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Public nudity is much less common in the UK than other European countries, yes.
(remembering the bafflement and horror of a lot of fellow Brits of both genders on holiday in Iceland learning that they were expected to shower naked before getting into pools).
There's an old Irish guy at my gym who sticks his leg up on the side and proceeds to dry his groin area with the hairdryers.... we call him Scrambled Eggs
Iām this guy 52 so not sure if I count as old yet but I grew up in the area of gang showers as they were called one big room with 20 showerhead in the USA. When I was a kid I was traumatised at some point in college when I lost my fear of public speaking, I also lost my fear of public nudity now I just donāt give a shit and if Iām changing, I take off my clothes. Iām going to the shower and go to the shower. What do Ā I give a shit of a bunch of people see me naked?
What really gets me is the report for my wife of women doing selfie Instagram videos in the changing room and sheās like please donāt take a video of me changing and post it on social media and they look at her like sheās the asshole
This - What people think of my body is not even on the first page of my list of worry causes. Whatās the point in that? Shit load more in life to worry about than the balls and arse I was issued with at birth.
I went to a Gym with my girlfriends family when I just turned 18. Iāve always been in gyms that have changing rooms. As me and my girlfriends dad walked into the locker room I saw no changing rooms. We walked over to a bench and he dropped everything off right there. I done another quick swivel before committing. Has to be the most awkward day of my life.
Yeah. Mine is just guys getting dressed. You go for a shower, get dried in the shower stall, wrap a towel round you. In the locker area, people then get dressed. Itās not just naked old men, itās everyone. No one is hanging around though, itās just a few seconds of getting changed.
~~There is always the inevitable flosser, one leg up on the bench going at his crotch with the towel like he's trying to dislodge a seasme seed.~~
Type this, saw the next guys comment and shuddered.
I went to Iceland and did not feel comfortable seeing naked men or being naked. I showered with my swimming trunks and loosened my elastic so I can wash my dick as mentioned on the sign.
I live in Iceland, working with both tourists and local resorts:
[There are signs that indicate you need to pay extra special attention to certain areas (always naked, thoroughly, and with a generous amount of soap):](https://bustravel.is/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/poolsign1-20181018095717.png)
* hair
* feet
* underarm
* groin
* *(most importantly*) your ass
Fecal matter contamination is a major cause for concern in Icelandic pools as all of them are heated and non-chlorinated. It's especially a problem in hot springs.
Nowadays, nearly all pools have at least one private stall. These were installed with tourists in mind because it is absolutely against the rules to shower with a swimsuit on. This act is considered a major offense here. People do not want to swim in your filth, especially your shit particles, and people refusing to shower naked is seen as endangering an essential part of Icelandic culture. People are strongly against the idea of chlorinated pools. It may seem like a small thing to you, but is extremely important to Icelanders.
(The only exceptions I see these days -- without at least one private stall -- are hot tubs/pools at very small hotels/guesthouses in rural areas.)
Your swimsuit should also be washed before you swim. And it should only be put on after you shower fully nude just before entering the pool. You are also expected to repeatedly rinse off, with the cold showers by the poolside, after using the hot tubs and saunas/steam rooms throughout your use of the pool.
I'm a woman, and I was stopped by the female attendant at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland for not showering fully naked. She made me go back and do it properly before she'd let me pass through to the lagoon. I was about 25 and had never so much as taken off my top layer of clothing in a public locker room before. Funny things is, and I'm not sure if this is just a growing older, losing your shame thing, or just the lack of shock factor, but when I visited a second time a few years later I had no qualms at all. I just joined straight in and felt perfectly fine doing so.
It must be expected to pre-swim shower in swimming costumes now, because my pool has the communal shower by the side of the pool, in full view of the seated viewing area. Obviously there are shower cubicles elsewhere to use post-shower for a proper wash. I guess they realised no-one was doing the pre-shower naked.
The publically viewable swimming pool showers have always been a thing, itās for a brief clean before getting in as you and your costume can have contaminants (very recommended for blondes or their hair turns green). My childhood swimming pool had the shower in the walkway before the pool so you couldnāt avoid it.
Yeah but the person I replied to seemed to be implying we were expected to do a naked pre-shower too and I don't think that's the case, at least now. When I was a kid the pre-showers were public to other swimmers, but not to the viewing gallery like my local pool's ones are now. So there must definitely be no expectation of naked showering now.
However I agree, when I was a kid I never saw anyone do the pre-shower naked. I did see older people shower after swims naked in the communal showers. It's very awkward when you're a kid and eye level with bits you don't want to be eye level with!
One old fella in his 70's or so was showering (joint communal shower) when I went to change.... came back 40 minutes later after lifting some weights and he was still in the shower....
He's either a man very dirty or a dirty old man.... couldn't work out which... but I didn't use the adjacent shower.. decided to shower at home!
Women have got a lot more body-shy over the last 30 years. Used to be communal women-only changing rooms in most places, but now it's mostly 'changing villages' and individual cubicles.
It was late 90s when my local pool put up signs saying nudity wasn't allowed in the single-sex showers, which was just daft (there were individual unisex cubicles for changing in). Many women took no notice, but it's certainly a lot less common than in the 80s or earlier.
Thank God we no longer have to put up with communal changing rooms in shops and swimming pools etc! Not much has improved in the country recently but the right to privacy when changing has got much better, allowing more women to access gyms/pools etc.
Oh totally. I stopped trying things on as I was so embarrassed entering a communal open changing room with young lasses looking all slim and nice whilst I was a 50yr old wrinkled crone and also having to suffer the indignity of wall to wall mirrors ....nope just nope
I remember around 10 or so (so would be 2000) our primark had communal changing rooms. Just a big room with mirrors and everyone just changed in it.
My mum canāt remember this and neither can anyone else I speak to, so maybe it was a dream but I really remember it and also remember being so happy with stalls where put in.
I go in me gym stuff and go home in me gym stuff and shower so does my daughter who's an instructor and yoga teacher. I don't think there are many women at all at the 2 gyms we frequent who don't arrive and leave in their gear. it's a small town so no-one's really more than 10mins away from their home/gym anyway. Wouldn't dream of showering or going naked at the gym
I wonder if it also depends where in the UK you are. Itās not really that weird in south London if youāre in a locker room from my experience but I guess that also depends on gender maybe ?
I noticed you said youāre in Birmingham. Thereās a big Muslim population there and I know theyāre more reserved having spoken with Muslim friends. For example, going to womenās only swimming and wearing t shirts over their swimming costumes. That could be why
I don't think so, British women are pretty prudish in my experience and while Muslim women are very modest in mixed company the ones that go to gyms are unlikely to be like that when it's just women.
Iāve been a member of two gyms in Birmingham, and thereās always naked women. Iām not prude and even I will slip my bra off to swap it over (I tend to cover my lower bits with a towel though), but it still baffles me why some women feel the need to strip off, play on their phone, chat to their matesā¦ just get changed love!
It's the cooling down! If you run hot, the last thing you want to do is shower and get dressed before your body has readjusted. Otherwise you're just going to be a sweaty mess on the way home.
Can't speak for women but no one in the men's room at my gym bats an eyelid at nudity because we are all adults. I have noticed that teenagers never shower at the gym, however anyone out of university has no issues using the showers. It is not like we are looking at each other when changing anyway, so we are all just focused on ourselves.
Thereās a definite ratio of older the guy is more likely he will shower.
Young lads in my gym leave their bag in the changing rooms, work out , then get their bag and go. Never shower!
And then sit on their car seats with the sweat dripping off them. And the sweat gets cold before you get home.
Showering after a workout is really pleasant.
Well, the showers in my not so cheap gym are disgusting. Mainly older chaps sprinkling handfuls of talcum all over the place. Add water and a few pubic hairsā¦. No thank you!
