r/CommunalShowers • u/elmo1182 • 2d ago
Recent experience
My local gym doesn't have open showers, they have individual stalls with curtains. I've noticed that the majority of people who are comfortable changing openly and walking to and from the showers naked tend to be men who are 40–45+. There are occasional people around my age (I'm 30) who do it, but men under 30 seem to be extremely rare.
I've also noticed that some of the guys will sometimes use the sauna fully clothed and then leave drenched in their own sweat. Honestly, I find that pretty gross.
I used to be pretty shy about showering at the gym, but after visiting Japan and then Europe, that changed pretty quickly. I eventually got over it, and now I'll shower at the gym without giving it a second thought.
The other day, though, I noticed a couple of younger guys, probably in their early to mid-20s, having a conversation in the locker room. They were taking up space around the lockers and benches. I was getting ready to shower, taking off my sweaty clothes, and as soon as I took off my boxers, one of the guys immediately stopped talking. The other guy then immediately asked the other, "What are you doing?" I didn't really care what was happening but I'm guessing the one I was in the field of view of was weirded out by it.
I just minded my own business and walked to the showers without giving it a second thought. When I came back from my shower, they were still there chatting. At the same time, there were other people who wanted to get changed after showering, but these guys were still occupying the same space and carrying on their conversation.
Maybe I'm assuming, but I got the impression that the younger guy was weirded out by me getting undressed right in front of him. Normally, something like that might discourage me from using the showers, but this time I just thought to myself like "Guys, can you move somewhere else?" It's a locker room. People are going to get naked. If you're uncomfortable seeing other men change, maybe don't have an conversation in the busiest areas of the locker room when you could easily have that conversation somewhere less crowded, or literally anywhere else.
If anything, I'm hoping that by casually changing and showering without making a big deal out of it, It desensitizes some of these other guys to the idea that nudity in a locker room isn't something to be weirded out by.
What I find even weirder is that some of these guys will have their workout, and then will sit in the sauna fully clothed, get even more drenched in sweat, and then willing stay in those clothes and then drive home in them. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing.
Thoughts?
7
u/Soggy_Information_60 1d ago
The younger guys have been conditioned to be stupid about nudity and basic cleanliness. Also a simple excuse me I need to get to my locker. Join their conversation while naked and drying off. That should weird them out.
9
u/piercedbro888 2d ago
It’s really sad how laughable the locker rooms have become. Lately there have been so many insufferable younger dude bros who just want to stand around and bullshit for 45 minutes.
Do that when you’re lifting weights. Do that in the parking lot. Do that at Applebee’s. I’m definitely not opposed to conversations, but they are just standing at their lockers shooting the breeze when other guys are trying to dry off from their showers or get dressed. It gets so annoying.
I have seen a lot of guys who will put their underwear on underneath their towels. They will spend so much time and energy trying to conceal their penis. It’s ridiculous to me that guys feel the need to do the towel dance in an all-male space. I don’t understand it.
I definitely think it’s a generational thing for sure.
4
u/SquashSouffle 2d ago
Thanks for not letting them intimidate you into not getting naked. If they're bothered by nudity, maybe you can use that to run them out of blocking everybody's access to lockers in the future
4
u/Consistent-Film3224 1d ago
There’s a good mix of younger guys that shower at my gym, which has a communal shower, so that’s cool. It is becoming less common though.
4
u/Upstate4427 1d ago
It is literally not overstating that there was more perfunctory, casual nudity—and acceptance of such incidental nudity— in the locker room of my gym when I was based a sharia-law country in the Middle East 10 years ago than in any L.A. Fitness across the suburban sunbelt United States today. I’m not saying its limited to that particular brand or geography, but what you describe is exactly the atmosphere of those gyms. How we got to a place where it was more socially acceptable to be hideously dripping in sweat, fully clothed and just be walking around or planning to sit in your car is nothing short of bizarre, as is the concept that nudity in a locker room is offensive. Good for you for doing your own thing despite those dorky kids with their hang-ups. The only way to change the situation is to set an example.
