How to Follow Locker Room Etiquette for Showering
Forget about making impressions at formal dinners and addressing your wedding invitations properly, the one place where you will forever look like a neanderthal in the eyes of perfect strangers if you break etiquette is in the locker room. Essentially, locker room etiquette is all about common courtesy and respecting others, so there are a few rules that you should follow whenever you find yourself at the gym.
Instructions
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Shower before and after using the pool, jacuzzi, steam room or sauna.
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Cover up with a towel on your way to and from the shower. Though you may be perfectly comfortable in the nude, the truth is that most people aren't comfortable seeing strangers naked. Be respectful of others and exhibit a little modesty.
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Wear flip flops or other shoes in the shower. This not only protects you from ailments like athlete's foot or other infections, but it also keeps anything you may have from spreading.
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Keep showers short, between 5 and 10 minutes. If there are plenty of showers available, then you may be able to take a longer shower. However, if the locker room is full or there are only a few shower stalls available, keep your showers as short as possible so others may shower as well.
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Clean up after yourself in the shower. This includes taking everything out of the shower and placing any towels belonging to the gym in the proper receptacles. Throw away any trash, and wipe up any water, dirt or hair that you may have left behind.
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Lock your locker. Though locker theft is rare, especially in gyms with membership fees, locking your locking is an important step in locker room etiquette. A locked locker tells others that the locker is taken and helps you remember where you put your stuff so there will be no confusion.
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Shut locker doors. You may think that leaving the locker door open will let your fellow members know the locker is free, but really it just becomes a hazard and an annoyance to the person using the locker next to you.
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Contain your mess in the locker room. Limit yourself to one locker, and avoid spreading your clothing and gear around on the benches. Make sure everyone has plenty of room around you.
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Put towels down on the benches when you will be sitting on them nude. This includes the benches in the locker room as well as those in the sauna or steam room.
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Respect others when using toiletries. Avoid using aerosols in crowded locker rooms and keep any powders contained. Colognes and perfumes should be kept to a minimum as well since you may think they smell divine but someone else may have severe allergies.
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Keep your socializing to outside the locker room. The locker room is for changing and showering, not for socializing, especially in large groups. Follow this rule especially when someone is undressing or showering.
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Tips & Warnings
Never shave in the shower or steam room, since this environment is perfect for blood-borne illnesses to multiply and circulate. Also follow this rule by avoiding entering the steam room with any open wounds.
