Steam room naked or not?

[shaws]

Hello, My name is Joel I am 41 yrs old and have been a nudist for 20 yrs. I recently Joined the ymca it has a steam room in the mens locker room. I enjoy sitting on my towel buck naked and sweating then shower and repeat. I see people come in with towels on and shorts. I think it is ok to be nude in the steam room then walk nude to the showers and back to the steam room. Does anyone else do nude in the steam room. Man wanting some feedback. Thank you.

[walter05]

If the steam room is in the men's locker room, then the dress code should be the same as the rest of the locker room. There are toilets and showers that require exposing parts of yourself that are usually covered. When changing or drying off, it is appropriate to be naked.

Nude is not only appropriate for a steam room, but better, when sweat forms in creases such as around your crotch, it will help avoid itching if the sweat can air out.

The question you are asking shows how confused the times are. When someone looks your way say, hello and introduce yourself. Strike up conversations about the Patriots, etc. Show that you are comfortable and don't bring up your nudity.

If others bring up the subject of your nudity. Say it is perfectly normal for a male to be nude in a men's locker room. Say you never thought of doing anything else.

[Jeffreeofclothes]

Dear shaws, I used to go to health clubs where they had steam rooms, saunas, and hot tubs right in the locker rooms and I've always enjoyed them way nature intended it. As long as it's in the locker room then i have to agree with walter05 that the dress code should be the same as the rest of the locker room. There's no better way to enjoy things than au naturel. So I say go for it dude!

[BobInCA]

I go in the steamroom nude at the gym every day. Sometimes there are a couple of others nude, sometimes a couple of others clothed. If you don't make a big deal about it, nobody else does either. Several times people that were in the steamroom have left, rinsed in the shower, and come back in nude. I have to admit it was a little uncomfortable the first couple of times that I was the only one nude when there were four or five others in there, but now it's no big deal.

[Nudeinbama]

I was working out of town in Jacksonville and the motel had a steam room and workout room, to go along with the pool,all indoors. I was on the way down to the steam room one evening after work and ran across the Motel Manager in the hall.I figured I should ask, though I had hoped to be able to be nude in the steam room, then throw on the suit for a dip in the pool and return to the steam room again, a time or two. Her answer was definitely not, We can't allow that here. It might offend someone. I replied that would be O.K., but it offends me not to be able to be nude in a place intended to be so.She in return replied that she'd love to be nude in there too, but just couldn't allow it. I took her warning but enjoyed the steam room, nearly as much, and enjoyed that I had met someone, who too would had rather had the social freedom to be nude in the steam room, if desired to do so.:D
Nudeinbama

[RichNH]

There's a sauna which was a former steam room in the gym I go to, I never wear clothes in there. Many others do the same.

I can see where it might be more restrictive in "public" venues like a hotel. But if its in the men's locker room, I don't ask, better to seek forgiveness than permission.

Rich

[bill2me]

I too use the steam room nude but not everyone does. I figure as long as I'm in the men's locker room then there should be no issue with me doing so.

[vanesa1017]

Hey Shaws,

I use the sauna nude at my gym and am sure that it is aok for you to do so at yours.

[nudeM]

I've always been nude in the sauna. Makes sense since you are going to sweat anyway. Most others in there were nude, but there were some who wore shorts. It was their decision, but they never expressed any opposition to the 'nudes'.:smoking:

[benakkied]

I think it's safe if it is in the men's locker room . Alway's good to ask.

[Buff Man in MI]

In my travels I have run into a couple twists to this question.

1. A small motel that I stayed at had a pool and spa that were co-ed, textiles required. They also had a co-ed sauna which was just inside the men's shower room. Neither sexes shower room had a door, so if someone wanted to take a peek, all they would need to was to poke their head in. However, for women to use the co-ed sauna, they needed to walk into the men's shower room which would give them full view of the showers and changing areas. Covering towels were required in the sauna.

2. A non-sexual massage/sauna/steam room place that I used to go to had an area that was designated as clothing optional, it was their disrobing area, steam room and shower area. They have one women only day per week, otherwise it's co-ed. I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of ladies that have total acceptance of this, both with their own nudity and mine and that of other men. It really gives a nudist hope for the textiles out there! It was in a kind of hippie college town, so maybe it's one of a kind, at least in the USA.

3. I have also experienced a couple of unexpected episodes of body/nudity acceptance while having a massage at other places as well. One lady was massaging my back, buttocks and legs when she got a phone call from her husband. I let her know it was okay to take the call. She left me nude while talking to her husband about dinner plans. Another time with the same lady, I got a very painful leg cramp. I jumped off the table to flex my foot which is the only way I knew to stop the pain. She came over and massaged my leg, then had me lift my leg onto the table. I was frontally exposed the entire time, which in that state is against the law during a massage. Afte a few minutes my leg cramp subsided and we resumed the massage. She dutifully covered my front side after I got situated on the table.