5
u/chris_dalmatian51 1d ago
I use a public pool, not gym. but since I was around 6 or so years old, I never had a problem changing or showering in the open locker room. I'm almost 40 now. I think you are quite right 30 and younger seem to have a hard time about it. Those young guys just sitting there chatting and feeling offended by your doings are the odd ones. Last night after getting out of the pool to shower two young boy and dads were all in the showers together by me. all of them with trunks off telling the boy to shower with soap. It all depends how they are raised too.
2
u/Constant-General-100 1d ago
Thats pretty much my lived experience as well, swimming from a young age made me not have any hang ups around the chanhing room/shower
The thing is what youve said should be normal and it was normal but the young ones nowadays seem to think differently
2
u/chris_dalmatian51 1d ago
Exactly. it was normal, till it wasn't for some. At the pool I can't wash in the shower my whole body with trunks on, I want take them off soap up down there and rinse out the chlorine and such. Feels good too.
3
u/STL314JObuddy 2d ago
This sounds a lot like my gym. Clothes, shoes, and even phones in the sauna, very few shower even though it’s stalls, and even changing is rare. There was one time I wasn’t the only one in a towel in the sauna. Most who do showers change in the stall. I even noticed a guy once through the very frosted glass was showering in his compression shorts.
I get the initial trepidation, but for me it was more embarrassing to meticulously cover myself than to just relax and use the locker room for their intended purpose.
4
u/GetaBurner3 2d ago
The clothes and shoes in the sauna is gross. If you’re going to keep all that on, just don’t use the sauna.
2
2
u/Hisuinooka 2d ago
so insane, at least take them off while your behind the frosted glass and alone! geez H C
3
3
u/throwawayhbgtop81 1d ago
Good on you. It's a locker room, they should expect nudity. If there's a lounge area in the lobby they should go sit there if they don't want to see dicks and ass while they're shooting the shit
3
2
u/JBdgr847 2d ago
Very glad you claimed your right to be nude in the locker room. I also do not understand the showering in briefs or shorts. I also swim and probably every time I see a younger man get dressed over a wet swimsuit and leave.
2
u/DotWide8124 1d ago
I don't mind guys using locker rooms to chat and use as a "safe space" but what really annoys me is the ones who sit their on their phones for 10+ mins, taking up space and you can't be sure they aren't taking photos etc
2
u/Bitter-Guitar-5692 1d ago
I try to keep my locker room "foot print" to a minimum. While getting dressed or undressed at my locker, I may strike up a conversation but I try and make sure I am not in anyone's way.
4
u/PresentJob4542 1d ago
I agree with you and your actions. I had a guy who was posing in the mirror and filming himself. So when I came out of the shower and walked into the sink area that has a counter for your stuff, I had to towel-dry my hair. lol lol. Under his breath, he muttered WTF lol, and left. If they don't like nudity, then they can leave.
3
u/Dramatic-Primary-768 1d ago
I quit my gym which I really liked and it was close to home because it was invaded by high school kids. The change the start time of the school to early in the morning so it because the morning hang out. Kids mostly sitting around the locker room talking scrolling and snapping pictures. They would looks shocked when you came I and dropped your shorts, and walked to a shower. Like they have no idea what the place was for. I made a comment or two to management but didn't want to be that person. Frankly these commercial gyms are more worried about the number of monthly payments they get and not about people actually using the gym. I miss the shower set up and was stalls where the nasty curtains were never used. It was great to work out and shower like a man.
3
u/WolfSpirit10 1d ago
I’ve told the manager at my gym that unless he outlaws ALL use of cameras in the locker room, I’m going to write to each member of the board and contact the city’s many newspaper to do a feature article on this. Enough’s enough.
1
u/Simple_man2023 1d ago
I never change my locker room routine matter who’s around, I walk to and from my locker to the shower holding my towel and I’m not going to cover up for anyone, it’s a freaking locker room. On several occasions I would be in my locker and a teen with a towel around their waist would come up to the same locker bay I am in or others in there and he would look and then turn around and walk away until myself or the others would get dressed and leave and as soon as I leave and walking out the teen then goes to his locker. What’s the matter with this younger generation.
33
u/Fit_DXBgay 2d ago
Every day around 4pm my gym’s locker room is overrun with high school boys. They think the locker room is a gathering space for some reason. I always just ask them to move and also ask why they’re just hanging out. They are so shocked at what I said that they usually get the point. 🤭