Both sculptural and functional, the Hand Shower is a tool that immerses you into the moment and into the nature around you.
We’ve launched our Hand Shower in two additional finish options—Natural Aluminum and Burnt Umber. A more lightweight alternative to our much-loved original Hand Shower in Raw Brass, we’re excited to build out our line of considered objects to enhance the experience of bathing.
Photo Credit: Britney Gill
Why We Made This
Designed by Montreal-based Thom Fougere Studio, the Hand Shower was inspired by Thom’s travels and bathing experiences in Japan. “I had been traveling along the Noto Peninsula in Japan and stayed a night at a very old ryokan,” Thom tells us. “It was an amazing and memorable experience, with such an elemental connection to water and the surroundings. I wanted to create something inspired by that feeling—something that would elevate our connection to nature and to water.”
As you soak, you can use the Hand Shower to let a gentle stream of water fall over your head. It’s an experience that brings you into the moment and into your senses, allowing everything else to slip away.
Photo Credits: Britney Gill
The Hand Shower can also be used as a pre-bathing ritual to cleanse yourself before you soak—something that’s common in many bathing traditions. “It connects to this idea of cleansing yourself before bathing,” says Thom. “Perhaps your tub is in a forest and you need to wash the pine needles off your feet before getting in—it was a very pragmatic approach that led to something poetic.”
Made with care from lasting materials, the Hand Shower is intended to be kept for years (and years) to come. It’s a tool that you can use for cleansing, for relaxation, for appreciating nature—whether in your Wood Burning Hot Tub, your indoor bathtub at home, or in any body of water, from a stream flowing through a valley to an ocean dip.
Our Design Process
Knowing that he wanted to create a tool for engaging in nature, Thom set out designing the Hand Shower—first by creating models to begin to envision the experience.
“I make a lot of models for my work, because it’s important for me to hold the piece physically as part of the process,” explains Thom. “After creating models of the Hand Shower, I would translate them digitally, and Craig went on to create prototypes. The placement of the components was somewhat of an aesthetic choice, but it also all came together very intuitively.”
Photo Credits: Thom Fougere
The pared-down design approach allowed for what Thom terms legibility—the ability to immediately understand the function of an object, without much introduction. A truly considered approach, Thom’s design of the Hand Shower allows for an intuitive experience, with deep thought put into the design itself.
“Generally, when people deem some products as 'minimal,' they’re actually oftentimes quite maximal,” explains Thom. “When you’re paring something down, you have to hide a lot of complexity and really think through components."
The first edition of the Hand Shower was made using raw brass—a beautiful, enduring material that earns an authentic, one-of-a-kind patina as it’s used over time. The new finishes in marine grade aluminum follow the same ethos, evolving and gaining depth as they’re used. This is something that we value across everything that we release at GOODLAND: using materials and creating objects that only improve and become more visually beautiful as they age.
Photo Credit: Britney Gill
A Suggested Ritual with the Hand Shower
Find a time for an evening soak to signify the end of the day. Perhaps that dip is in your Wood Burning Hot Tub, perhaps it’s in the ocean, perhaps it’s simply in your bathtub at home. Wherever you choose, bring along your Hand Shower. And as you soak, dip it into the water, and close your eyes as you hold it above your head.
Tune into the gentle, grounding sensation of the water flowing down your face. Exhale the tension’s of the day. Feel both refreshed and soothed as you find yourself effortlessly brought into the present moment.
Charlotte Boates
Charlotte is a writer who heads up the Journal at GOODLAND. She’s written extensively for a range publications on slow living, design, architecture, and more. A frequent traveler, Charlotte is driven by sharing meaningful and impactful stories that encourage us to become more aware of the world around us.
