The Informant: Sea Sponges Are a Superior Shower Tool

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Using my hands to scrub my body in the shower has never felt like enough. I know I’m getting clean, and it’s important not to scrub too hard. But with all the gunk and dirt humans gather just by living, I want to feel somewhat like I’ve shed a layer of old skin when I shut the water off. 

Finding a shower tool that doesn’t grow obscene amounts of bacteria between uses is a tall order. A washcloth? Too heavy, and doesn’t dry fully. A brush? Too abrasive. A loofah? For 2-3 uses, sure, anything beyond that and they’ve established entire colonies between their folds. 

A sea wool sponge ended up in a PR package I received a few months back, and I was skeptical. It looked like some sort of growth, and technically it is, but it turns out it’s naturally antimicrobial and designed to dry fast. It feels just scrubby enough on the skin without feeling like an expensive, intimidating exfoliation treatment. It makes my drab home shower feel a touch more like a spa. 

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Loofahs were my go-to for years. I’d use the same one for an entire semester in college without a second thought, only throwing it away when the stitched folds in the mesh material would become pathetically loose. I went cold turkey after an acquaintance developed a mystery rash the doctor confidently attributed to her unwashed shower companion, and I’ve been in search of a replacement for years. 

I’m now a sea sponge convert. The texture is just abrasive enough to give me that scoured pan feeling without being uncomfortable. The sponge softens once dunked in water without losing its shape and dries completely after each use. I’ve been using it for close to six months, and it doesn’t smell, doesn’t feel dirty, and doesn’t leave any marks on the side of my tub where it sits after use. and 

The shape is also ideal. The spongy texture molds and adapts to your body as you rub, so you know every inch it’s used on is getting sufficiently clean. My hand doesn’t have to work as hard changing the angle and aim as it does with a washcloth or brush and makes it feel like the closest alternative to a loofah out there. 

My only gripe is it doesn’t generate suds like a loofah does. When I apply soap to a loofah and start scrubbing, the bubbles multiply exponentially. The sea sponge seems to swallow the soap into its amorphous shape. It’s better if I apply the soap to my skin and then use the sponge to rub it in. It’s probably effective either way, but the latter makes me feel like I’m getting cleaner. 

The best part about this product is it feels far more luxurious than it should given the price. Sea sponges cost between $5-$10 each, and they’re one of the most abundant species of sea creatures, so they’re not being mindlessly farmed into endangerment. The exact sponge doesn’t matter, as it’s mostly about the texture as opposed to any specified features. 

I’m sure they still harbor some bacteria, so changing it out often is probably a good idea. I haven’t looked into how often, since I’m sure I’m past the cutoff, but when I do, I’ll be restocking promptly. 

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