Level of undress in male locker rooms.

@bratwurst asked for a gay perspective. I've been a member of a lot of gyms, YMCA's, private health clubs. The Chelsea Y, when it was located on West 23rd Street, had two locker rooms for men. The regular membership status one was a floor below the pool, and the premium membership men's locker room. In the regular one, circa 1990's, men, including myself, would take off all our clothes, put on a swimsuit if we were swimming, head upstairs to the pool, swim, return downstairs, take a shower, and I think wrap a towel around to get to your locker, where we'd get dressed. The swimsuit came off in the shower, hooked with the towel. We'd be naked twice. There were always older members seated naked on benches talking. While we were swimming, the pool mixed men, and women, men in towels, men in swimsuits, would walk past the pool on route to the premium membership locker room, which had a small open shower, and the steam room. The men in the steam room had towels, covered themselves with towels, unless they knew who was in the steam room with them, or were with only another man. If so, towels would be uncovered. There were interested parties who would then move from the steam room to the small shower. Meanwhile, the premium members would proceed as per the lower locker room.

In middle school and high school, we were fully nude and showering was absolutely required.

We could not opt out of showing. We had one gym teacher who would watch from his office doorway to make sure that we showered and got fully wet to at least rinse off most of the sweat. He didn't insist that we soap up, but I thnik most of us did. With our hormones raging, fwe were noticing the gals... or the guys... and we didn't want to stink when we went to other classes. But soap was nto reqiured. Just had to be completely wet.

Communal changing rooms—whether for sports or at a public pool—are spaces designed for changing clothes and showering, so it is normal to get naked. At high school, the changing rooms were communal; after PE classes, I would take a communal shower naked, and all the students who showered did so completely naked.

In middle school and high school, we were fully nude and had to shower.

I remember those days well.

Pompei was quite nice back then.

I don’t mind being fully nude in the locker room and don’t go out of my way to avoid being fully while changing clothes, to and from the shower, etc. It started in junior high school and went on through high school, college, work locker rooms, and gyms to this day. I also don’t prolong the exposure, I like to get dressed and out as quickly as possible. I am still amazed at the number of men who avoid nudity at any cost…they look ridiculous dressing in a wet shower stall or trying to pull their underwear on underneath the towel they have wrapped around themselves.

Locker room cell phone etiquette is something that I have noticed that has gone out the window of late. Many guys are talking on their phones in the locker rooms these days, many of them even appear to be FaceTimeing which is beyond the pale. Thankfully, I haven’t caught anyone doing it for certain. Then there are the guys just wearing shorts in the sink area with lots of mirrors taking pictures of their post workout pump. No telling what the are getting pictures of in the background with all the grooming mirrors, etc. All of that despite many signs banning cell phone use in the locker rooms. Come on people…

At school, the shower room was a large communal area and we showered nude all the way through school. At university, the shower room was much smaller, but there were still six open showers. I showered nude, but there wasn't always someone else there. The last time I went to a gym was quite a few years ago, but the showers were cubicles, but the changing area was open. When I showered, I undressed fully in the changing area and walked naked to the shower, holding my towel.

A few years ago, I used to go running at a track with runners who were training for competitions. Afterward, when we went back to the locker room, we would strip completely naked and walk to the communal shower area with just a towel around our necks. We would wash in full view of one another, without hiding anything, and then walk back to the locker room stark naked, with the towel still around our necks.

Full nudity for me but it’s 50/50 for most of the guys. Those that are afraid wrap a towel around their waist, shower, discard that towel and after a shower use 2-3 more to dry off, then one to stand in for their feet. We wash towels in house and have 3 industrial size washers that run continuously. I use 1 towel and Thats accomplishes the task

For me, too, it’s full nudity. In the locker room, whether I’m changing or taking a shower, I’m stark naked; I don’t wrap a towel around my waist—I have nothing to hide.

Doesn't bother me being nude in locker rooms, went to a nudist resort twice, fun times!!!

@mike45 could you tell us more about your stay at the nudist holiday resort?

This is an interesting topic. Growing up, being naked in a locker room was a given. Everyone was, and everyone used communal showers, and not a big deal. Fast forward to day, things are quite different. For one thing, communal showers are going the way of the dinosaur.

Guys, especially those who are young and even in high school, don’t usually get naked in a locker room. Even when they go swimming, they wrap a towel around their waist and put on a bathing suit, doing what we used to call the underwear towel dance.

For me, I use the phrase when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If nobody is naked in a locker room I don’t need to be either. If I am in a sauna and everyone has a bathing suit on, I do as well. If everyone is naked, so am I.

For those who insist on being naked, and flaunting themselves, let me clue you in: Nobody is interested in seeing your body.

I remember when I was in my 20’s and 30’s I would see these old guys strutting around naked and I thought it was disgusting. I am not looking to be one of those guys now.

@Adonfmatou Wrote about it in my blog, check out my profile.

I don’t mind being fully nude in the locker room and don’t go out of my way to avoid being fully while changing clothes, to and from the shower, etc. It started in junior high school and went on through high school, college, work locker rooms, and gyms to this day. I also don’t prolong the exposure, I like to get dressed and out as quickly as possible. I am still amazed at the number of men who avoid nudity at any cost…they look ridiculous dressing in a wet shower stall or trying to pull their underwear on underneath the towel they have wrapped around themselves.

