The Towel Warmer From the Company That Invented It

A hot oshibori at the start of a meal is one of the small signals that tells a guest they are being looked after. The Taiji HC-6 is the compact way to deliver it: a 6-litre electric towel warmer that holds around 25 to 30 rolled hand towels ready at the counter. Taiji built the first electric towel warmer in 1964, and the HC-6 is the small-footprint model, made for a tight back bar or a host stand where space is short. This is the white finish; the same unit is also available in black.

Oshibori, and the machine that made it everyday

The oshibori (おしぼり), the damp towel offered to a guest on arrival, is one of the oldest gestures of Japanese omotenashi, or hospitality. Until the 1960s, warming towels meant a gas steamer and a good deal of labour, so a hot oshibori was a luxury found mainly in high-end ryotei. In 1964 Taiji built the first electric towel warmer, the Hot Cabi, and made hot-towel service simple enough for any room. The habit spread from Japanese dining rooms to hotels, salons and clinics around the world. The HC-6 is the compact heir to that original idea.

How many towels does the Taiji HC-6 hold?

The HC-6 has a 6-litre chamber that holds roughly 25 to 30 rolled hand towels, or around 10 larger face towels, kept warm and ready to serve. That suits a small restaurant, a bar, or a host stand at the door of a larger room. For a busier service that gets through towels faster, the larger HC-8 holds 35 to 45 hand towels and adds a Low/High temperature setting. The HC-6 keeps things simple: load it, switch it on, and it holds the towels at a steady warmth through the shift.

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