Brazilian Suicide Shower

Brazilian Suicide Shower

Most buildings in Latin America are not equipped with pipes that carry water to a boiler to heat up, thus no hot water. But really, who wants to take a cold shower every morning? Even in the tropics a warm shower is a lovely thing. As a solution, the basic rule of "don't mix electricity and water" was thrown out, to give you the Suicide Shower. Basically you fit this contraption over the shower head then wire it into the electric mains. It takes up so much power that you know it is working when the house lights flicker or dim when it's turned on.

Suicide Showers are iconic to Latin America, and I'm sure nearly every person who has traveled in Central or South America remembers their first time turning on the water - please don't die, please don't die - or the time they got their first little shock - mine was in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Some are scarier than others, with their wires hanging down a little bit too close for comfort.  My first encounter with a Suicide Shower was living in Costa Rica. I've also seen them in Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, and obviously here in Brazil. I've learned a few things about the art of using a Suicide Shower, which is safe as long as you don't do something stupid.

1. Make sure you actually turn the thing on. To activate it, you usually have to reach a certain level of water flow.
2. Once the water begins to warm you have to find the ideal temperature. If the flow rate is too low the water can be scalding. If it is too high the water will only be lukewarm or not warm at all. It is not like the US where you can turn the "cold" knob up a little. Here there is only one knob - so use the flow rate to control the water temperature.
3. Wear sandals. Or make sure there is something rubber in the shower to stand on. This is what I was told when I arrived in Brazil.  I never heard this in Costa Rica or elsewhere, but in Brazil I was specifically told to always stay on the rubber mat or wear your sandals. Not sure if this actually helps or if it is myth, but intuitively I guess it makes sense - kind of like being in a car during a lightning storm?
4. Don't touch any wires or the unit itself, especially avoid doing this while you are IN the shower.

Overall, I've never had any major problems with using the Suicide Shower and I am happy to say that Brazil is known for producing the highest quality Suicide Showers.