A health faucet or a bidet shower is a hand-held triggered nozzle, similar to that on a garden hose

Garden hose

A garden hose is a flexible tube used to carry water. There are a number of common attachments available for the end of the hose, such as sprayers and sprinklers...

, that delivers a spray of water to assist in cleansing the user's anus

Anus

The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...

 or genitals after defecation

Defecation

Defecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...

 or urination

Urination

Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...

. It is usually placed in a small holder attached to the wall, on the right hand side of a flush toilet

Flush toilet

A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location. Flushing mechanisms are found more often on western toilets , but many squat toilets also are made for automated flushing...

 and connected via a short hose to the plumbing and faucet that feeds the flush cistern

Cistern

A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...

. It is culturally strongly associated with the religion of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 and Islamic toilet etiquette

Islamic toilet etiquette

The Islamic faith has particular rules regarding personal hygiene when going to the toilet. This code is known as Qadaa' al-Haajah.Issues of chirality, such as whether one uses the left or right hand and foot to step into or out of toilet areas, are derived from hadith sources...

, so much so that it is often sold as a Muslim or Islamic bidet, often described by the Arabic word "shattaf" or "shataf".

Overview

The health faucet is a convenient source of water for people who prefer using water to other methods of anal cleansing

Anal cleansing

Anal cleansing is the hygienic practice of cleaning the anus after defecation.The anus and buttocks may be cleansed with toilet paper or similar paper products, especially in many Western countries. Elsewhere, water may be used...

. It replaces traditional sources of water for this action, such as the bidet

Bidet

A bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus. It was originally a French word.-History:...

, a copper pot, a bucket and mug, etc. being more hygienic and compact.

• There is no contact between the spray of water and the used water drainage, unlike in the operation of a bidet (although newer designs of bidets avoid contact between spray and drainage).
• The device is handled only during the cleansing operation and is placed in a holder located off the floor for storage between uses.

Usage

The user grasps the health faucet in the right hand and uses the thumb or forefinger (depending on the trigger location) to aim a spray of water at the anus or genitals, sometimes using the left (never right in some societies) hand or toilet paper to assist cleansing. Use of the left hand only for cleansing, and considering it unclean in many circumstances in everyday life, is a significant custom among Arabs, in the Muslim world

Muslim world

The term Muslim world has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization...

 in general, and in the Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

, where water is commonly used.