Shaving Mug Question?

[jtadmin]

Sorry if this is in the wrong thread. I didn't see a place to chat about mugs. Anyways I am new to Wet Shaving and I am looking for a vintage mug. I ran across this wild looking mug. Now my guess is you fill the base with hot, or boiling water, and the steam is supposed to keep the lather warm for your face? Does it really work, our does it make more of a mess than it's worth?

Thanks in advance,

Joey T.

 

[Leche]

"Mug" soap actually sits in the dish with the holes and the water warms the puck. The cakes tend to be smaller and have a rounded bottom. The spout is for filling and warming your brush. They have fans I just find them to be more nostalgic than functional.

 

[jtadmin]

Thanks for the reply, that makes more sense with a puck then using cream

 

[JeffE]

If you have a 20th century or newer bathroom with hot and cold running water, you probably don't want to bother with this.

I think they were used when people needed a handy supply of really hot water to shave, but there wasn't one available from the taps in the bathroom. The bottom part of the scuttle could be filled up with really hot water and the top part held the soap. Presumably you'd dip the brush in the hot water, wipe it around on the soap for a bit, and then transfer the whole mess to your face. The hot water in the bottom doesn't actually heat up the soap cake -- it just gives you a ready supply of hot water to use when there wasn't one already in your bathroom.

This, of course, is NOT the same thing as the more modern scuttles sold by Dirty Bird, Georgetown Pottery and others, which are more like water-heated lather bowls.