Advertisement

Aussie woman's baffling find in bathroom of new home: 'Very odd'

A Gold Coast woman has been left puzzled after discovering unusual bathroom features in her new home.

Mina Alcantara posted photos of the odd accessories in both her showers to Facebook, requesting help to work out what they are.

The images show a white platform attached near the bottom of the walls in her showers.

"We moved in recently and I can't work out what this is in the shower," she wrote. "It slopes down and it doesn't hold a soap bar."

The mother-of-two told Yahoo News she had never seen one before and her whole family was baffled by the find.

Two photos of footrests in a bathroom shower
Do you know what these bathroom accessories are used for? Source: Facebook/Mina Alcantara

"I really thought it was for a soap bar so I put it there and it just fell," she said, adding, "My four-year-old tried to sit on it."

Her post was flooded with comments, with many questioning whether a soap dish had been installed upside down.

"Looks like a soap holder that's been put the wrong way," one person responded.

"Very odd," another said.

Some revealed they also had one in their shower.

"My husband asked me if the people before us (in their 70s) used it as a way to hold up a leg during shower nookie, and now I can't get the image out of my head," one person wrote.

What the shower accessory is for

It wasn't long before dozens of others jumped in with an explanation.

"It's definitely a foot rest," one woman commented.

Another confirmed: "It is a footrest for shaving legs."

"Was all the go in 1990s," someone added.

One person described it as the "best thing ever".

Others chimed in: "Wish I had this" and "I've wanted one my whole life."

Left: Photo of Facebook user Mina Alcantara. Right: A screengrab of a Facebook post about footrests in showers
Mina Alcantara took to social media seeking answers about the objects in her shower and was "blown away" by the response. Source: Facebook/Mina Alcantara

Social media users raise safety concerns

However, some raised concerns about the height of Ms Alcantara's footrests.

"It is placed up too high for you to use to shave," one person commented.

Another warned against putting too much weight on it.

"They come off the wall if older," wrote a concerned Facebook user.

Another person added: "I'd be way too scared to put my leg on that to shave, I'd probably bring the tile down."

One person admitted she regularly hits her legs on the footrest in her shower.

“Mine's just installed for me to bang my shins on and cover me in bruises."

Overwhelming response to unusual feature

Ms Alcantara told Yahoo News she had been urged to remove the accessories by two others, who both told her they'd ended up in hospital after using a footrest in the shower.

However, she said was "blown away" by the response to her query and has no plans to remove the footrests.

"My footrest is breaking the internet," she joked.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.