From Showers to Skincare: The Bathroom in French

Ever wondered how to talk about the bathroom in French? Whether you’re getting ready in the morning, brushing your teeth, or relaxing in a bubble bath, there’s a French word for it! In this guide, you’ll learn fun and useful vocabulary to describe your daily bathroom routine – the French way.

La salle de bains

In French, we say la salle de bains (with an “s”) because it’s traditionally the room where one could take baths. However, the singular form salle de bain is also commonly used in everyday language. Both are accepted, though the plural form is considered more grammatically correct.

La salle d’eau

A salle d’eau is a smaller, simpler version of a bathroom. It typically includes:

Français	English
une douche	a shower
un lavabo	a sink
des toilettes	a toilet

Unlike a full bathroom, a salle d’eau does not have a bathtub. It’s designed more for quick, practical use than for relaxation.

What is a Bathroom Used for?

A bathroom is not only a space for hygiene, but also for relaxation and self-care.

In a bathroom, you might:

French	English
se laver et se préparer pour la journée	wash up and get ready for the day
se détendre dans un bain chaud après le travail	relax in a hot bath after work
prendre soin de sa peau ou de ses cheveux	take care of your skin or hair
se préparer pour une occasion spéciale	prepare yourself for a special occasion

Common Bathroom Activities in French

Here are typical daily actions associated with the bathroom:

French	English
faire sa toilette avec un gant de toilette	to wash oneself with a washcloth
prendre une douche	to take a shower
se faire couler un bain chaud / moussant	to run a hot / bubble bath for oneself
se sécher le corps avec la serviette	to dry off with a towel
se sécher les cheveux avec le sèche-cheveux	to dry one’s hair with a hairdryer
se brosser les dents	to brush one’s teeth
se maquiller	to put on makeup
se peigner / se coiffer	to comb / style one’s hair
se raser	to shave
s’épiler	to remove hair (wax/shave)
appliquer des soins ou des cosmétiques	to apply skincare or cosmetics
utiliser les toilettes (s’il y en a)	to use the toilet (if there is one)

Talking About Showers and Baths in French

Showering is part of daily life, and in French, there are fun and expressive ways to talk about it! Here are a few useful phrases to help you sound more natural when talking about showers, baths, and feeling refreshed.

French	English
Je prendrai un bon bain moussant avant de sortir ce soir.	I’ll take a nice bubble bath before I go out tonight.
Il a pris une douche bien chaude en rentrant du foot !	He took a hot shower on the way home from soccer!
Osez les douches écossaises, c’est excellent pour la santé !	Dare to take Scottish showers, they are great for your health!

What Is a Douche Écossaise?

A douche écossaise (Scottish shower) alternates between hot and cold water. It’s believed to help tighten the skin, boost circulation, and stimulate the body. Have you ever tried one?

Here are some common items you might find in the shower:

French	English
une fleur de douche	a soft shower sponge
une éponge	a sponge
du gel douche	shower gel
du shampoing, de l’après-shampoing, un masque capillaire	shampoo, conditioner, hair mask
un peeling, une huile hydratante ou une crème	peeling, moisturizing oil or cream
un déodorant (en spray ou en stick)	deodorant (spray or stick)

Eco-Responsible and Zero-Waste Cosmetics

More and more people are adopting a more sustainable, less polluting, and more responsible beauty routine.

In the bathroom, this means using eco-responsible and zero-waste products (la cosmétique écoresponsable et zéro déchet) such as:

French	English
un shampoing solide	solid shampoo
un gel douche solide	solid shower gel
un savon pour les mains sans emballage	unwrapped hand soap
un déodorant en stick rechargeable	refillable stick deodorant
une brosse à dents en bambou	a bamboo toothbrush

These products are often made locally and have no plastic packaging. Some products can even be homemade!

Let’s take a look at this dialogue which uses the above phrases and vocabulary:

•  Tu utilises toujours ce gel douche a la grenade qui sent trop bon ? (Are you still using that pomegranate shower gel that smells so good?)
• Non, je me suis mise au savon solide zéro déchet. J’essaie d’être un peu plus écolo ! (No, I’ve switched to zero-waste solid soap. I’m trying to be a little more eco-friendly!)

