This week’s vintage Hall-Mack miniseries concludes with 18 special accessories found in my 1962 catalog. Above: The Tow’lescope (I have two MIB) and the even more rare Extendo-Bar, which I have never seen in real life.
We’ve seen this a few times – the Concealed Scale.
I’ve never seen this one – a Recessed Conceal-A-Roll.
Ah, the Concealed Vanity Shelf. Notice the enclosed electric plug in the last image.
A reader favorite, the Concealed Lavatory Unit.
Why do we find ash trays so enticing?
This is very cool, a grab bar with an attached soap tray.
That’s a dolphin on the left, a shell on the right. Both “winsome as a water sprite.”
The three-in-one towel rack is so named because it adjusts to three positions. At the 45-degree angle it “shows off three rows of decorative face towels to excellent advantage when guest are in your home.” I’ve never seen on of these, either.
Concealed Tissue Holder, and Recessed Mirror Shelf for toiletries.
Concealed Toilet Paper Holder.
“Towel Ladder.”
Shower Recess, and Corner Fixture. Careful, though, my experience is that chrome-plated stuff ultimately degrades within a tub or shower enclosure.
And of course, everyone’s favorite, the Hall-Mack Relaxation Unit.
Retro bathroom accessories from Hall-Mack — the Metropolitan budget line 
Hall-Mack Coronado bath accessories – the most popular line? 
A 1964 blue bathroom with built-in Hall-Mack, NuTone, Textolite & more 
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Hi Pam,
What fun. And, what fun it would have been to be at the table when the name for the Relaxation Unit was born. Would make a good episode for Mad Men.
I’ll take one of each, Pam. Ship them to my home immediately.
I love Hall-Mack! The idea of storing toilet paper behind the existing roll is great. I found it interesting that although the “Relaxation Unit” says it was designed with a man in mind, the magazines shown are not what the typical man would be reading. Better Homes & Gardens? I think not.
When my Grandfather built his retirement house in 1987, he actually installed one of those “relaxation units” next to the “throne”.
The copy for the Relaxation Unit is priceless!
The secret scale is far out. They do tend to get in the way in a small bathroom.
Very cool. I certainly need space saving ideas in my tiny bathroom! I’ve had my eye on an Ikea towel rack very much like the three-in-one but alas, it doesn’t fold!
You know, I am this shipwright type…I play the steroetype when I need to, even…old, grizzly, make a 20-something Navy man blush and all. Alaska Shipwright at that, Union card and all. In some quarters you might as well be an outlaw biker!
That much said, **I** probably WOULD have BHG in my relaxation unit! (Right in front of ‘Fine Woodworking’ and ‘Wooden Boat’!).
Please do not ask or tell??
(tee hee)
Dave
I am looking for Black Ceramic Towel Holder and Black Ceramic Soap Dish. Redoing bath tub area and need to find these items. Please help
Wes, we have resources for these – they are archived on the Fast & Easy Bathroom page. Also accessible via: New? Start Here
Re: The Extendo-Bar
Saw this when I first found your site. Noticed a little “dimple” on the side of the towel bar in the downstairs bath. Last night I checked on it, and sure enough it’s exactly as pictured … though only one side can fully extend because of where the bar hangs. I believe that in actuality it isn’t quite as functional as it’s touted to be … but “looks” quite nifty!
I do love all this stuff! I gotta admit that on the rare occasions I see it, I buy it and it goes into the “hope chest” for the house we haven’t got yet! For some reason scales are a big deal to us and I’d especially love to find a NOS scale enclosure. OK, I lied–I want ALL this junk!
This pertains to something Hall-Mack DIDN”T make, but might just as well have!
9-year (as of yesterday)-old Chloe has one little friend who comes over and uses about 1/2 a roll of paper with each visit to the kids’ bathroom upstairs. This might prove challenging anyway, but our plumbing is very slow due to not enough slope coming out of the house once the slab settled in the swampland it was built on! Much plunger, sometimes snake, just have ‘em ready when this little gal comes a-callin’!
Anybody old enough to remember “%^$* Tickets”? Those little single-serving bi-fold squares of sandpaper the gas stations used to have in the little dispensers? You know, those dispensers-and the tickets-are still made? VERY expensive dispensers. Then we found one at the ReStore, Shiny Chrome and cherry as cherry can be for two bucks! Even full of tickets! LOOKS LIKE HALL-MACK!