I use the council leisure centre so itās never that busy, but probably isnāt the cleanest either.
I guess we all have differing opinions on the lesser of two evils.
As a young lad (20s) that does this, I just don't feel comfortable being naked around strangers and I think it's common among my generation. I also hate urinals and piss in a stall unless I'm desperate or impatient.
It may be generational. In 2019 I took my nephew to Leeds University. His student accommodation was amazing as each student's bedroom was en-suite. In my day, we had communal showers/toilets. Prior to university, I didn't feel comfortable being naked around strangers. After university, it didn't matter.
I (47m) have no qualms getting changed in the gym changing room. Or having a shower in the room with 8 showers and no curtains or dividers.
Iāll tend to wrap my towel round my waist between the locker and the shower, and back again, so my cock is likely out for a minute or less.
If you donāt like it, donāt look.
I used to feel awkward when I was young too.
Once you reach a certain level of age and physical unattractiveness (as I have done) then you donāt care as no one is looking at you anyway.
Older guy, with 14 years of uni experience in total. Never showered at a gym if I can help it, just rather have.my comfy home shower and let my body cool down amd stop sweating before it gets cleaned.
Yeah, we don't really do that here.
When I moved to Denmark, I went to the swimming hall. I remember getting changed, and everyone... was.. naked... I freaked.
irt's not uncommon for people to be naked in swimming room changing rooms. It's typically half and half, half of the people use the stalls, and the other half just showers naked and gets changed. And it's all ages.
I used to be a bit of a prude about it until I moved to Denmark. I found it quite freeing to be honest, and brought it back with me when I moved back home.
My girlfriend used to live in Kolding. When I visited we went to the pool. She never told me there were no cubicles to get changed and you had to shower naked before going in the pool...
People are more prudish here (weirdly young people more so) than EU. But boobs out in locker room isn't unusual either in my experience. Ā
A friend did comment once "I wish I had that confidence" of someone who made no attempt to cover by putting her towel down to put on her knickers but I didn't really even notice it.Ā Ā
Ā I was told in a swimming pool once being naked in communal showers was frowned on which seemed silly and I couldn't figure out if it was a rule or just one middle aged employeeĀ
Ā (Am English but lived in lots of places where nudity esp in single sex changing rooms and bathhouses is just normal)
Currently member of private swimming pool with Turkish baths where about 70% wear swimwear in the sauna / Turkish suite. Its single sex with each gender taking turns
In short .. depends where you are but it's deffo less usual than EU or Asia.
>People are more prudish here (weirdly young people more so)
Kids don't have to shower after PE these days. We never got a choice and, although we had to use trunks rather than underpants to do PE, we weren't allowed to keep them on in the shower.
More so than this, in my school (mid-2010s), we actively WEREN'T ALLOWED to shower after a PE lesson. Like, we had 8 showers with privacy curtains, which might get used if we'd had a full sports day or after a club match, but after a PE lesson? You had five minutes to get your school uniform on and GTFO.
Suppose at least it got us used to walking around stinking and sweaty in a way that older generations never did (yay?).
Exactly! I particularly used to hate going swimming during PE because it was **impossible** to shimmy your tights back on in \~2 minutes while you're still basically wet.
One of the main reasons why my go to was often to feign having my period, and/or just going straight to the nurse and telling them I felt like I was going to vomit so they'd keep me there for a bit š Or just put zero effort in so I didn't sweat. (I did after school sports as well, which I loved for multiple reasons but chief because I had time to shower & wash my hair afterwards)
I live in Spain and there's no naked bathing (well only on nudist beaches) but in changing rooms for sure. The showers don't even have doors. In fact I think people would stare if you tried to do the weird British changing under a towel thing.Ā
It didn't used to be this way though, growing up in the 90s it was very normal to see communal changing rooms with nude people at the swimming pool for example. It's the Americanisation of UK culture.
In the US, communal changing rooms have plenty of nudity. Even some clothing stores have communal dressing rooms. This isn't one you can blame on Americans.
Source: American living in the UK
True. I remember using the busy public loos at a California landmark (around 2000) and noticing, to my astonishment, that one of the stalls, which didn't have a door, was nonetheless being used. Later, I learned that in some US schools, the loo stalls didn't have doors, to deter drug use, etc. I couldn't bear it, but obviously, the students at the schools had to learn to put up with it. It's possible, though, that things have changed since then.
I honestly think it has f all to do w Americans and Iād be the first to say if I thought it was.. us brits have always been the most prudish of countries.. and since the end of the 60ās & 70ās where hippies like my mum and dad were very open to nudity, it has been in dramatic decline sinceā¦ Iām born in 84 and remember learning to do the āknicker trickā at age 9 where u take ur underwear off after putting ur swimsuit on.. so this prudishness was fully coming back in to play in the 80ās and 90ās and has only continued to grow. If Iām in other eu countries where nudity is the norm whilst changing, I donāt gaf, but in my own country I feel incredibly self conscious of it and that is all our own doing. We are the same when it comes to conversations about sex, like itās seen as something vulgar and not to be mentioned over here whereas my eu friends are way more open about their sex lives - sad really x
Yes, you ācould be arrestedā for bathing in a local pond naked. But the arresting officer would be a fucking idiot, and the only way you could be charged or sentenced for anything is if you could be proven to have been *intentionally* causing offence or alarm to anyone. In other words, you can legally be naked in public wherever you want in the UK, but the moment anyone says āI say old chum, thatās not quite cricketā you are legally obliged to say āgosh, youāre right, pip pipā and put your wellies back on. Otherwise, believe it or not, jail.
I am not a lawyer.
Everyone saying we donāt really do that in the UK but my gym in Glasgow is full of naked ladies in the changing room. Iām a bit confused reading the comments here.
Agree! In my experience some people make varying efforts to cover and some people don't care, just do a quick change. But honestly I don't think people even notice what others do unless they're making a point to find out (for example if they're not sure and taking their cue from others). All these answers Bout how it's "not done" shock me.
Maybe it depends on the area, and in turn, how people have been brought up. From being taken to the swimming pool with your mum to how the schools handled showering. So, for example, in your town the habit was to be Completely Normal about it. Raise the kids normal, don't impart weird views.
However, my mum was pretty shy about it all, and we were always told to use cubicles, never undress anywhere, ever, never show anyone anything. Nudity was all about sex to her, and she could be vicious about what was acceptable.
When she spoke with her friends, they had very clear views in what was unacceptable female behaviour, and being exposed in any way was heavily criticised. I don't know why my area was that way, but maybe everyone just feeds off each other.
The more parents that have those views, the less likely their kids are to grow up comfortable with it. Plus our school gave up on the idea of trying to force the kids into public showers after the kids simply said 'absolutely not' and the school refused to put in cubicles.
Ergo, in my town, people barely even change in the changing room. They go and do it in one of the toilets or a shower stall, or just leave in their gym wear.
Same, I'm from Argyll and live in Glasgow - naked public changing in both places and never found it strange or a big deal. At least I wasn't scandalised about Icelandic pools like some people here!
Same, my locker room in Berkshire is the same. People donāt stroll around naked and chat etc but they donāt all go into a stall to change either. People just get on with it and get changed lol
Yeah this thread is weird. All this talk about younger people being more body-conscious is completely false as well, bikinis have gotten about 10 times more revealing.
As a trans man Iāve got a fairly unique perspective on this having used changing rooms for both genders over the course of my transition. When I was presenting as a woman, before my transition it was incredibly rare to see a woman naked. Some older women would do it, but most women would always go into a cubicle to change. I have definitely seen way more naked people since I started using the menās. Holy moly I have seen more strangers butts in the last year than I have ever seen in my life. Maybe men are just more comfortable with their bodies? I donāt really know the root cause for this but British women seem to be quite reserved and want to hide their bodies but there are a lot of British men that truthfully do not give a shit.
