A hand washing apparatus and having a hand washing bowl mounted at a suitable height for washing the hands, the bowl being moveable between open and closed positions, controls for moving the bowl between a hand washing position and an inactive position, a dispenser for dispensing warm water over the hands in the bowl, a dispenser for dispensing soap over the hands in the bowl, and, a dispenser for dispensing rinse water over the hands in the bowl. Also disclosed is a method of cleansing the hands using such apparatus.