How to Communal Shower for the First Time

Perhaps you are visiting a pool or spa that strictly enforces a naked shower policy (as is often the case in Europe). Maybe you are joining a team sport where showers are expected or required. Perhaps you have just been working out at a gym with communal shower facilities and you’d like to start using them rather than going through the hassle of returning home first. Whatever the situation or reason there are a few things you can do to help you get started with communal showering.

1. Plan ahead. At a basic level, a communal shower is a logistical exercise. If you don’t have a towel, soap, shampoo or potentially a change of clothes, then trepidation for a new experience will be the least of your problems. Indeed “I don’t have a towel” is such a sure fire way to make a shower impractical that many people who want to avoid taking them will use this as an excuse and "forget" their towel. If possible, learn the details of the facility you will be using. Do they provide soap or shampoo? Often, communal showers feature soap or body wash dispensers. What state is the floor in, and does it dictate using some kind of flip flops or shower shoes? If you are planning on showering after strenuous, sweat-inducing physical activity, do you have a change of clothes? Preparation makes all the difference in terms of if taking a communal shower is practical or not. Some places may provide everything you need, while others you may need to provide everything but the shower. Being prepared will help ensure nothing prevents you from having a successful experience.

2. Know you are not the first. Getting naked in public can seem like a huge step if you’ve never done it before. However, it helps to realize that you are not the first. While media depictions have contributed to the misconception that nudity is rare and reserved only for sexual situations, people have been getting naked in groups to bathe for as long as there have been people needing to clean up. People have been getting naked with other people in communal showers since they were first invented in the 1870’s, and it has been a routine - almost universal practice - in the U.S. since 1900. While they probably don’t walk around talking about it, most of your friends and family have probably taken a communal shower at some point, and a substantial subset probably have done so regularly. If you are nervous, that is ok. Many people were nervous the first time, but you can be confident that like hundreds of millions of other people throughout history and living right now, you’ll be totally fine.

3. Treat it as Normal and Ordinary….because it is. If knowing that historically many generations of people before you (and many of your peers today) used communal showers without issue, isn’t enough, then realize that whatever facility you are using is a communal shower, and the other people using it are going to be totally accustomed to it. It's natural to feel like getting naked openly for the first time is a big step. However, the other people using that facility already took that step. If you are joining a team, the other players on that team may have been taking showers together for 3 or 4 years. If you are at a gym or pool, there could be people who took there first communal shower decades before you were even born. Take a deep breath, focus, and realize it's not a big deal for them, and it doesn’t have to be for you either. You take showers in private all the time, and thankfully the actual process of washing is no different. Just perform your usual cleaning sequence and realize its not big deal if others are doing the same around you. You’ll be shocked how quickly your trepidations fade away.

4. Go with a friend. Depending on your circumstances, you may or may not be showering with people you know. Trying out a new pool or gym may mean showering with people you’ve never met, while joining an athletic team at your school might entail showering with friends. Some people find it easier to shower with perfect strangers while others prefer familiar personalities. In many cases, having a person you trust join you can help. If they are an experienced communal shower goer themselves, they might be able to give you further tips and help make that first time feel comfortable. If they are also new to the experience, the two of you could form a communal shower pact to both do it together. If you are anticipating having to shower with a larger group, say on a new team, consider meeting up with a friend at an earlier date at a pool or gym or some other facility with communal showers. Depending on how comfortable you are with them, you might just be totally honest and up front with your desires and concerns. “I’m a little nervous and would like to try just showering with you first before doing it with the entire team”. If they are close friend this approach could work very well. If you feel less open about sharing you could couch it in different terms “well I might as well get used to it” or some other nonchalant statement of intent. Breaking the ice with someone you trust can really help ease yourself into showering in less familiar scenarios. It should also help you to know that most people who shower in groups find it very social, especially if it is a team atmosphere. Friendly banter and a camaraderie of purpose really can do a lot to dissolve tension and any insecurities you might be experiencing.

5. Take a deep breath, and go for it. Even if you are young, you’ve been showering for years. Hundreds of millions of people before you have taken communal showers and not only survived but very often come to enjoy them. For many, it turns out to be a formative and profound bonding experience. It is true that if you’ve never done it before it may feel like a big step, however the trepidation is all in your mind.

Once everything is ready, imagine yourself in the locker room: your towel is ready, and your clean clothes secured and waiting for you. Your friend or friends are already stripping down and heading into the shower area. All that is left is for you to do what you have done thousands of times before. Sure, it’s in a new setting, but you know how to do it. Take a deep breath, relax, clear your mind, slip your thumbs under the waistband of your underwear and pull them off. Just like that you’ll already have finished the hardest part. Everything will be easy from there. Now, go hit the showers!