Never understood the point of this

Just discovered this antique soap holder in my gran's bathroom. Apparently super common in European public spaces back in the day. The scent is GONE because no one's touched it in years. Tbh, I've never understood the necessity of using this kind of soap. Isn't it unhygienic for everyone to HOLD the same bar of soap every time? #ThrowbackThursday #Nostalgia #SoapDebate #WhatIsThat