Shower etiquette at the swimming pool

tea_lover

Megaginge, can you not just accept that some people see this differently? Yes we're born naked, and within hours we've got clothes on. I wouldn't go to tesco naked, I wouldn't go to work naked, and I wouldn't use a gym where other people could at any point see me naked.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but stop making out that anyone disagreeing with you is causing harm to children.

BarryBlue

I think you can tell those who have never played team sports.;) Anyone who has will be very familiar with communal changing rooms, showers and sometimes even those big communal baths. You never give it a second thought, you just get on with it. If you are a prude or sensitive about how you look, then team sports aren't for you.


I would agree that it is probably inappropriate for children of the opposite sex to be in a communal changing room and I would have been surprised to see this happen in places I've used. There is usually bawdy or blokeish behaviour going on in team changing rooms though.

missbiggles1

tea_lover wrote: »

Megaginge, can you not just accept that some people see this differently? Yes we're born naked, and within hours we've got clothes on. I wouldn't go to tesco naked, I wouldn't go to work naked, and I wouldn't use a gym where other people could at any point see me naked.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but stop making out that anyone disagreeing with you is causing harm to children.

I think that "seeing you naked" implies strutting round baring all. Personally, I don't have a problem with this (although I appreciate that some do) but I don't think that happens much in women's changing areas.

IME, women come out of the shower with a towel round them which they dry with, they then lower it to the waist to put their bra on, continue to dry their nether regions and then put their towel down before putting on their knickers and then putting on the rest of their clothes. So really, at no point are they actually naked, there's a few seconds of bare breasts while they get their bra on and another few seconds of bare bum while knickers are hoisted.

Hardly the same thing as swanning round Tesco's in your birthday suit.

Mrs_Ryan

I've recently joined a large chain gym and visited for the first time today. I noticed with horror that the changing room is basically communal but was relieved to find a disabled changing cubicle with lockable door I could use (before anyone asks yes I am disabled, I use crutches) When I went for a shower, I took off my trainers and socks and put my flip flops on and just got undressed in the shower cubicle. The glass doors in the shower don't really preserve much modesty although I used the disabled cubicle again which had a proper curtain. I was alarmed both going in and coming out of the shower how many women were just letting it all hang out- I got a right eyeful as I walked out of the shower area!
I had a big towel wrapped around me and pinned with the pin attached to the locker key- having to negotiate with my crutches as well I wasn't hanging around! I have a lot of scars (plus not much hair at the moment) so I'm definitely not comfortable with communal areas but each to their own I guess.

David_Aston

My tuppence worth is that the pool I mainly use, has separate male, female changing areas, each with a space in front of the lockers and a few cubicles. Plus separate showers of course. I change in front of a locker. If schools are in, I do it quickly and discreetly, but naturally will be naked, in full view of the kids for a few moments. Same goes with walking back from the after swim, shower.
The other pool run by the same group does have only cubicles for both genders and a communal shower, in full or partial view of the pool. I would always keep my cossie on in that situation.

Petra_70

I am really on the fence here. I don't think children should have it put in their heads that the naked form is bad (because of course it isn't.) However, it wouldn't sit well with me to have had my kids (when they were little,) in a communal changing room with people's bits hanging out.

Don't ask me 'why not?' because I don't know. I didn't have a very strict upbringing, but my mother was a bit prudish. I have to say, I wouldn't have a go at anyone letting their kids see peoples bits; nor would I have a go at people who said they refuse to let their kids see peoples bits, as people are different, and are entitled to their own views. Me personally, I am just not fond of the idea of my young kids seeing totally naked men and women walking around. JMO.

As for the woman who had a go at the OP. What a cheek. Silly moo.

As for 'megaginges' comments, what on earth makes you think you have the right to comment on Torry's religion?! What the heck has THAT got to do with anything?!

How incredibly rude.

I would not even respond if I were you Torry.

benjus

I swim at a residents' private club where I live. The men's changing room has no cubicles either in the shower area or the changing area, but I think most men are comfortable with being naked in such a situation. I think the women's changing room does have cubicles (there's no family changing, it's only a small club).

However, at certain times (e.g. weekend mornings) the pool is used for children's swimming lessons, open to the general public, and gets quite busy. When the pool reverts to members-only at 10, the changing rooms are usually still quite full of parents with young children, which feels a bit strange. Not really bothered by it though.

theoretica

Torry_Quine wrote: »

It does seem s range to me that you would take your child to a place with naked adults

Like an art gallery? Or somewhere with public statues?

BNT

In the UK, I'd have thought it would be pretty unusual not to have cubicles if there are communal changing rooms and I would expect people to cover up when they are wandering around. I wouldn't see anything wrong with using a towel, though.

Having said that, I can only ever recall one place in the UK that I've been to which has had a communal changing room. Pretty much everywhere I have been has had segregated male and female changing rooms, and I wouldn't see the need for cubicles there, nor expect people to shower with their swimsuits on.

Savvy_Sue

BNT wrote: »

In most dedicated saunas/baths, you're unlikely to see people wearing anything; in fact, most that I go to wouldn't allow it.

Sadly, most of the clubs we've found insist on cossies and trunks, which DH finds horrible.

Although I've found a few places where there are separate men's, ladies and mixed sauna cubicles, and I guess in the single sex areas you can dress pretty much as you prefer.

It's a shame that the Clothes Optional days at Abbey House Gardens may not go ahead any more. They were always great times: more popular than the 'regular' Sunday openings.

A few people always arrived without knowing it was clothes optional and left in horror, but those who came in and stayed clothed seemed not to find the naked bodies too off-putting.