Have not put into effect yet, as the tickets are rather stout (that was the idea as deterrent along with the need to pull them out one by one) and concerned a plumber might be needed!
Dave
I bought an old, neglected house and it has a Recessed Conceal-A-Roll! I had no idea until it almost fell out of the wall and revealed a tarnished necklace and an old matchbook. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s salvageable but I’ll certainly do my best.
I looked at an open house last weekend that had Hall-Macks galore. Each bathroom (including the powder room) had a fold-down scale. There were Tow’lescopes in the laundry room. Tissue dispensers and extra large TP dispensers with room for extra rolls and a little shelf for an ashtray (no magazine racks though) in all bathrooms. The bathroom vanities had two sinks each and two concealed lavatory units, and there were concealed lavatory units in the bathtubs and showers as well! The kids bathroom had the most amazing fish net tile. I dont see a way to attach a picture, but here is a link http://gallery.me.com/jeremysanford#100051
Jeremy
Wow, Jeremy, that is some serious bathroom eye candy. Bungalow Bill: If you are ready this, can you ID that most wonderful EVER EVER tile? Thanks, Germay!
ooooh the tile!
Our family vacation home as the concealed vanity shelf (although it is not built-in) and the extendo-bar. Next summer I’ll try to snap some pix for you, Pam! Of all of these, I find the ash tray to be most amusing/intriguing. How times have changed!
OOh, nice tile. Those fish look darn familiar. Offhand I want to say Gladding McBean or Pomona, both California companies. Where is the house located, Jeremy?
Wow! I love that tile!
The house is in Sacramento CA, Gladding McBean is 20 minutes away so that would make sense. I want the house for the tile alone, but the seller is asking way too much and will probably just hold on to it until the market recovers.
Oh snap. I’m good. lol I contemplated buying a house for the cool bathrooms once, but the fact that the balcony was right at a 6 lane highway overpass and a train ran through the back yard finally deterred me. along with a rampant bamboo problem. I’d keep an eye on your house though.
my Grandma’s house had a lot of these Hall-Mack fixtures! i grew up in that big old house and remember the kitschy details so vividly still. as a kid, I was a little obsessed with the Handy Hideaway concealed toilet paper roll, and of course the Concealed Lavatory Unit was so 007
it really must be a testament to the durability of the line that my 4 older brothers and I never succeeded in completely wearing out that little revolving door. of course I also remember the Recessed Vanity Unit and built in tissue boxes. no scale, though, as far as I could tell… although who knows, the house was quite large (3.5 bathrooms total!) and we kids weren’t allowed access to every single area. I still dream about that house – literally. they sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore. sigh…
I’m very interested in purchasing several of the Hallmack towelscopes or even imitation telescoping towel bars. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Dave: Watch ebay (and my regular ebay madness carousels – if I see these, I surely post them)
I just bought a home with the towel rack, the concealed scale, the revolving glass holder and the conceal-a-roll thing and a few others. I’m trying to buy another towel rack. I used to own an Eichler in Ca, this home is in Va, built by a builder for himself. An amazing all brick colonial home. I’m doing a Monty Python “and now for something completely different” sort of thing I guess. I just love cool houses. Thanks for showing me what I have in my new house, Pam. Brook
just showed my DH the “Relaxation Unit” pointing out the place cigarettes and matches. I said, “Can you imagine smoking while you’re going to the bathroom”? I guess it beats the alternative?
My husband and I are actually in the process of purchasing a home with a Relaxation Unit already in the Master Bathroom. We don’t smoke, but if we get this house, I may need to put some candy cigarette’s and an ashtray in it just for kicks
Pam, or anyone – do you know if the hall mack retractable laundry line can be reconditioned? it no longer retracts…
i installed it in 1965, and still love it.
any suggestions?
and the fishnet tile is wonderful!
Frieda
My first house had the dolphin and shell bath accessories. I remember the towel bar, the towel hoop and the robe hook. The bathrooms were metallic bronze tile outlined and accessorized in pink with a pink mosaic floor and pink and bronze metallic wallpaper. The house was built in 1958 by my parents.
The bathroom sounds fantastic!