Dental and Oral Hygiene

Other important bothroom items include the following:

French	English
une brosse à dents, qu’elle soit classique, électrique ou sonique	toothbrush, whether classic, electric or sonic
du dentifrice	toothpaste
du bain de bouche	mouthwash
du fil dentaire et des petite brosses interdentaires pour certains	dental floss and interdental brushes for some people
du baume à lèvres	lip balm

Let’s read the following dialogue about dental hygiene:

• Tu es satisfait de ta nouvelle brosse à dents sonique ? (Are you happy with your new sonic toothbrush?)
• Oui, mais il encore que je m’habitue à ce système de vibration ! (Yes, but I still have to get used to this vibration system!)

Hair and Facial Care

To style your hair :

French	English
un peigne	comb
une brosse	brush
un sèche-cheveux	hair dryer
une tondeuse	hair trimmer

And to take care of your face or body:

French	English
un rasoir	a razor
des bandes de cire	wax strips
une pince à épiler	tweezers
un épilateur électrique	electric epilator
des ciseaux	scissors
un coupe-ongles	nail clippers

Furniture and Accessories

The bathroom is also a well-organized space. You can find there:

French	English
un lavabo (parfois une vasque, ou deux)	a sink (sometimes a basin, or two)
un miroir, ou un miroir grossissant	a mirror, or a magnifying mirror
un meuble avec tiroirs, un petit placard	a cabinet with drawers, a small cupboard
des étagères	shelves
un porte-serviettes, chauffant ou classique	a towel rack, heated or classic
un radiateur	a radiator
un tapis de bain extérieur	an outer bath mat
un tapis antidérapant pour la douche ou la baignoire	a non-slip mat for the shower or bathtub
un rideau de douche ou une porte de douche	a shower curtain or a shower door
un robinet, une pomme de douche, un tuyau de douche	a faucet, a showerhead, a shower hose

We also keep:

french	english
du savon pour les mains	hand soap
un essuie-mains	hand towel

And for small problems:

French	English
une ventouse si la baignoire se bouche	a suction cup if the bathtub clogs
un bouchon (ou clapet) pour retenir l’eau lorsque vous faites couler un bain dans votre baignoire	a stopper (or clapper) to hold back the water when you run a bath in your tub

What About the Toilet?

Sometimes the toilet’s in the bathroom, but usually it’s in its own room. Some bathrooms still have a bidet, but those are getting pretty rare these days.

Recap Table

Here’s a handy glossary of common French bathroom-related words along with their English translations to help you in your everyday conversations and routines.

Français	English
un après-shampoing	conditioner
un bain de bouche	mouthwash
des bandes de cire	wax strips
un bidet	bidet
un bouchon / un clapet de baignoire	bathtub stopper
une brosse	brush
une brosse à dents	toothbrush
un coupe-ongles	nail clipper
une crème hydratante	moisturizing cream
un déodorant (spray/stick)	deodorant
un dentifrice	toothpaste
une douche (écossaise, froide, express)	shower (Scottish, cold, quick)
une éponge	sponge
un épilateur électrique	electric epilator
un essuie-mains	hand towel
une fleur de douche	loofah
un gant de toilette	washcloth
un gel douche	shower gel
un lavabo / une vasque	sink / basin
un maquillage	makeup
un masque capillaire	hair mask
un meuble de rangement	storage cabinet
un miroir / un miroir grossissant	mirror / magnifying mirror
un parfum	perfume
un peigne	comb
une pince à épiler	tweezers
une pomme de douche	shower head
une porte de douche / un rideau	shower door / curtain
un porte-serviettes	towel rack
un radiateur / un sèche-serviettes	heater / towel warmer
un rasoir	razor
un robinet	faucet
une salle d’eau	bathroom (with no bathtub)
une salle de bains	bathroom
un savon pour les mains	hand soap

That’s a Wrap on Bathroom Vocab

And there you have it — everything you need to chat about your bathroom routine en français! Whether you’re freshening up, relaxing in a bath, or just doing your daily self-care, now you know all the handy words and phrases to sound like a pro. Why not try using a few next time you talk about your morning or evening rituals? Happy practicing and take care of yourself — à bientôt !