Why Americans Don’t Use Bidets (And Why We Should)

If you’ve ever taken a trip overseas, you know that culture shock can be very real. Different etiquette around tipping and different local cuisines are waiting to surprise Americans wherever they go. One less-talked-about culture shock faced by many Americans is their discovery of a bidet in their hotel bathroom overseas. Many stare confusedly at the bidet hose and wonder: what is this?

The average American’s exposure to bidets is relatively low, and yet, in the United States, bidets are starting to rise in popularity. A major contributor to this popularity was a new take on the traditional bidet. In 1980, the first “paperless toilet” was launched in Japan by manufacturer Toto, a combination of toilet and bidet which also dries the user after washing. Many of these combination pieces that often had seat warmers were sold across Japan and South Korea, before finding popularity internationally, including in the United States. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, toilet paper shortages across the US caused a spike in bidet purchases across the nation.

Despite this rising popularity, bidets are far from an essential bathroom feature in American homes. Many still don’t know what this bathroom fixture is or how to use it properly. Despite their potential health, environmental, and cost benefits, it seems as though the United States may not be fully ready for bidets.

At Bespoke Surgical, we are more than ready for an American bidet craze. We know that bidets are awesome for keeping your butt area clean, which is so important for our surgical clients. Even beyond helping keep clean, bidet use can turn your toilet time into a spa experience. We think everyone should have this tool for health and happiness in the bathroom.

Still, we know that not everyone has the bidet enthusiasm that we do, so we decided to conduct a survey on American bidet use. We surveyed 3,600 American adults to gauge current public opinion on these luxurious but practical bathroom features. Check out our results to get a better sense of how other Americans are considering adopting the bidet into their homes.

Where Bidets Are Most Popular in the US

According to our survey responses, the state with the greatest percentage of the population having regular access to a bidet is Alabama, with 23.5%. In fact, the South had the greatest bidet popularity overall, with 12.7% of Americans living in the South having regular access to a bidet.

Overall, 12.1% of Americans currently have access to a bidet. Looking at this national average, it’s easy to understand why bidet culture hasn’t taken off in the United States. If nearly 90% of Americans can’t use and experience a bidet, it’s not very likely they would purchase a bidet in their own homes. In fact, in Minnesota, the percentage of people with regular access to bidets was less than 2%.

Still, we know that the waves of change towards a bidet-loving country will start with individuals buying bidets for their own homes. We wanted to see what may lead them to do so.

First, we wanted to see if people were at all likely to actually purchase a bidet. Interestingly, only 11% of the respondents were unlikely to purchase a bidet. The vast majority of Americans reported being willing to purchase a bidet at some point. This is indicative of the kind of open-mindedness we love!

We found that of the respondents we surveyed, a greater percentage of self-identified gay people reported that they are likely to purchase a bidet. On the financial side of things, we found that a majority of respondents were able to pay for better butt hygiene. Nearly two-thirds of respondents would pay up to $125 for a bidet or bidet attachment.

Why Americans Are Buying Bidets

For those looking to actually purchase a bidet, there were many factors to consider in whether to buy a bidet and choosing a bidet product itself. Overall, the most popular reason for people purchasing a bidet was simply the clean feeling that potential customers hope to find. Over 88% of respondents listed that clean feeling as a motivation.

One very interesting motivation has to do less with personal health and instead stems from a concern for environmental health. Two-thirds of respondents reported that eco-friendliness would push them to purchase a bidet. In fact, the environmental impacts of bidets are really impressive. According to the folks at bidet company Tushy, conversion to bidets could save billions of gallons of water and save millions of trees every year.

We also looked at the most important features in bidets themselves for those on the market for a toilet tool and noted that ease of installation was the top factor in choosing a bidet to purchase while a self-cleaning nozzle is the most important design element. Clearly, it looks like consumers would be happy to try a bidet if only the installation and upkeep is pretty easy!

We also wanted to take a specific look at how motivations for bidet use may be more specific for women. The hygiene features of the tool are beneficial to everyone, but particularly for people with vaginas, they can have even more of an impact on personal care. And as it turns out, over 80% of women reported being willing to use a bidet not just after using the restroom but also after sex. In fact, bidets can even help prevent UTIs!

The Future of Bidets in the US

All of the data indicates that Americans are open to bidets at a frequency far greater than is currently seen in the country. Still, we wanted to see if Americans expect any real change. We found that 86% of people think that bidets will become more popular in the United States. With over one-third of respondents having bought a bidet during this year’s toilet paper shortage, perhaps we are in a new age for the bidet.

Overall, it will be interesting to see whether this bidet boom actually happens. Until then, all we can do here at Bespoke Surgical is continue to advocate for people taking good care of themselves and their butts! We especially love the Tushy brand. If you are looking for other ways to keep up personal hygiene and sexual wellness, at Bespoke Surgical, we have plenty of resources to help.