For some time now, I've been going to a local YMCA to work out. Like many people, I use the facilities to clean up - I don't like to drive home sweaty. Unlike some of the other Y's in the Indy area, the one I use now has no 'privacy barriers' in the shower area. Although I've never measured them so I can't be sure, the shower spickets seem to be about 18 inches apart. This means that if I was so inclined (and I'm not), I could reach out and... well, you know the rest of the line so familiar to telephone users.
I will admit that I don't really have a problem with this set-up, which is different from saying anything remotely like I'm glad it's this way. I don't really think about what I do there. I go to the locker, I remove my clothes, I put a towel around my wait, I walk to the shower area and do what I have to do, I put my towel back around my waist, I walk back to my locker, and I dress. No big deal.
What I do have a problem with is the presence of other guys there. Specifically, the guys who act like the shower facility at the local YMCA - which anyone can join if they have the money - is their own personal bathroom. You people who use the Y (or some other gym-type place) know what I'm talking about - the guys who act as if they are in a nudist colony. I'm sure there are some women who do this, but I'm willing to bet that their numbers don't compare to the men.
The guy who enters the sauna with a towel, lays it on the bench and sits down. The guy who flatly ignores the sign about wearing a swimsuit in the whirlpool. The guy who prefers to shave au natural. The guy who walks to the shower area with a towel around his neck instead of his waist... something I really don't get.
These are the men I'm talking about. If you're guilty of this behavior, please stop. You're in an area where there's going to be nudity, including your own. But you don't have to act like you're the only one there. A little cover-up goes a long way.
There's a guy at my Y who spends a LONG time in the shower. And the reason is because he does everything in there. He showers, shaves, and brushes his teeth. All while standing under the water. I guess one could make a case for time-effectiveness, but come on!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that, but there are guys who take their razors into the sauna to shave. I see the reasoning behind that, since the sauna opens up the pores.
ReplyDeleteI might even go to the same Y as you, and this IS a problem in the ladies locker room as well. I walked out of the dressing room one day, after changing into my swimsuit, to a sight that I will NEVER be able to forget! WHY, OH WHY, doesn't everyone use the changing rooms provided?!
ReplyDeleteCristy: What is especially nice to see is someone drinking from the water fountain, which is only about two feet off the floor. You have to really bend over to take a drink....
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