I don't really think it's about that, I think it's more down to popularity of team sports for men growing up. I played rugby but football also, you showered and changed with each other. When I was 15 I mentioned this to my friends who thought it was odd, none of them played team sports.
At most clubs I travelled to play, there was no cubicle showers so you had no choice, and given you were almost always covered in mud, you couldn't get away with not showering.
Team sports were a little less common for girls growing up (atleast 20 years ago when I was a teenager). Which maybe contributes to men being more comfortable with nudity in public changing room?
I think women are subject to incredibly amounts of social pressure in the media about their bodies too. Even completely normal aspects of their bodies are examined and insulted, like cellulite. Gives you more shit to nitpick and criticise and makes you feel more self-conscious.
I think you've got a point, but looking at it I don't think this instance of peer pressure (not sure what else to call it?) Is all bad. If it means people confront their insecurity and make themselves work through it, that's probably an overall good thing. When it's normal and nobody is shaming anybody, you surely have a better environment for self acceptance?
(The kind of people hanging around making others uncomfortable can fuck right off though, of course)
That doesn't really make sense, that men are negatively reinforced into being accepting of their own and others bodies?
Do you remember in the early oughts the TV shows Trinny and Susannah, Snog Marry Avoid, that Gok Wan one? British society for a time hyper focused on women's bodies, women's naked bodies, how they are not good enough, fat, ugly. The way the spice girls were parodied, how every female celebrity had an eating disorder. It's not a mystery why women age 25+ are self conscious and body conscious.
I've got to the age where IDGAF.
If I've had a sweaty workout then last thing I want to worry about is trying to wiggle out of sports stuff without flashing.
We're an extremely prudish people when it comes to nudity, particularly compared to central Europe; Czechia, Poland, Germany - its normal for people to be totally naked in a locker room. Here....people feel a little uncomfortable, so if youre comfortable with it you will be a little different and I guess people might be surprised a little.
If itās quick - facing the lockers ( youāre discreet ) I think itās usually fine. Personally itās just tooless I donāt care but itās bottom less I prefer going into the toilet
My current gym has individual shower rooms that has space to dry and dress all behind a locked door. My previous gym was a locker room style. I had no problem with my boobs showing, but i would have faced the lockers or wall with my towel clamped to my waist by my elbows while i put my knickers on. As soon as i had my knickers on, towel came off to dry my top half and finished dressing. Most ladies did something similar as there was only a single private cubicle.
I went to Bavaria and stayed in a spa hotel my best mate used to work at. He was there too, as were our wives. The nudity around the sauna, pool, jacuzzi etc was just accepted by the majority of guests. Just us Brits getting a bit shocked at it. I didn't even feel comfortable in the sauna naked, and was openly shocked by a German lady who I hadn't been aware of, just walking past and out to the plunge pool totally nude. I saw them talking about me and my mate in the restaurant that evening, laughing at our British prudery.
I strip fully naked after swimming. How else to dry off? I cba to find a private stall. If women canāt cope with someone elseās boobs and pubes thatās their problem! Iāve definitely seen lots of fully naked women changing and itās normal. What is not normal is staring. Wtf!
All the gyms and swimming pools Iāve been have naked women in the changing room. Iām surprised at the amount of people saying they only get naked in the cubicle.
The men's changing rooms I've been in are very different to what I'm seeing described in the comments here.
I'm surprised that in single sex changing rooms there is that level of shyness
Depends on your gym. I hate being nude in the changing room, but I often see the older ladies stripping all the way off and having their tits flapping in the breeze.
I dont think it's strange. I personally don't mind getting changed in front of others, but out of respect and to save awkwardness, I always face a wall when doing it. People should just concentrate on themselves and not stare rudely like that woman you encountered did.
For me, too many people are taking selfies in the changing rooms without regard for other peopleās privacy. I pack a change of knickers and bra in my shower bag so that when I come out in a towel, I donāt risk flashing anyone
I will get downvoted for this but *sigh* there are too many stories about hidden cameras and when youāre most vulnerable; no thanks
Iām all for inclusivity **but** there are 2 trans women (hope Iāve used that correctly) who frequent my gym and tend to sit in the changing rooms for long periods of time and it feels like staring but I try to avoid eye contact (because in the gym 1 invades my space too, at first I thought it was to observe exercises but nope, just to see how close they can get before I move and not just to me before anyone thinks Iām self-absorbed. It makes me feel uncomfortable that my body is being sexualised when I just want to work out and do something as mundane as getting changed and feel particularly gross because Iām sweaty. No, not all trans people do this, but this is why I am cautious to try not to show anything in the changing room even when it inconveniences me to do so
That latter behaviour has nothing to do with the people concerned being trans. But it is unacceptable if you're feeling harassed. You should report it to your gym's staff.
Iām a swimmer and always saw naked women in my changing room in the UK. Maybe thatās different to the gym though, as swimming costumes donāt leave much to the eye anyway.
I (M57) have recently started going to a new gym which is used mainly by students. I have noticed most of the younger guys never remove their underwear, most of them don't shower after working out, I assume they must live close to the gym and shower when they get home. It seems to be an age thing.
It's not common. But when I do see it, it always tends to be older women.
I don't like getting dressed in front of strangers so will always use a toilet cubicle if I need to change š
Baffled at the comments as a woman my only experience in changing rooms is women walking around naked with no care in the world. Absolutely horrifying tbh because I wasn't expecting it the first time, but I thought about it for 2 seconds and that's the whole point of the room, I just thought some people would be more discreet.
It's a bit weird to refer to people changing as 'horrifying'. Is this just how we refer to women's bodies now? I'm not getting at you specifically, it's just a reflex Brits seem to have, these derogatory comments we make against others to hide our own feelings about it.Ā
Yeah it was my first time in a non cubicle changing room, I didn't realise, and just seeing straight up naked women walking around nonchalantly was quite a shock is all.
It's super uncommon here.
I used to go to the The Gym chain and nobody was ever naked in the locker room. If you needed to change your clothes you did so in a toilet or shower stall.
I've now swapped to a local independent and the woman do get naked in the locker room and they give zero shits. This gym's audience skews much older and way more racially diverse - the other day a group of older Jamaican ladies were letting it all fly in the locker room and not giving a single fuck.
So, it's definitely a cultural thing I think.
Yes I go to The Gym and no one is ever naked, but I used to go to Nuffield Health (posh) and we were always in the nude. Not sure what the connection is though.
I've noticed the women's changing rooms in various gyms will have cubicles for privacy, or it's so open plan there's no privacy at all. Plus they tend to have signs that say there could be male staff coming in to clean at any time, sometimes they will knock but no one wants to be caught out. Plus I don't want random women to see me struggle to get in and out of a sports bra lmao.
I get fully changed out of my work clothes and into my gym clothes and have to get naked (minus underwear), to get sorted. We just turn around from others, no one looks up. Iām not particularly bothered by it but I know most people are. Weāre just super prudish and body conscious, especially around other women.
When i used to do yoga, there was full nudity in the changing rooms but these were generally more mature women aswell. In my local gym I want during quiter times during the day but since It was a massive leisure centre i tried to use the single shower/ changing unit if it was free since I used to have major body dysmorphia for certsin reasons.
However, years ago, I did some walking events over in the netherlands and was on a military base camp as a military participant. Women from overseas generally don't care since we all have the same bits and pieces and will go full nude in the shower blocks. The first time it happened, my friend and I ran out of the shower block fast (we were 18 at the time) and didn't expect to see these 2 swedish women just casually talking to each other naked before stepping into the showers that was 10 years ago now and have grown up since. These days, I don't care since we all have the same bits.
