I think this is a critical thing to understand. A bidet is useful for men who want to clean up after defecating. But that is not it’s only use. A full bidet is less an accessory to the toilet, and more a specialized type of shower that people use any time their lower half needs some attention- before or after sex, freshening up when skipping a full shower, rinsing off before going to sleep, etc. People from bidet-using countries are accustomed to rinsing off that area several times daily, and they’d consider hopping in the shower for that to be as overkill as taking a shower because you have to wash your hands.
I’m an expat in Thailand and every toilet here has a “bum gun”. A flexible hose with a spray head and a trigger to control pressure which reaches to the toilet seat. This is necessary because a lot of toilets here (which are western ones not squat ones) cannot have toilet paper put down them because the the pipes are too thin.
After 2 years of being here I’m a total convert, much faster, easier and more hygenic than toilet paper alone.
Yeah, so what about Siam Siam? I’d like to hear a second opinion.
That’s similar. Mine has hot and cold faucets, but since I’m in the tropics there’s never any need to use the “hot” one. The “cold” is lukewarm anyway.
I developed the habit of pre-wetting toilet paper (in office-type restroom) and taking it with me into the stall.
At home, I just reach over and moisten a pad of TP - much cleaner and quicker than dry wiping.
I’ve only seen one bidet in my life. A sad commentary on the American Experience.
Bumgun vs toilet paper is indeed a source of spirited debate amongst expats here and I too am intrigued to hear the opinion of the esteemed Siam Sam 
Article here:
http://womenlearnthai.com/index.php/taking-a-break-from-thai-politics-squat-toilets-and-bum-guns/
Just have to note that while Squat toilets might be still found in rural Thailand (with bumguns) they are pretty rare in Bangkok.
Many women have to dry themselves after urinating… So whats the diff.
Your house doesn’t have hot water? :eek:
All in all, it does seem like it would be a better overall design to have a hot water jet attached to the regular toilet. You’re already sitting on it with your pants down. Youv’e already got access to toilet paper to dry off with.
Thats exactly what Japanese toilets have. They spray a soft jet of warm water onto you with adjustable aim and temperature in the pricier models. Easily available in the US through Amazon.
Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t like those hoses and never use them. It’s true they are ubiquitous over here. But I never could master using them without spraying water and shit all over the place. And it’s not just because I’m an old codger, I first came here in my 20s but never could get used to that. I stick with toilet paper. Have not yet met a toilet in Thailand that really cannot handle paper.
Bidets in Japan are something else. I love those. Electronically controlled, they have different water speed and temperature settings. Wonderful!
Just to note, my house in the North had a squat toilet, and I mastered it with efficiency. But that was a long time ago, and I doubt my creaky old bones could handle it these days. Both the restrooms in our condo here in Bangkok have Western toilets, and I’ve since upgraded in my travels from the type of cheap accommodation upcountry that would include a squat toilet.
It’s not impossible to find a squat toilet in Bangkok. Many of the older public buildings will often have a mix of squat and Western styles such as Hua Lamphong train station or Chulalongkorn Hospital. But modern shopping malls and department stores will be all-Western.
I’ve got a bidet attachment similar to this, and I’ll never go back. Although it’s not heated, the water isn’t the shock to the system like one could imagine. The water just bounces off and goes into the bowl. After a spray, I just sit for a couple of seconds, and then press 2 squares of tp up there, and it’s kinda joyful to see them come back spotless 
I consider it God’s gift to people who poop.
Yeah, maybe I’m just used to it, or I just have an insensitive rear end, but the comments on “isn’t the water cold” are something that just never occurred to me. It’s not at all, to me, shocking in the least. Even if I had the option, I wouldn’t bother with warmer water.
Seems like, even with the heated units, the water in the line between the heater and the sprayer would be at the same temp as the unheated units. Or are they designed to spray down until the warm water arrives?
I’m just reminded of a random SDMB poster here…
He referred to related issues using such words as “shag carpet” and “peanut butter”…
enough said one hopes…
I haven’t seen the word “soap” used. Unless this involves soap I don’t see how a bidet is better than a clean wipe.
The bidet doesn’t use a fine mist- it has a concentrated jet, and what it blasts off is “fresh” fecal matter, not some kind of dried on residue. It’s even easier if you give it a short blast just prior to evacuation. I’ll just say in my case, when I used tp, if I missed one molecule of poop I’d get itchy later in the day. No more.
The Pedants can’t live without our bidet, and it freshens up the nether world for more purposes than defecation, and more fully than wet wipes.
It’s nothing more than a gentle upside down warm fountain. It is not a high pressure shower that sprays detritus everywhere.
We recognize most of the world live with, and get used to, filthy personal parts–not to mention dingleberries.
We are not those people.
We had a TOTO version at the last place I worked. Heavenly! Anyway, it had a reservoir that held warm water. The sprayer wand extended (kind of like an antenna) so the section that contained room temp water was only a couple of inches.