It’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States. It’s a month when we recognize the contributions and influence of Asian and Pacific Island Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Woop Woop! And of course, we at TUSHY want to recognize the obvious contributions of several Asian countries to bathroom hygiene and technology. That’s right.  Here are a few of the bidets and water contraptions used in Asian countries that inspired TUSHY.

Lota

You might look at the lota and say to yourself “ooo, it’s tea time!” But this little water chalice is NOT a tea kettle. The lota is a traditional hand-held vessel that contains water to assist in bathroom “activities.” It was used especially in the Indian-origin religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism since at least the 2nd millennium BC. THAT is a very long time. In Islam, the lota Muslims use lota for the istinja cleansing rituals, such as wudu, bath and anal cleansing.

Shatafa

Ever heard of a bum gun? Well, there’s another… i guess, less violent name for it. The shatafa is widely used in West Asian and North African countries. They look very similar to bidet style attachments like TUSHY or they can take the shape hoses called bum guns or bidet showers. A bum gun is a hand-held triggered nozzle that is placed near the toilet and delivers a spray of water used for anal cleansing and cleaning of the genitals after pooping or peeing. It was reputedly invented by a Thai man living in the US who adapted a sink sprayer for toilet use.

 

High-tech Bidet Seat

If you talk to any expat or global traveler who’s been to Japan, they will tell you that their lives changed the moment they tried a bidet in Japan. Japan has brought the bidet into the modern age making it a thing of technological opulence. Many of these High-tech bidet seats set the bar… and the price tag, high. Some of these bidet seats not only allow you to set your temperature but the also have air dryers, radios, personal assistants and even some arousal settings built right in.

TUSHY

Though TUSHY is based in the USA, we have roots in India and Japan. Our founder, Miki Agrawal, grew up in a Japanese-Indian household and those influences inspired the idea for TUSHY. TUSHY takes it’s inspiration from the utility of the shafata, the purity behind the lota, and the high-class luxury of the bidet seat to bring Americans an affordable and beautiful bidet that cleans your butt.

Clean butts are only a small gift passed on to us from Asian cultures. This month, take some time out to learn about the many wonderful and beautiful advancements from Asian and Pacific Island Americans. From our TUSHY family to yours, have a wonderful month celebrating these many amazing cultures that continue to enrich and better our communities.