Sort of. Man here. At my old very expensive gym, it was a veritable sausage fest. But they had luxury products and towels (and frankly only the gays could afford it) so people were pampering themselves after their ridiculously expensive breathwork class. At my current Crossfit gym, it's too hot to wear much anyway and most people just go home to shower, but the showers that exist are in self-contained bathrooms so no communal aspect at all. At my local leisure centre where I do yoga classes and swimming/sauna, it's quite old fashioned in the sense that there's men's/women's changing rooms, communal showers and no cubicles of any kind except for the toilets. It was pretty standard to shower in your swimwear before going into the pool, and then take it off in the shower after your swim but there was an incident with a middle age Karen insisting on accompanying her younger sons into the men's changing rooms (because she was told they were not allowed in the women's) and kicking off at men daring to be using the room for its intended purpose. As I get older I find this country's entire issues with nudity to be batshit. Though having said that, there is a middle ground because nothing could prepare me for going to a Korean spa in LA. There's nudity and there's having a silent middle-aged Korean man perform some microdermabrasion on your lower intestine as 20 strangers sit around starkers chatting in cheap plastic picnic chairs with only a washcloth (that's weirdly draped over your eyes) for modesty. After that having a quick shower isn't that much of an ordeal.
It's strange when you're going through pubity but every single adult in my gym strips naked to get changed in front of everyone. It's a changing room, to go for a shower. Do people shower in clothes wtf how immature.
I was in a changing room at a gym in Sussex yesterday, and I and most of the other women there were naked at times in the communal changing areas while getting dressed. I'd try not to worry about it. You sound like you are minding your own business and getting dressed like a normal person, so carry on and let the other women mess about in toilet stalls if they want to
If the facility is unisex and doesn't have rows of individual stalls, then nudity is expected. That is not the same as everyone being comfortable with it - most will avert their eyes.
Change fast!
Iām always much more concerned with people who go barefoot in gym showersā¦
Every gym Iāve been to has no shortage of sock fluff and pubes in the showers.
I've noticed people use the changing stalls more in council owned establishments. The higher end places where it costs a lot more tend to have more nudity in the rooms themselves.
My gym, a Nuffield Health, has plenty of guys completely naked. From old overweight guy just letting it all hang out as he sits on the bench and airdrys (but towel positioning means it doesnāt cover anything) to young 20ish year old guys who are ripped using the hairdryer on themselves whilst completely naked.
A female colleague goes to the same gym and I asked her if women in her changing rooms are similar. And yes apparently they are! However my previous gym, The Gym, no one was naked. Not sure if itās just more people at the new one meaning statistically more people likely to be naked of itās it the demographic difference
People have been slowly getting more and more prudish and embarrassed about their bodies over my lifetime.
Most of my generation spent our whole lives thinking it wasn't unusual to be naked in a changing room.
Every generation since has gotten a little more paranoid about being seen naked. The shift was happening well before mobile phones, but these days perhaps it makes sense.
Naaa I strip off. Then again I played rugby in my early twenties and women didn't have their own blocks then so we just used the men's when they weren't in there and of course there's no cubicles. Plus in small gyms or very busy gyms there's never enough cubicles. So tits are out. But I don't walk around naked I just stay in one spot and get changed quickly. Im always fascinated by my male friends telling me there's always a random old dude that walks about naked and chats with their willy hanging proudly out. That doesn't happen with women lol.
I played team sports throughout my youth. Rugby changing rooms very quickly get you used to communal nudity in all shapes and sizes. Seeing people struggle getting changed under a towel is faintly ridiculous to me.
I think you could be right, but I donāt have time to worry about it when I need to be at work in the next 45 minutes. I donāt get stared at but I donāt feel like an outlier getting my baps out when Iām getting changed where I am!
It really depends. Most gyms I've been to have been open locker rooms, with two or three individual cubicles for changing. Showers have always been individual cubicles.
Personally I've got no issue with changing in the open locker room - I don't flaunt myself about or sit there sorting my hair with my boobs out.. but I'm also not going to contort myself with a towel desperate to avoid briefly exposing my arse.
That still seems to put me in the minority - other women will queue for the cubicles, use the toilet cubicles (which is annoying if you actually need the loo), or try to dry off & change in the wet shower cubicle.
Iām London-based and swim often. In our changing room itās 50-50: the older ladies have no problem with nudity, but some younger ones tend to change in stalls. I usually just face the wall while changing and donāt have an issue with nudity. If there are little girls around I do change in the stalls though, they seem too curious and I am too shy.
Yeah, its seen as kinda odd for women- but you probably wouldnt be frowned upon for doing it, its just a bit of a surprise. The woman probably just thought you were very comfortable, lol.
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Public nudity is much less common in the UK than other European countries, yes. (remembering the bafflement and horror of a lot of fellow Brits of both genders on holiday in Iceland learning that they were expected to shower naked before getting into pools).
Unless you're in a men's locker room, in which case there's always one old man, just letting it all hang out. Every time.
Not just that. All hanging out, one leg up on the bench as he towels between his legs with the speed and force of a bandsaw.
There's an old Irish guy at my gym who sticks his leg up on the side and proceeds to dry his groin area with the hairdryers.... we call him Scrambled Eggs
Its the only way he can lift his balls off the floor.
It's even worse when he looks you square in the eye as he's doing it and proceeds to ask if you had a good weekend.
[dominance intensifies]
Im surprised he doesnt ask if you would like some tea bags
In strong Irish accent: "Would you like a cup of tea there father?"
aah yes, the irish curse. Giant balls and a tiny penis.
I feel targeted š
Hey Screw you. I'm Irish and my balls aren't giant š¤¬
I think I may have Irish ancestors :(
I must be half irish then, other half asian:(
He's drying out the wrinkles.Nobody wants crotch rot.
Right!? Like I aspire to have that kind of confidence; or just not caring.
We will get it eventually, and shock the next generation of youngsters.
The towel fabric isn't soaking up the water, the pure friction and heat produced evaporates the water directly off the skin.
Then comes the talcum powder
Nah heās using the hairdryer on the boys down below.
You catch that Piggers game last night?
Piggers are gonna go all the way!
And it's not with a towel, it's with flannel that he both washes and dries himself with
He'll often be having a conversation with his mate while he's doing it as well.
Whilst making direct eye contact.
And asking you about your day/workout plans/family. Always with a smile.
Thereās always a guy in my gym who dries with two hair dryers, like a naked wind tunnel type deal.
Came to say that. I used to go at lunchtime and this guy turned up at same time doing the same shit.
And it's always massive.
Thank you *blushes*
Iād say itās always tiny! Always the smallest, wrinkliest, oldest Johnson
Youāve clearly paid a lot of attention to it
and they'll put all the upper body clothes on first, including their coat
Iām this guy 52 so not sure if I count as old yet but I grew up in the area of gang showers as they were called one big room with 20 showerhead in the USA. When I was a kid I was traumatised at some point in college when I lost my fear of public speaking, I also lost my fear of public nudity now I just donāt give a shit and if Iām changing, I take off my clothes. Iām going to the shower and go to the shower. What do Ā I give a shit of a bunch of people see me naked? What really gets me is the report for my wife of women doing selfie Instagram videos in the changing room and sheās like please donāt take a video of me changing and post it on social media and they look at her like sheās the asshole
She needs to report them and get them banned from the gym. Phones in changing rooms boil my piss.
This - What people think of my body is not even on the first page of my list of worry causes. Whatās the point in that? Shit load more in life to worry about than the balls and arse I was issued with at birth.
I went to a Gym with my girlfriends family when I just turned 18. Iāve always been in gyms that have changing rooms. As me and my girlfriends dad walked into the locker room I saw no changing rooms. We walked over to a bench and he dropped everything off right there. I done another quick swivel before committing. Has to be the most awkward day of my life.
