Longtime readers surely know about “Relaxation Units” — recessed caddies for the bathroom situated next to the toilet to hold all your necessary supplies — toilet paper, magazines, even your cigarettes — in one easy-to reach spot. Some 1963 publicity indicates that some of these even had towel bars that were heated! Hall-Mack Relaxation Units (image from a catalog in my collection, shown above) seemed to have been the most widely distributed, but over the years, with the help of readers — thank you, all! — I’ve collected examples of five different makers: Hall-Mack, Family Hospitality, Satin-Glide, Perma-Bilt, and one “mystery” unit. America was booming … errr, relaxing! — with Relaxation Units!
#1 — Hall-Mack Relaxation Unit:
Sarah is among a number or readers who have reported that their homes came with a Hall-Mack Relaxation Unit in their bathroom. Hall-Mack was such a big, national name, that surely this must be the most common brand we still see in the wild.
Hall-Mack Relaxation Unit’s distinguishing features:
- Magazine rack has angled back.
- Shelf bottom below toilet paper and smoking nook is thin metal
- See Sarah’s bathroom — including her Hall-Mack Relaxation unit (shown above) — here.
#2 — Satin Glide Relaxation Unit:
I spotted this Satin Glide Relaxation Unit in a 1963 catalog for Satin Glide steel bathroom vanities and cabinetry. So cool you could get your relaxation unit painted, too.
Satin Glide Relaxation Unit’s distinguishing features:
- The interior was painted
- Shelf bottom below toilet paper and smoking nook was thick meta, painted.
- Magazine rack had straight back.
- See the complete catalog here.
#3 — Family Hospitality Relaxation Unit:
Above: Kristopher has a “Family Hospitality Relaxation Unit.”
Family Hospitality Relaxation Unit’s distinguishing features:
- Two nooks next to toilet paper!
- Magazine holders are angled sleeves.
- See all of Kristopher’s photos here.
# 4 — Perma-Bilt Relaxation Unit:
And reader Helen hit a jackpot when she spotted two, New Old Stock Perma-Bilt Relaxation Units at a local ReStore. A true dream find for those of us who get excited about things like NOS Relaxation Units! Note: On the photo above, there is protective tape on the front molding protecting the original chrome finish.
She says:
Distinctive features of the Perma-Bilt: on the horizontal shelf below the TP roll there’s a strip of chrome. They also had matching aluminum magazine rack bars stamped “Universal”.
#5 — Mystery Relaxation Unit:
Helen also found this “mystery” unit. No markings. It is distinctive for that extra shelf above the toilet paper and smoking nook. Oooooh: A mystery to watch for solving!
Thanks to all the readers who have sent their woddities to me! After nearly 10 years of blogging: Are there any more out there I haven’t seen or featured yet?! Stump the chump! Keep them coming!
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Soap ‘Tainers — colorful, vintage, NOS soap dishes that hide your soap
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Satin Glide Relaxation Unit — a second brand, joining Hall-Mack
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I wish they still made them. I would like one.
Best bet: Do saved searches on ebay using a number of word combos then sit, wait — oh and save your money! Going price seems to be minimum $200 …
In the 50s and 60s, families were getting bigger, but houses were actually getting smaller than those built in the early part of the century.
The bathroom was probably the only spot where one could reliably be alone for a while; hence the luxury of the Relaxation Unit!
“designed with a man in mind” is making me laugh and laugh. I grew up with my single mom, sister, and grandparents in one household, and I suspect my grandpa, the lone male among three generations of ladies, could’ve used a Relaxation Unit. He used to go sit in his car in the driveway and read the paper, to get away from us!
I love this anecdote! 🙂
LOL
My grandpa could still go out to the outhouse we saved behind the garage at our family farm.
Yeah, the outhouse on my grandparent’s Kentucky farm, where I grew up, was sufficiently far away, behind the henhouse, for some good, quiet privacy. But “relaxation” there was in short supply between Oct. and May; during those months you were likely to freeze your _ss off if you lingered too long.
Oh, and in the summers, the wasps, green-flies and dirt-daubers buzzing around inside it were an occasional misery, too.
The only reading material, the Sears catalog, doubled as the toilet paper; now That’s ecology. And the little wooden house had it’s other strong points, for sure.
Oh wow, my uncle had one of those. I can imagine that when younger people see this kind of stuff, they say, “Whaaaaa?” For us, these niceties were expected!
My in-laws don’t have a metal unit, but they do have a wooden magazine rack on the wall next to the toilet. Now I know where the idea came from
Love the classic sandbag ashtray.
Yes 🙂
There isn’t a thing in the Satin Glide photo I wouldn’t love having in my bathroom….
Did people use to smoke in bathrooms? I guess it was the only room other than the kitchen likely to have an exhaust fan in it Though bizarrely, I’ve rented an apartment that had a Nutone through-the-wall exhaust fan in the bedroom, and another with a exhaust fan hidden behind built-in shelving in the living room (which my stoner roommate loved).
Used to? I’m guessing they still do. Also, smokers don’t use exhaust fans.
Lol! I guess that depends on what you’re smoking!
I have never seen or heard of such a thing, but how brilliant! I wish I had one to hold my crossword puzzle books and especially my pens! Darn pens are always rolling under the door and I’m hardly in a position to retrieve them!
I made something similar out of wood that was trim less set in the drywall. One for magazines and one for TP.
Also made a similar medicine cabinet where the mirror was flush with the wall or a flush door that could be painted wallpapered to match the wall
I never could understand why anyone would want to spend that-much time in a bathroom. Especially enough time to read a magazine. I do know that some went there to smoke. (Almost-everyone smoked back then.) Then, one day, my dad explained it. He said that was often the only place husbands could go to “hide” from their wives.
la573 says
There isn’t a thing in the Satin Glide photo I wouldn’t love having in my bathroom….
YES YES YES!
The painted inside Satin Glide RU-dreamy.
Did you notice the wall hung toilet in photo#2?
Never saw that in a private home. Sure would make cleaning easy!
We had one in our last home similar to the Family Hospitality unit but ours did not have the magazine rack just the toilet paper holder and the little cubbie to the right. I never knew what it was for so I just put cool paper wrapped soaps and little funny bathroom books on the shelf. If I only knew I should have had smokes! 😂
This is so cool but what about the toilet paper?! Since moving into my 1920’s on the outside/1950’s on the inside home, I’m getting frustrated because the new MegaRoll toilet paper doesn’t fit on the built-in toilet paper holder. Anyone else have this problem?