Kansa Massage Bowl with Wand, 1.4 kg

Name: Kansa Massage Bowl with Wand, 1.4 kg
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-KA-KAN-BWL-196
Price: 9499.0 INR
Availability: InStock

A turned kansa bowl with an inturned rim, and a plain dark wand that rests inside it.

Rs. 9,499.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 1,400g

Material: Kansa
Finish: Brushed satin, turned on a lathe
Rim: Turned inward, sitting below the widest point of the belly
Interior: Sloped wall running down to a small flat floor
Quantity: 2 pieces, bowl and wand

In the box

1 kansa bowl
1 wand

Check delivery to your PIN code

Estimated, not a guarantee. Dispatched from Guwahati, Monday to Saturday.

Each piece is shaped and finished by hand, so small differences in weight, size, finish and surface marking are normal and no two are identical. Colour on screen can differ from the metal in daylight. Handmade in India.

The bowl is turned from one piece, with a belly that swells out and a shoulder that turns back in, so the rim sits lower and tighter than the widest point of the body and oil does not run over the edge when the bowl is tipped. Inside, the wall slopes down to a small flat floor. Fine turning lines band the outside and catch the light in stripes. The wand is a straight dark rod, the same thickness end to end, rounded off at the visible end with no grip cut into it. At 1,400 g the bowl stays where it is set while the wand is worked.

What is it?

A kansa bowl and wand are used as a pair in Indian massage, the wand worked over oiled skin and the bowl holding the oil it is dipped into. Kansa is bronze, an alloy of copper and tin.

Also known as a kansa vati, bronze massage bowl, kansya bowl or bell metal bowl with rod.

What is in the box?

1 kansa bowl
1 wand

How do I look after it?

Kansa is an alloy of copper and tin, known in English as bell metal or bronze. It is dense, hard, and heavier in the hand than steel of the same size.
Wash by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid and a soft sponge straight after eating. Dry fully.
Kansa darkens with use and reacts to sour food faster than brass does. Serve lemon, curd, tamarind and pickle fresh rather than leaving them standing in the vessel.
To restore the shine: tamarind pulp, or lemon and salt. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
Do not use steel wool, harsh detergent or bleach.
Not dishwasher safe. Not microwave safe.
Kansa is hard but it is not forgiving — a fall onto stone can dent or crack the rim. Store it where it will not knock against other metal.

Handmade in India

Every piece finished by hand

Solid metal

No plating, nothing to chip

Weighed and listed

In grams, on almost every page

Tin lining stated

Where a vessel is lined, we say so

Questions about this piece

Is this kansa solid or plated?

Solid. The bowl and wand weigh 1,400 g together and the bowl alone carries most of that, which no plated shell of the same size would manage. A kitchen scale settles it.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

No. The bowl is turned by hand, so the swell of the belly, the tightness of the rim and the pattern of the turning lines shift from one to the next, and the wand varies in tone.

Is kansa the same as brass?

No. Kansa is bronze, copper alloyed with tin, and brass is copper alloyed with zinc. Kansa is harder, heavier for its size and cooler in colour, and it rings when it is struck.

Will it discolour with sour food?

It would. Nothing sour belongs in the bowl, which is made to hold oil. Lemon, curd or vinegar would mark the surface in patches wherever they sat, and those patches take work to lift.

How many do I need?

One. The bowl and the wand are used together and ship as a pair, so a household needs a single set rather than one for each person using it.

What is the wand made of?

The lower end of the wand sits inside the bowl in the only photograph, so its material is being confirmed with the maker before it is stated. What is visible is a plain dark rod.

How is it used?

The wand is dipped in oil and worked over the skin in slow strokes while the bowl holds the oil. That is the practice as Indian households keep it, and no claim is made here about what it does.

How do I clean the oil off?

Warm water and a soft cloth after each use, then dry both pieces. Oil left standing in the bowl goes sticky and darkens the metal, so empty it rather than storing oil in it.