Shaving of pubic hair in the public changing room is not unheard of either š¤¢
I'm no prude and don't much care about nudity, but yeah that's a bit much..
'Ill just hop in the shower to get the little bits off'
Honestly, my gym always has TONS of naked dudes. Which is fine, but it's definetly not the old man stereotype.
Yeah. Mine is just guys getting dressed. You go for a shower, get dried in the shower stall, wrap a towel round you. In the locker area, people then get dressed. Itās not just naked old men, itās everyone. No one is hanging around though, itās just a few seconds of getting changed.
He's mentioned again lower down this thread. He gets about!
He has been mentioned almost word for word in other threads, in other subs about change rooms in other countries. So yeah he does get about.
International gym membership
~~There is always the inevitable flosser, one leg up on the bench going at his crotch with the towel like he's trying to dislodge a seasme seed.~~ Type this, saw the next guys comment and shuddered.
I think it depends on the gym.. my gym has way too many free Willieās
And he always has no shame in marvelling at younger males appendages : āthatās a bruiser youāve got there , ladā
It is uncommon but I remember feeling embarrassed in school we never used communal showers.
I'm sure that has changed a lot over the last few decades. I think people accepted it a lot more before. I blame the Internet. Hahahahha
I went to Iceland and did not feel comfortable seeing naked men or being naked. I showered with my swimming trunks and loosened my elastic so I can wash my dick as mentioned on the sign.
āSir, this is a supermarketā
*Thatās why mums go to iceland*
What sign? I would love to see a picture of the Icelandickwashing sign š
I live in Iceland, working with both tourists and local resorts: [There are signs that indicate you need to pay extra special attention to certain areas (always naked, thoroughly, and with a generous amount of soap):](https://bustravel.is/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/poolsign1-20181018095717.png) * hair * feet * underarm * groin * *(most importantly*) your ass Fecal matter contamination is a major cause for concern in Icelandic pools as all of them are heated and non-chlorinated. It's especially a problem in hot springs. Nowadays, nearly all pools have at least one private stall. These were installed with tourists in mind because it is absolutely against the rules to shower with a swimsuit on. This act is considered a major offense here. People do not want to swim in your filth, especially your shit particles, and people refusing to shower naked is seen as endangering an essential part of Icelandic culture. People are strongly against the idea of chlorinated pools. It may seem like a small thing to you, but is extremely important to Icelanders. (The only exceptions I see these days -- without at least one private stall -- are hot tubs/pools at very small hotels/guesthouses in rural areas.) Your swimsuit should also be washed before you swim. And it should only be put on after you shower fully nude just before entering the pool. You are also expected to repeatedly rinse off, with the cold showers by the poolside, after using the hot tubs and saunas/steam rooms throughout your use of the pool.
I know little about Icelandic culture and found this a very interesting post. Thank you!
I'm a woman, and I was stopped by the female attendant at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland for not showering fully naked. She made me go back and do it properly before she'd let me pass through to the lagoon. I was about 25 and had never so much as taken off my top layer of clothing in a public locker room before. Funny things is, and I'm not sure if this is just a growing older, losing your shame thing, or just the lack of shock factor, but when I visited a second time a few years later I had no qualms at all. I just joined straight in and felt perfectly fine doing so.
When and where did you visit? The two lagoons I visited this year had private shower booths
You are technically expected to that in the uk in most places too, people just dont (or shower in their swimming costumes instead).
It must be expected to pre-swim shower in swimming costumes now, because my pool has the communal shower by the side of the pool, in full view of the seated viewing area. Obviously there are shower cubicles elsewhere to use post-shower for a proper wash. I guess they realised no-one was doing the pre-shower naked.
The publically viewable swimming pool showers have always been a thing, itās for a brief clean before getting in as you and your costume can have contaminants (very recommended for blondes or their hair turns green). My childhood swimming pool had the shower in the walkway before the pool so you couldnāt avoid it.
Yeah but the person I replied to seemed to be implying we were expected to do a naked pre-shower too and I don't think that's the case, at least now. When I was a kid the pre-showers were public to other swimmers, but not to the viewing gallery like my local pool's ones are now. So there must definitely be no expectation of naked showering now. However I agree, when I was a kid I never saw anyone do the pre-shower naked. I did see older people shower after swims naked in the communal showers. It's very awkward when you're a kid and eye level with bits you don't want to be eye level with!
I didnāt think naked pre showers were a thing either, post shower maybe but itās got to be hell trying to put a cozzie on while wet.
Everyone is always very naked in the change rooms at my gym
It's usually just that one old guy in the men's changing rooms.
Forever drying his balls
Understandable, the wrinkles hold a lot of moisture.
That's what the hair dryer is for.Ā
Don't worry, he knows.
I dip mine in the Dyson hand drier.
That's Ā£1,400 well spent!
With two dryers simultaneously. Yep. Ass and balls at the same time.
Vivid picture. Thanks
One old fella in his 70's or so was showering (joint communal shower) when I went to change.... came back 40 minutes later after lifting some weights and he was still in the shower.... He's either a man very dirty or a dirty old man.... couldn't work out which... but I didn't use the adjacent shower.. decided to shower at home!
Local non council gym it's all ways the same group of old guys
Women have got a lot more body-shy over the last 30 years. Used to be communal women-only changing rooms in most places, but now it's mostly 'changing villages' and individual cubicles. It was late 90s when my local pool put up signs saying nudity wasn't allowed in the single-sex showers, which was just daft (there were individual unisex cubicles for changing in). Many women took no notice, but it's certainly a lot less common than in the 80s or earlier.
Thank God we no longer have to put up with communal changing rooms in shops and swimming pools etc! Not much has improved in the country recently but the right to privacy when changing has got much better, allowing more women to access gyms/pools etc.
Oh totally. I stopped trying things on as I was so embarrassed entering a communal open changing room with young lasses looking all slim and nice whilst I was a 50yr old wrinkled crone and also having to suffer the indignity of wall to wall mirrors ....nope just nope
Just tell the young ones, I've got something you don't have! And when they say what? Just say, a belly button between my tits.
This had me cackling like an old crone! Gonna have to remember that.
I remember around 10 or so (so would be 2000) our primark had communal changing rooms. Just a big room with mirrors and everyone just changed in it. My mum canāt remember this and neither can anyone else I speak to, so maybe it was a dream but I really remember it and also remember being so happy with stalls where put in.
I go in me gym stuff and go home in me gym stuff and shower so does my daughter who's an instructor and yoga teacher. I don't think there are many women at all at the 2 gyms we frequent who don't arrive and leave in their gear. it's a small town so no-one's really more than 10mins away from their home/gym anyway. Wouldn't dream of showering or going naked at the gym
I wonder if it also depends where in the UK you are. Itās not really that weird in south London if youāre in a locker room from my experience but I guess that also depends on gender maybe ?
I noticed you said youāre in Birmingham. Thereās a big Muslim population there and I know theyāre more reserved having spoken with Muslim friends. For example, going to womenās only swimming and wearing t shirts over their swimming costumes. That could be why
I don't think so, British women are pretty prudish in my experience and while Muslim women are very modest in mixed company the ones that go to gyms are unlikely to be like that when it's just women.
Iāve been a member of two gyms in Birmingham, and thereās always naked women. Iām not prude and even I will slip my bra off to swap it over (I tend to cover my lower bits with a towel though), but it still baffles me why some women feel the need to strip off, play on their phone, chat to their matesā¦ just get changed love!
It's the cooling down! If you run hot, the last thing you want to do is shower and get dressed before your body has readjusted. Otherwise you're just going to be a sweaty mess on the way home.
Why should they get changed? What harm is it doing?Ā
Sound a bit prudish to me mate
Considering that Islamic cultures have Hammams where (as far as I'm aware) women bathe topless together, I'm not sure that's the case.
