is done.
Happy holidays!
Wonderful! You go, ThelmaLou! 
Installed one three years ago, and it genuinely pains me to travel now because I won’t have it. It’s top 5 purchases I’ve ever made.
I had a stand-alone bidet when I lived in the UAE, but seldom used it because it was a clumsy design (IMHO). Used Bum Guns (what a perfect name) on occasion, but you could make a mistake a spray yourself if you weren’t careful.
Then this summer while in Peking for vacation, I had a room with a Japanese toilet bidet with the complete menu, and I’m sold. Haven’t bought one yet, but I will, I will.
Life is short, and you never know what’s just around the corner. Don’t wait!! 
Okay, but I will not respond to the comment, “This post is useless without pictures.”
It’s your doing. I’ve thought about it, but this thread was the kick in the ass that I needed (as it were).
A menu? You mean some of them come with takeout food delivery? I swear, the Japanese are ahead of us in so many ways… I know what you meant. Just being giddy.
I have never heard of a “bum gun”, but my shower head can be hand-held (or tucked in its mount) and I routinely use it to wash my nether regions. It’s great – much better than an over-head shower.
I remember a podcast where these type of toilets were mentioned entirely as an aside. One of the guys said, “Imagine you are outside and you accidentally get did shit on your hand. Are you going to head to the sink or are you just going to grab a roll of paper towels?”