Locker room cell phone etiquette is something that I have noticed that has gone out the window of late. Many guys are talking on their phones in the locker rooms these days, many of them even appear to be FaceTimeing which is beyond the pale. Thankfully, I haven’t caught anyone doing it for certain. Then there are the guys just wearing shorts in the sink area with lots of mirrors taking pictures of their post workout pump. No telling what the are getting pictures of in the background with all the grooming mirrors, etc. All of that despite many signs banning cell phone use in the locker rooms. Come on people…

@hackjuan

If many young people avoid showering to escape having to get completely naked in the locker room, it is due to mobile phones and their use in those areas; they fear being photographed while undressed. Consequently, the problem is easily solved: simply ban mobile phones—and their use—in locker rooms. You do not need a mobile phone to play sports, change clothes, or take a shower. To me, this is obvious.

Very interesting topic of conversation as I’ve just joined a pool and have been making observations about the locker room.

@connaisseur, could you tell us what observations you made regarding swimming pool changing rooms, and in which country? Thanks in advance.

I’m in NYC. The middle aged and older guys seem to have no problem walking around the locker room fully nude. Otherwise it’s a lot of towel changers.

It’s great to walk around completely naked in the locker rooms. Young people are too prudish, whether in the USA or France.

In French swimming pools, communal showers should be located inside the locker rooms to allow those who wish to do so to shower completely naked.

I don’t mind being fully nude in the locker room and don’t go out of my way to avoid being fully while changing clothes, to and from the shower, etc. It started in junior high school and went on through high school, college, work locker rooms, and gyms to this day. I also don’t prolong the exposure, I like to get dressed and out as quickly as possible. I am still amazed at the number of men who avoid nudity at any cost…they look ridiculous dressing in a wet shower stall or trying to pull their underwear on underneath the towel they have wrapped around themselves.

Locker room cell phone etiquette is something that I have noticed that has gone out the window of late. Many guys are talking on their phones in the locker rooms these days, many of them even appear to be FaceTimeing which is beyond the pale. Thankfully, I haven’t caught anyone doing it for certain. Then there are the guys just wearing shorts in the sink area with lots of mirrors taking pictures of their post workout pump. No telling what the are getting pictures of in the background with all the grooming mirrors, etc. All of that despite many signs banning cell phone use in the locker rooms. Come on people…

At the swimming pool I use, there are signs banning mobile phone use in the changing rooms and no photos. To be fair, in my experience it's respected and I haven't seen anyone get theirs out. The showers are communal, however they have signs saying that swimwear must be worn in the showers, no nudity permitted. A bit difficult to fully wash while keeping my trunks on.

It is good that the ban on mobile phones in the changing rooms is respected. In swimming pools, the showers are communal—which is fine—but you don't shower in a swimsuit; you really need to be able to shower naked to wash properly.

In France, too, the showers are communal, yet you have to keep your swimsuit on. For this reason, I no longer go to the pool.

In our gym, guys admiring themselves--seeing how much muscle they've put on--is not unusual. Howerver couple guys got tripods and video'd themselves. Problem is...who else is in the video in the back, and in what state of undress. Signs were then posted on the mirror 'for privacy, no video or stills allowed' A week ago a guy is posing in the mirror with his cell phone. I point to the sign. He's not sorry. Says he's careful that no one is naked behind him etc. I ducked out of the locker, waved at one of the staff and had staff observe the violator. bad boy is no longer a member.

@bratwurst Yes, mobile phones have no place in the changing rooms. It is only right that those who do not respect this ban be excluded.

Hi all

FYI I moved this thread to Kinky/Nudism to match the other locker room nudity threads. It was in Medical Fetish/Examination and it's about neither.

About time you became a moderator @Nurse Phillips. 😃

We have a mixed group of guys, some can’t be without a towel around the waist and others who could care less.

We expect guys to sit on a towel or wrap around their waist in the steam or sauna.

We provide towels and a significant number of guys think nothing of using 4 or more towels per visit.

Over the past few years I spent time in different spas and pools in Germany. To my recollection, all of the showers were communal and everyone showered naked. I am fascinated that others have noted that in the UK and France you must keep your swimsuit on in the shower. What is the purpose of enforcing that?

Before using a public swimming pool, I would hope that people would shower naked so that they do not bring sweat or whatever cosmetic products they use into the pool. Since genitalia can be sweaty areas, that should be cleaned thoroughly. After swimming, if you are trying to remove chlorine from your skin, would you not want to remove it from the genital area as well? If I were in that situation I would be trying to soap up the areas covered by the suit - using my hands to scrub under the fabric - which would look worse (like I was masturbating) than actually seeing me wash my privates.

Some of the places I have been to in Germany are the opposite - they are "textile free" - and nudity is enforced.

Yes, @Mas1978, I agree: you should shower naked to wash properly, including your private parts.

Since the rules in France require changing in a private cubicle and showering in a swimsuit, I no longer go to public swimming pools.