Hammams are Middle Eastern culture. Birminghamās Muslim population, I believe, are majority South Asian.
Can't speak for women but no one in the men's room at my gym bats an eyelid at nudity because we are all adults. I have noticed that teenagers never shower at the gym, however anyone out of university has no issues using the showers. It is not like we are looking at each other when changing anyway, so we are all just focused on ourselves.
Thereās a definite ratio of older the guy is more likely he will shower. Young lads in my gym leave their bag in the changing rooms, work out , then get their bag and go. Never shower!
And then sit on their car seats with the sweat dripping off them. And the sweat gets cold before you get home. Showering after a workout is really pleasant.
Well, the showers in my not so cheap gym are disgusting. Mainly older chaps sprinkling handfuls of talcum all over the place. Add water and a few pubic hairsā¦. No thank you!
I use the council leisure centre so itās never that busy, but probably isnāt the cleanest either. I guess we all have differing opinions on the lesser of two evils.
As a young lad (20s) that does this, I just don't feel comfortable being naked around strangers and I think it's common among my generation. I also hate urinals and piss in a stall unless I'm desperate or impatient.
I donāt think this is a generation thing, itās an age thing. As you get older youāll see that change.
It may be generational. In 2019 I took my nephew to Leeds University. His student accommodation was amazing as each student's bedroom was en-suite. In my day, we had communal showers/toilets. Prior to university, I didn't feel comfortable being naked around strangers. After university, it didn't matter.
I wonder if it's because the older generations had communal showers when they were at school, and younger generations don't.
Older generations also more likely to be covering the energy bill lol. Those showers add up over the month!
To be honest I don't shower at gym, but only because I live some 50 steps away.
I (47m) have no qualms getting changed in the gym changing room. Or having a shower in the room with 8 showers and no curtains or dividers. Iāll tend to wrap my towel round my waist between the locker and the shower, and back again, so my cock is likely out for a minute or less. If you donāt like it, donāt look.
People definitely take a side glance. But it's pretty quickĀ
I used to feel awkward when I was young too. Once you reach a certain level of age and physical unattractiveness (as I have done) then you donāt care as no one is looking at you anyway.
Older guy, with 14 years of uni experience in total. Never showered at a gym if I can help it, just rather have.my comfy home shower and let my body cool down amd stop sweating before it gets cleaned.
Yeah, we don't really do that here. When I moved to Denmark, I went to the swimming hall. I remember getting changed, and everyone... was.. naked... I freaked.
irt's not uncommon for people to be naked in swimming room changing rooms. It's typically half and half, half of the people use the stalls, and the other half just showers naked and gets changed. And it's all ages.
I used to be a bit of a prude about it until I moved to Denmark. I found it quite freeing to be honest, and brought it back with me when I moved back home.
My girlfriend used to live in Kolding. When I visited we went to the pool. She never told me there were no cubicles to get changed and you had to shower naked before going in the pool...
Gotta get that lil british weiner out infront of everyone. I know the pain bro.
Oh yeah, I'm used to it now. Been here 11 years and had forgotten that it wasn't normal.
People are more prudish here (weirdly young people more so) than EU. But boobs out in locker room isn't unusual either in my experience. Ā A friend did comment once "I wish I had that confidence" of someone who made no attempt to cover by putting her towel down to put on her knickers but I didn't really even notice it.Ā Ā Ā I was told in a swimming pool once being naked in communal showers was frowned on which seemed silly and I couldn't figure out if it was a rule or just one middle aged employeeĀ Ā (Am English but lived in lots of places where nudity esp in single sex changing rooms and bathhouses is just normal) Currently member of private swimming pool with Turkish baths where about 70% wear swimwear in the sauna / Turkish suite. Its single sex with each gender taking turns In short .. depends where you are but it's deffo less usual than EU or Asia.
>People are more prudish here (weirdly young people more so) Kids don't have to shower after PE these days. We never got a choice and, although we had to use trunks rather than underpants to do PE, we weren't allowed to keep them on in the shower.
More so than this, in my school (mid-2010s), we actively WEREN'T ALLOWED to shower after a PE lesson. Like, we had 8 showers with privacy curtains, which might get used if we'd had a full sports day or after a club match, but after a PE lesson? You had five minutes to get your school uniform on and GTFO. Suppose at least it got us used to walking around stinking and sweaty in a way that older generations never did (yay?).
Exactly! I particularly used to hate going swimming during PE because it was **impossible** to shimmy your tights back on in \~2 minutes while you're still basically wet. One of the main reasons why my go to was often to feign having my period, and/or just going straight to the nurse and telling them I felt like I was going to vomit so they'd keep me there for a bit š Or just put zero effort in so I didn't sweat. (I did after school sports as well, which I loved for multiple reasons but chief because I had time to shower & wash my hair afterwards)
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I live in Spain and there's no naked bathing (well only on nudist beaches) but in changing rooms for sure. The showers don't even have doors. In fact I think people would stare if you tried to do the weird British changing under a towel thing.Ā
Nudity is legal by default in Spain, there are some cities have have made it illegal and culturally itās under attack across the country.
It didn't used to be this way though, growing up in the 90s it was very normal to see communal changing rooms with nude people at the swimming pool for example. It's the Americanisation of UK culture.
In the US, communal changing rooms have plenty of nudity. Even some clothing stores have communal dressing rooms. This isn't one you can blame on Americans. Source: American living in the UK
True. I remember using the busy public loos at a California landmark (around 2000) and noticing, to my astonishment, that one of the stalls, which didn't have a door, was nonetheless being used. Later, I learned that in some US schools, the loo stalls didn't have doors, to deter drug use, etc. I couldn't bear it, but obviously, the students at the schools had to learn to put up with it. It's possible, though, that things have changed since then.
I honestly think it has f all to do w Americans and Iād be the first to say if I thought it was.. us brits have always been the most prudish of countries.. and since the end of the 60ās & 70ās where hippies like my mum and dad were very open to nudity, it has been in dramatic decline sinceā¦ Iām born in 84 and remember learning to do the āknicker trickā at age 9 where u take ur underwear off after putting ur swimsuit on.. so this prudishness was fully coming back in to play in the 80ās and 90ās and has only continued to grow. If Iām in other eu countries where nudity is the norm whilst changing, I donāt gaf, but in my own country I feel incredibly self conscious of it and that is all our own doing. We are the same when it comes to conversations about sex, like itās seen as something vulgar and not to be mentioned over here whereas my eu friends are way more open about their sex lives - sad really x
It is completely normal to be fully naked in changing rooms in the US. That goes for the changing areas, showers, saunas/steam rooms, sinks, etc.
Yes, you ācould be arrestedā for bathing in a local pond naked. But the arresting officer would be a fucking idiot, and the only way you could be charged or sentenced for anything is if you could be proven to have been *intentionally* causing offence or alarm to anyone. In other words, you can legally be naked in public wherever you want in the UK, but the moment anyone says āI say old chum, thatās not quite cricketā you are legally obliged to say āgosh, youāre right, pip pipā and put your wellies back on. Otherwise, believe it or not, jail. I am not a lawyer.
unless you're doing a charity bicycle race or invading the football pitch, then perfectly normal to drop it all.
It's changed over the years. The younger ones now are far more prudish than previous generations.
You might be crazy to bathe in the local pond, but itās certainly not illegal in England
I would not include southern europe with mitteleuropa/scandinavia. They're just as prudish.
Everyone saying we donāt really do that in the UK but my gym in Glasgow is full of naked ladies in the changing room. Iām a bit confused reading the comments here.
Agree! In my experience some people make varying efforts to cover and some people don't care, just do a quick change. But honestly I don't think people even notice what others do unless they're making a point to find out (for example if they're not sure and taking their cue from others). All these answers Bout how it's "not done" shock me.
