American Hotels
And Canadian ones for that matter. The two hotels I stayed in on the Stateside legs of my trip to 'Merkin Land had the wierdest showers I have EVER seen in my life. I had to call up reception in the first hotel and they had to send someone up to show me how it worked. I then got to my GF's house in the evening and the next morning discovered her shower was exactly the same. Albeit with sligtly less expensive tap fittings. So I guess its not just the hotels. Further embarrassment was saved on the way home by having the first hotel's shower explained to me and much use of the GFs. I suspect I shall have to re-learn it all over again when I go back this summer.
(Teran Thinks Pogonophobia is funny, Fri 18 Jan 2008, 16:33, 7 replies)

What's different about them?
Tell us! Save the rest of us the humiliation!
(Musuko, Mon 21 Jan 2008, 16:18, closed)

The difference is
They don't have switches and controls. Instead you use the hot/cold water taps for the bath. And a little lever thing on top of the taps to make the water come out the shower head rather than the taps. The little lever thing looks like the thing you push down/pull up to close the sink hole in some baths and sinks. Thus I never imagined it would operate the shower. Well, I did try it, but with the taps off. I suppose I may have thought of how to do it if the first time I tried to use it I was fucking nackered from all the travelling.
(Teran Thinks Pogonophobia is funny, Mon 21 Jan 2008, 16:58, closed)

Is that it?
Where are you from? Most bathroom fittings I've encountered work the same way; a mixer tap for the bath, with a little knob you push down to make it come out of the shower instead of the tap. My bathroom works like that.
(Musuko, Mon 21 Jan 2008, 17:30, closed)

I'm with the author on this one
I went last year and it took me about half an hour to figure out how to work the damn shower, was too embarrassed to go ask someone and figured i should be able to work it eventually. Ended up standing in quite a substantial lot of hot water before figuring out how to get it into the shower head. Almost had it happen again at a recent hotel i stayed at. Slightly different again to the merkin ones except was in UK
( MadAdamUk was last alive on, Mon 21 Jan 2008, 18:29, closed)

Where am I from?
I'm from Scotland. We build proper showers here. With settings and their own water-turning-on system. I probably would have figured it out in time...but I had a flight to catch and so embaressment gave out for a need to get washed and out the door.
(Teran Thinks Pogonophobia is funny, Tue 22 Jan 2008, 10:12, closed)

"With settings and their own water-turning-on system."
You mean a power shower? Those aren't special to where you're from.

You must be from a pretty posh/rich background if you've never encountered a "normal" shower:

www.tapsshop.co.uk/images/ce304.jpg

Or pretty dumb if you couldn't figure it out on your own. :P Two dials and one push-pull button ffs.
(Musuko, Tue 22 Jan 2008, 17:58, closed)

Power shower?
Nah. Been many places, and that is a normal shower.The taps and lever thing is not normal. And I have only ever encountered it over on the other side of the atlantic. I shall leave off on this topic now. A wise man once said never argue with fools.
(Teran Thinks Pogonophobia is funny, Wed 23 Jan 2008, 11:43, closed)