Why Every Bathroom Needs a Pottery Soap Dish
Bar soap sitting in a pool of water dissolves faster, gets slimy, and looks unappealing. A well-designed soap dish solves all of this. Drainage is the key — the soap must sit above any collected water so air circulates around it. A pottery soap dish does this beautifully while adding handmade warmth to an otherwise utilitarian space. It is one of the most practical small pottery projects you can make.
Stephen Jepson has always valued functional pottery that improves daily routines. A soap dish is a perfect example — it solves a real problem, uses basic pottery skills, and brings craft into an everyday moment. Making soap dishes is also excellent practice for precision work: the drainage system must function, the size must fit standard soap bars, and the base must be stable on a wet countertop.
Soap Dish Designs
Two-Piece Dish with Drainer
The most effective design: a bottom tray that catches water and a top piece with slots or holes where the soap sits. The two pieces nest together. The soap never sits in water because the drainer keeps it elevated. Make the bottom tray as a shallow dish — about four by three inches with a quarter-inch rim. The drainer is a flat slab with drainage slots cut through it, sized to sit inside the tray. This design is easy to clean — just separate the pieces and rinse.
Ridged Single-Piece Dish
A single dish with raised ridges along the bottom. The ridges elevate the soap so water drains to the edges. Throw or slab-build a shallow oval dish. While leather-hard, carve or attach small clay ridges — three or four parallel lines running the length of the dish. The ridges should be about a quarter inch tall. Water flows between the ridges and collects at the edges or drains through a small notch cut into the rim.
Slotted Slab Dish
Roll a slab, cut an oval or rectangle, and cut parallel slots through the clay before it dries. Bend the slab into a gentle curve so water runs off the sides. The slots allow air to circulate and water to pass through. This is the simplest design — it can be made in minutes — and it works extremely well. The curved shape is self-draining by gravity.
Making a Pottery Soap Dish
Sizing
A standard bar of soap is about three and a half inches long, two and a half inches wide, and one inch thick. Your dish should be slightly larger — four by three inches minimum, up to five by four for generous sizing. The depth depends on design: a two-piece dish needs enough depth for the drainer plus water space beneath. A ridged dish only needs a quarter-inch rim.
Drainage Engineering
The whole point of a soap dish is drainage. Design with water flow in mind. Where does the water go? Does it drain to the center, the edges, or through holes? A slight tilt — shaping the base so one end is lower — directs water to a drain point. A notch in the rim lets water exit. Slots in the bottom let water fall through. Test your design with actual water before you commit to firing a batch.
Glazing for Wet Environments
Glaze the entire piece — inside and out — since it will be constantly wet. Use a smooth, easy-to-clean glaze. Avoid heavily textured glazes on the soap-contact surface as they will trap soap residue. A satin or matte glaze on the bottom and a smooth glaze on the soap platform is a good combination. Wipe the foot clean and set on a kiln shelf or stilt.
Soap Dishes as Gifts and Products
Handmade soap dishes pair perfectly with artisan bar soap for a complete gift set. They are popular at craft fairs, farmers markets, and on Etsy — especially when sold alongside handmade soap makers. The production is simple and repeatable, making soap dishes an excellent first product for potters entering the market. Price at fifteen to twenty-five dollars, or thirty to forty dollars bundled with soap.
Learn from Stephen Jepson
Stephen's pottery video lessons cover slab work, wheel throwing, trimming, and glazing — all the skills you need for soap dishes and other small functional pottery. His practical approach focuses on pieces that work as well as they look. One-time purchase, lifetime access to all lessons.