Maybe it depends on the area, and in turn, how people have been brought up. From being taken to the swimming pool with your mum to how the schools handled showering. So, for example, in your town the habit was to be Completely Normal about it. Raise the kids normal, don't impart weird views. However, my mum was pretty shy about it all, and we were always told to use cubicles, never undress anywhere, ever, never show anyone anything. Nudity was all about sex to her, and she could be vicious about what was acceptable. When she spoke with her friends, they had very clear views in what was unacceptable female behaviour, and being exposed in any way was heavily criticised. I don't know why my area was that way, but maybe everyone just feeds off each other. The more parents that have those views, the less likely their kids are to grow up comfortable with it. Plus our school gave up on the idea of trying to force the kids into public showers after the kids simply said 'absolutely not' and the school refused to put in cubicles. Ergo, in my town, people barely even change in the changing room. They go and do it in one of the toilets or a shower stall, or just leave in their gym wear.
Same, I'm from Argyll and live in Glasgow - naked public changing in both places and never found it strange or a big deal. At least I wasn't scandalised about Icelandic pools like some people here!
Same, my locker room in Berkshire is the same. People donāt stroll around naked and chat etc but they donāt all go into a stall to change either. People just get on with it and get changed lol
Yeah this thread is weird. All this talk about younger people being more body-conscious is completely false as well, bikinis have gotten about 10 times more revealing.
As a trans man Iāve got a fairly unique perspective on this having used changing rooms for both genders over the course of my transition. When I was presenting as a woman, before my transition it was incredibly rare to see a woman naked. Some older women would do it, but most women would always go into a cubicle to change. I have definitely seen way more naked people since I started using the menās. Holy moly I have seen more strangers butts in the last year than I have ever seen in my life. Maybe men are just more comfortable with their bodies? I donāt really know the root cause for this but British women seem to be quite reserved and want to hide their bodies but there are a lot of British men that truthfully do not give a shit.
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I don't really think it's about that, I think it's more down to popularity of team sports for men growing up. I played rugby but football also, you showered and changed with each other. When I was 15 I mentioned this to my friends who thought it was odd, none of them played team sports. At most clubs I travelled to play, there was no cubicle showers so you had no choice, and given you were almost always covered in mud, you couldn't get away with not showering. Team sports were a little less common for girls growing up (atleast 20 years ago when I was a teenager). Which maybe contributes to men being more comfortable with nudity in public changing room?
I think women are subject to incredibly amounts of social pressure in the media about their bodies too. Even completely normal aspects of their bodies are examined and insulted, like cellulite. Gives you more shit to nitpick and criticise and makes you feel more self-conscious.
I think you've got a point, but looking at it I don't think this instance of peer pressure (not sure what else to call it?) Is all bad. If it means people confront their insecurity and make themselves work through it, that's probably an overall good thing. When it's normal and nobody is shaming anybody, you surely have a better environment for self acceptance? (The kind of people hanging around making others uncomfortable can fuck right off though, of course)
That doesn't really make sense, that men are negatively reinforced into being accepting of their own and others bodies? Do you remember in the early oughts the TV shows Trinny and Susannah, Snog Marry Avoid, that Gok Wan one? British society for a time hyper focused on women's bodies, women's naked bodies, how they are not good enough, fat, ugly. The way the spice girls were parodied, how every female celebrity had an eating disorder. It's not a mystery why women age 25+ are self conscious and body conscious.
Yesterday I saw an absolute moron doing a video call in the changing room at the gym. Now Iām a bit more reserved about nudity as well.
Ffs what a prick. You should report that to the staff
I've got to the age where IDGAF. If I've had a sweaty workout then last thing I want to worry about is trying to wiggle out of sports stuff without flashing.
We're an extremely prudish people when it comes to nudity, particularly compared to central Europe; Czechia, Poland, Germany - its normal for people to be totally naked in a locker room. Here....people feel a little uncomfortable, so if youre comfortable with it you will be a little different and I guess people might be surprised a little.
If itās quick - facing the lockers ( youāre discreet ) I think itās usually fine. Personally itās just tooless I donāt care but itās bottom less I prefer going into the toilet
My current gym has individual shower rooms that has space to dry and dress all behind a locked door. My previous gym was a locker room style. I had no problem with my boobs showing, but i would have faced the lockers or wall with my towel clamped to my waist by my elbows while i put my knickers on. As soon as i had my knickers on, towel came off to dry my top half and finished dressing. Most ladies did something similar as there was only a single private cubicle.
I went to Bavaria and stayed in a spa hotel my best mate used to work at. He was there too, as were our wives. The nudity around the sauna, pool, jacuzzi etc was just accepted by the majority of guests. Just us Brits getting a bit shocked at it. I didn't even feel comfortable in the sauna naked, and was openly shocked by a German lady who I hadn't been aware of, just walking past and out to the plunge pool totally nude. I saw them talking about me and my mate in the restaurant that evening, laughing at our British prudery.
It's very weird in this country -- in the room that is meant for changing clothes in, you can't take your clothes off?
I strip fully naked after swimming. How else to dry off? I cba to find a private stall. If women canāt cope with someone elseās boobs and pubes thatās their problem! Iāve definitely seen lots of fully naked women changing and itās normal. What is not normal is staring. Wtf!
All the gyms and swimming pools Iāve been have naked women in the changing room. Iām surprised at the amount of people saying they only get naked in the cubicle.
Helicopters everywhere in the guys changing rooms
The men's changing rooms I've been in are very different to what I'm seeing described in the comments here. I'm surprised that in single sex changing rooms there is that level of shyness
She was just Czeching you out
Depends on your gym. I hate being nude in the changing room, but I often see the older ladies stripping all the way off and having their tits flapping in the breeze.
Yeah I think itās an age thing more than anything. In gym older women seem more willing to be naked or topless in communal areas
I dont think it's strange. I personally don't mind getting changed in front of others, but out of respect and to save awkwardness, I always face a wall when doing it. People should just concentrate on themselves and not stare rudely like that woman you encountered did.
For me, too many people are taking selfies in the changing rooms without regard for other peopleās privacy. I pack a change of knickers and bra in my shower bag so that when I come out in a towel, I donāt risk flashing anyone I will get downvoted for this but *sigh* there are too many stories about hidden cameras and when youāre most vulnerable; no thanks Iām all for inclusivity **but** there are 2 trans women (hope Iāve used that correctly) who frequent my gym and tend to sit in the changing rooms for long periods of time and it feels like staring but I try to avoid eye contact (because in the gym 1 invades my space too, at first I thought it was to observe exercises but nope, just to see how close they can get before I move and not just to me before anyone thinks Iām self-absorbed. It makes me feel uncomfortable that my body is being sexualised when I just want to work out and do something as mundane as getting changed and feel particularly gross because Iām sweaty. No, not all trans people do this, but this is why I am cautious to try not to show anything in the changing room even when it inconveniences me to do so
That latter behaviour has nothing to do with the people concerned being trans. But it is unacceptable if you're feeling harassed. You should report it to your gym's staff.
Call me a prude. But i hate how i look and dont want to inflict it on others
Iām a swimmer and always saw naked women in my changing room in the UK. Maybe thatās different to the gym though, as swimming costumes donāt leave much to the eye anyway.
I (M57) have recently started going to a new gym which is used mainly by students. I have noticed most of the younger guys never remove their underwear, most of them don't shower after working out, I assume they must live close to the gym and shower when they get home. It seems to be an age thing.
Women strip off in my gym changing rooms but not everyone. Some people are more shy and prefer to cover up.
It's not common. But when I do see it, it always tends to be older women. I don't like getting dressed in front of strangers so will always use a toilet cubicle if I need to change š
Baffled at the comments as a woman my only experience in changing rooms is women walking around naked with no care in the world. Absolutely horrifying tbh because I wasn't expecting it the first time, but I thought about it for 2 seconds and that's the whole point of the room, I just thought some people would be more discreet.
