# Why is there a towel bar in the shower? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639 "2013-06-10T17:37:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/1 "2013-06-10T17:37:54Z")
In most tub/showers I’ve ever seen, there’s almost always a towel bar mounted on the wall opposite the faucet/shower head. If you were to hang a dry towel there, wouldn’t it get all wet from splash and steam? What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/2 "2013-06-10T17:42:34Z")
It’s for washcloths. You soap up the washcloth and then use it to scrub yourself rather than rubbing the community soap all over yourself. Srome people are mystified to learn that others do this, some people are horrified to learn that there are people who don’t. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/3 "2013-06-10T17:49:48Z")
It’s handy to grab when you slip on the soap. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/4 "2013-06-10T17:51:39Z")
It’s a good place to store your shampoo bottles, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tess\_Trueheart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Tess\_Trueheart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess_Trueheart)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/5 "2013-06-10T17:57:03Z")
Some people actually use it for full-length towels.\*\* Darth Sensitive\*\* and I have a tub-and-shower combo, and his claimed towel spot is the towel bar in there. We both wanted it during wintertime when it was cooooold in our bathroom! Wrapping up in your towel before you leave the shower keeps you feeling warmer longer, and if we aim the showerhead right the towel isn’t wet at all. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/6 "2013-06-10T18:05:28Z")
In addition to the above, you can certainly hang your towel there. If you have the shower flow low enough, and you’re big and fat enough (like me) or perhaps you’re using the tub, you won’t splash a towel hung there. You’d be surprised how much dust collects there, even though you shower often. Go and check it now, if you’re sure its always getting wet by shower spray. One of us is right, let’s see who. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/7 "2013-06-10T18:43:32Z")
We also use it for a perch when bathing the cockatiels. Whichever one is waiting for a turn in the shower spray\* waits on that bar (with a hand towel in place to make it easy and comfy for little claws to grip). \*They’re actually too delicate for full-on shower spray; we use either a mister bottle or (more frequently) I just deflect shower spray with one hand, letting the lightweight scatter play on the parrots. I’m sure this is the main use for that towel bar in _every_ home. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/8 "2013-06-10T20:19:02Z")
When I was a kid we had this set up in our bathtub/shower. Never had a problem with towels getting wet. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/9 "2013-06-10T20:34:16Z")
If you’re a business traveler and you’re staying at a hotel, it’s also a great place to hang your dress shirt and run the shower on full heat for about 5 minutes with the curtain/door closed. The steam makes the wrinkles less aggressive, and gives the shirt just enough moisture to make ironing it a breeze. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Eclipse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@Lunar\_Eclipse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Eclipse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/10 "2013-06-10T20:44:14Z")
Not the bar you are talking about … but the bar on the wall across from the shower curtain in most shower/tub combos… I was in a hotel a few weeks ago and came back to my room to find the shower curtain tucked into the bar which made the bathroom seem a lot bigger. I had NO IDEA that was what it was meant for! I can’t believe I made it this far in life without knowing. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/11 "2013-06-10T21:02:27Z")
I was thinking of installing such a bar, so that I could hang my towel for drying after using the shower there. I would want to take the towel off the rack and set it on the toilet seat before showering, then dry off with it while standing in the shower and leave it in there to dry with the shower curtain mostly closed. That way, my shower towel is not also the towel people would use after using the sink. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/12 "2013-06-11T01:13:49Z")
> [@Lunar\_Eclipse](#): > > Not the bar you are talking about … but the bar on the wall across from the shower curtain in most shower/tub combos… I was in a hotel a few weeks ago and came back to my room to find the shower curtain tucked into the bar which made the bathroom seem a lot bigger. I had NO IDEA that was what it was meant for! I can’t believe I made it this far in life without knowing. That’s what I have; I stick my back brush in there. There’s also a recessed soap dish under it, which I never use (the soap would get much wetter than necessary, and would wear out sooner). ---
**Author:** ![Claire98909](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Claire98909](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire98909)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/13 "2013-06-11T01:32:18Z")
I’ve only ever seen these in hotels. Every day after we’d return to our room the maid(s) had stacked four fluffy white towels on the top of the rack. My first thought was that they would get wet, but it happened to be far enough away from the spray that they were perfectly dry. It’s convenient because you can wrap up in the towel right after you turn the water off without having to open the curtain and let any cool air in. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/14 "2013-06-11T01:58:19Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > It’s handy to grab when you slip on the soap. I saw this and had to respond. If the bar is sturdy I’ll agree it can be grabbed. But I’ve never seen a generic towel bar that would hold the weight of a person if grabbed for emergency, full-weight, support. The bar at the end of my tub-shower combination would break off almost instantly if I grabbed it to prevent me from falling. So be careful out there. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/15 "2013-06-11T03:12:03Z")
The only time I have ever seen this is when they are actually grab bars. Small bar for wash cloth sure, but nothing big enough for towels. Grab bars are significantly bigger and beefier than a towel bar. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/16 "2013-06-11T03:18:49Z")
I thought that was the emergency towel for when you get soap in your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/17 "2013-06-11T05:21:50Z")
> [@Lunar\_Eclipse](#): > > Not the bar you are talking about … but the bar on the wall across from the shower curtain in most shower/tub combos… I was in a hotel a few weeks ago and came back to my room to find the shower curtain tucked into the bar which made the bathroom seem a lot bigger. I had NO IDEA that was what it was meant for! I can’t believe I made it this far in life without knowing. Isn’t the bar mounted along the length of the tub for grabbing? They’re thicker than normal towel bars. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/18 "2013-06-11T06:19:04Z")
> [@ASGuy](#): > > I saw this and had to respond. If the bar is sturdy I’ll agree it can be grabbed. But I’ve never seen a generic towel bar that would hold the weight of a person if grabbed for emergency, full-weight, support. The bar at the end of my tub-shower combination would break off almost instantly if I grabbed it to prevent me from falling. So be careful out there. I do a bit of light contracting from to time. I see towel bars used as grab bars quite a bit. I’m sure they use them not knowing how dangerous that is. Also as noted above, the spray pattern is usually not what folks imagine it to be. Towel bars can be functional in the shower if its a tub/shower. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/19 "2013-06-11T08:43:43Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > Isn’t the bar mounted along the length of the tub for grabbing? They’re thicker than normal towel bars. Mine is no different than the other bars in the bathroom. It’s useful for holding the bath mat while I’m cleaning the tub. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639/20 "2013-06-11T08:56:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Mine is no different than the other bars in the bathroom. It’s useful for holding the bath mat while I’m cleaning the tub. Hmm, those I are are like: [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Impo3ekU9m4/S-6QXuxMmjI/AAAAAAAAELc/nKbkD\_FH5n0/s1000/PMBS1461.JPG](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Impo3ekU9m4/S-6QXuxMmjI/AAAAAAAAELc/nKbkD_FH5n0/s1000/PMBS1461.JPG) does that look more for towels or grabbing? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-towel-bar-in-the-shower/660639.md?page=2)