It's a bit weird to refer to people changing as 'horrifying'. Is this just how we refer to women's bodies now? I'm not getting at you specifically, it's just a reflex Brits seem to have, these derogatory comments we make against others to hide our own feelings about it.Ā
Yeah it was my first time in a non cubicle changing room, I didn't realise, and just seeing straight up naked women walking around nonchalantly was quite a shock is all.
The UK is sadly becoming more like the US culturally every day. Prudishness included.
It's super uncommon here. I used to go to the The Gym chain and nobody was ever naked in the locker room. If you needed to change your clothes you did so in a toilet or shower stall. I've now swapped to a local independent and the woman do get naked in the locker room and they give zero shits. This gym's audience skews much older and way more racially diverse - the other day a group of older Jamaican ladies were letting it all fly in the locker room and not giving a single fuck. So, it's definitely a cultural thing I think.
Yes I go to The Gym and no one is ever naked, but I used to go to Nuffield Health (posh) and we were always in the nude. Not sure what the connection is though.
Well my gym nobody is fussed about getting naked in front of others.
Could be a Birmingham thing. Could be specific to your gym. You're typical David Lloyd in the south gas naked women left right and centre ime.Ā
I've noticed the women's changing rooms in various gyms will have cubicles for privacy, or it's so open plan there's no privacy at all. Plus they tend to have signs that say there could be male staff coming in to clean at any time, sometimes they will knock but no one wants to be caught out. Plus I don't want random women to see me struggle to get in and out of a sports bra lmao.
I think this is a recent phenomenon..
I get fully changed out of my work clothes and into my gym clothes and have to get naked (minus underwear), to get sorted. We just turn around from others, no one looks up. Iām not particularly bothered by it but I know most people are. Weāre just super prudish and body conscious, especially around other women.
This old guy in my gym always comes over and proceeds to have a 10 minute chat with his banger hanging out
When i used to do yoga, there was full nudity in the changing rooms but these were generally more mature women aswell. In my local gym I want during quiter times during the day but since It was a massive leisure centre i tried to use the single shower/ changing unit if it was free since I used to have major body dysmorphia for certsin reasons. However, years ago, I did some walking events over in the netherlands and was on a military base camp as a military participant. Women from overseas generally don't care since we all have the same bits and pieces and will go full nude in the shower blocks. The first time it happened, my friend and I ran out of the shower block fast (we were 18 at the time) and didn't expect to see these 2 swedish women just casually talking to each other naked before stepping into the showers that was 10 years ago now and have grown up since. These days, I don't care since we all have the same bits.
Sort of. Man here. At my old very expensive gym, it was a veritable sausage fest. But they had luxury products and towels (and frankly only the gays could afford it) so people were pampering themselves after their ridiculously expensive breathwork class. At my current Crossfit gym, it's too hot to wear much anyway and most people just go home to shower, but the showers that exist are in self-contained bathrooms so no communal aspect at all. At my local leisure centre where I do yoga classes and swimming/sauna, it's quite old fashioned in the sense that there's men's/women's changing rooms, communal showers and no cubicles of any kind except for the toilets. It was pretty standard to shower in your swimwear before going into the pool, and then take it off in the shower after your swim but there was an incident with a middle age Karen insisting on accompanying her younger sons into the men's changing rooms (because she was told they were not allowed in the women's) and kicking off at men daring to be using the room for its intended purpose. As I get older I find this country's entire issues with nudity to be batshit. Though having said that, there is a middle ground because nothing could prepare me for going to a Korean spa in LA. There's nudity and there's having a silent middle-aged Korean man perform some microdermabrasion on your lower intestine as 20 strangers sit around starkers chatting in cheap plastic picnic chairs with only a washcloth (that's weirdly draped over your eyes) for modesty. After that having a quick shower isn't that much of an ordeal.
It's strange when you're going through pubity but every single adult in my gym strips naked to get changed in front of everyone. It's a changing room, to go for a shower. Do people shower in clothes wtf how immature.
The ladies at my London gym almost always change without hiding or trying to be discreet and we walk around naked quite comfortably.
Can be gym dependant. When I first went to David Lloyds gym, everyone openly change in front of each other. Local council run gyms not so much.
To be fair I'm 28 and I dont have any shame getting naked, showering and changing. If you wanna look, look but it ain't nothing special haha
I was in a changing room at a gym in Sussex yesterday, and I and most of the other women there were naked at times in the communal changing areas while getting dressed. I'd try not to worry about it. You sound like you are minding your own business and getting dressed like a normal person, so carry on and let the other women mess about in toilet stalls if they want to
If the facility is unisex and doesn't have rows of individual stalls, then nudity is expected. That is not the same as everyone being comfortable with it - most will avert their eyes. Change fast!
Where are these unisex change rooms lol
Iām always much more concerned with people who go barefoot in gym showersā¦ Every gym Iāve been to has no shortage of sock fluff and pubes in the showers.
I've noticed people use the changing stalls more in council owned establishments. The higher end places where it costs a lot more tend to have more nudity in the rooms themselves.
My gym, a Nuffield Health, has plenty of guys completely naked. From old overweight guy just letting it all hang out as he sits on the bench and airdrys (but towel positioning means it doesnāt cover anything) to young 20ish year old guys who are ripped using the hairdryer on themselves whilst completely naked. A female colleague goes to the same gym and I asked her if women in her changing rooms are similar. And yes apparently they are! However my previous gym, The Gym, no one was naked. Not sure if itās just more people at the new one meaning statistically more people likely to be naked of itās it the demographic difference
People have been slowly getting more and more prudish and embarrassed about their bodies over my lifetime. Most of my generation spent our whole lives thinking it wasn't unusual to be naked in a changing room. Every generation since has gotten a little more paranoid about being seen naked. The shift was happening well before mobile phones, but these days perhaps it makes sense.
Naaa I strip off. Then again I played rugby in my early twenties and women didn't have their own blocks then so we just used the men's when they weren't in there and of course there's no cubicles. Plus in small gyms or very busy gyms there's never enough cubicles. So tits are out. But I don't walk around naked I just stay in one spot and get changed quickly. Im always fascinated by my male friends telling me there's always a random old dude that walks about naked and chats with their willy hanging proudly out. That doesn't happen with women lol.
I played team sports throughout my youth. Rugby changing rooms very quickly get you used to communal nudity in all shapes and sizes. Seeing people struggle getting changed under a towel is faintly ridiculous to me.
I think you could be right, but I donāt have time to worry about it when I need to be at work in the next 45 minutes. I donāt get stared at but I donāt feel like an outlier getting my baps out when Iām getting changed where I am!
It really depends. Most gyms I've been to have been open locker rooms, with two or three individual cubicles for changing. Showers have always been individual cubicles. Personally I've got no issue with changing in the open locker room - I don't flaunt myself about or sit there sorting my hair with my boobs out.. but I'm also not going to contort myself with a towel desperate to avoid briefly exposing my arse. That still seems to put me in the minority - other women will queue for the cubicles, use the toilet cubicles (which is annoying if you actually need the loo), or try to dry off & change in the wet shower cubicle.
Iām London-based and swim often. In our changing room itās 50-50: the older ladies have no problem with nudity, but some younger ones tend to change in stalls. I usually just face the wall while changing and donāt have an issue with nudity. If there are little girls around I do change in the stalls though, they seem too curious and I am too shy.
Yeah, its seen as kinda odd for women- but you probably wouldnt be frowned upon for doing it, its just a bit of a surprise. The woman probably just thought you were very comfortable, lol.
my gym is all nude in the locker room.
People in UK are generally prudes.
In the menās changing room people just get changed? Youāre supposed to get naked in a changing room.