[Josh-here]

It certainly should be the most normal thing in the world if it's in the middle of a men's locker room, for goodness sake!! What kind of times are we living in? But there are people who just don't like it. I was in a sauna in a men's locker room in a hotel in Toronto with a friend, and he being German and me nudist, nude was the only way to go! About three late teens guys came in in swimsuits and the silence was something else and they stood with their backs to us and then let out a snort and ran out!! I suppose it didn't help any that there were different levels and we were seated higher up which would have sort of put us at "eye level" if ya know what I mean..... LOL!!!

[chgonude77]

I am part of a YMCA here in Chicago. There is a men's 'activity center' with showers, a steam room, sauna, and hot tub. Everyone is nude all of the time and it is actually strange if someone keeps their shorts on. I love the freedom of walking around nude and socializing with other men int he buff. It is a great way to end a workout.

[Yasehtor]

I live in Atlantic Canada and used to belong to the YMCA. They had a sauna and just about everyone used naturally. Unfortunately it was torn down and the new one does not have a sauna. I have joined another gym with a sauna and it looks like a grade 8 gym class. Most of the men using the sauna go into it with their underwear on. What a joke! Me, I continue to sit nude on top of my towel. If they don't like it too bad. Just hard to believe grown men acting like little boys. Truth be know I even think my grade 8 gym class was less self conscious about a few body parts uncovered.

[JeepNude]

My health club has sauna, steam room, hot tube, and showers inside the men's locker room area. Since it is men only in the area, I always use all while nude. Seems normal to me.

Most of the others using the steam and hot tub are not nude. Once in a while, especially teens, will snicker or make comments. I ask them why are they looking at me, and would it be O.K. if I ran them through the sex offender database. They always hurry away. Spooks them enough to leave me alone.

That brings up a good point... If it's not O.K. to be nude in a men's locker/shower room, then where IS it O.K. to be nude? I actually see kids wearing underwear or swimsuits in the SHOWERS these days! Insane!! Maybe it was my nudist upbringing... But when I see that, it gives me the creeps something terrible.

[vapaa]

Here in Finland the steam rooms are usually obligatory clothes-free as for men as for women, for all in the same room. But to be dressed in men's room - for me it's a kind of madness. :)

[JeepNude]

Oh, I forgot to mention...

Just the other day, I was in the steam room nude when two men about half my age walked in. They started to close the door behind them, them looked and saw me. They both hurried out fo the steam room with panic on their faces. What the heck is the problem?? At least it was nice and quiet in there all by myself. I almost fell asleep.

Then, I got out and took a cool shower. Once I was out, about 6 people headed into the steam room. It was as if they were waiting for me to leave so they could go in! Utterly amazing.

I sure wish I could swim int he pool nude as well, just like we used to in the 70's.

[Sanslines]

<!-- google_ad_section_start -->
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->http://gridskipper.com/assets/resources/2007/07/fkk.jpgFreikörperkultur (Free body culture, or FKK), the German clothes-free, Naturismus movement, goes as far back as the late 19th century. Though practitioners are "nude," they can't really be called nudists. There's a difference, at least in German culture, between FKK and simple nudism. FKK is more than going naked -- it's a practice that has broader philosophical goals. The FKKers are socially and ecologically minded, stripping down in natural environments. And, importantly, there's no eroticization of bodies in FKK. Technically, baring all in the sauna doesn't have anything to do with FKK, as it's seen in Germany as necessary to be naked in the sauna. But it can be argued that the general comfort level of Germans with public nudity (as in saunas) has its roots in FKK and the movement's success in making human bodies natural (i.e., nothing to be ashamed of).
Even the idea of nudity in the sauna as "necessary" hints at this idea, given that the argument for why it's necessary is that wearing a bathing suit in the sauna would be unhygienic and uncomfortable (contradicting the general intention of going to the sauna, which is to purify and relax). So even if there's no explicit link between FKK culture and Germans' nonchalance with wearing nothing in the sauna, the essential idea of nudity as natural and normal, especially when it has to do with health and wellness, is the same. And even among Germans who aren't accustomed to being seen in their birthday suits, there's a distinction between basic and sexualized nudity. It all hinges on context.
So if you're up for a visit to the sauna in Germany, do as the Germans do and leave your modesty (along with all of your clothes) behind in the locker room. The experience can be liberating for those from countries in which nudity is taboo. And it's another way of "living like the locals." Yes, it is possible to find specialized saunas in Germany (i.e., for ladies only or that offer kinky services), but don't be surprised that visits to an average no-nonsense sauna are often considered either a family activity or group outing for friends.

Source: Gridskipper

[walter05]

In the miscellaneous section, topic "Gym Changing Rooms", look at my post #23.

I think you will enjoy it.

[BrianRI]

I think the only way to take a sauna or a steam bath is in the nude. If I am in a men's locker room and there is a sauna in it, I would expect to be nude in it. I amy sit on a towel, but that is it.

I do not understand why some people shower in a men's locker room wearing shorts or a swim suit. It just does not seem right.

[1Ace]

Anytime I use a spa at a hotel I go "au natural" in the jacuzzi / sauna, sometimes I am the only one like this unless there are guys from europe. Nobody has ever said anything...

[Sauna]

I've always been nude in the sauna. Makes sense since you are going to sweat anyway. Most others in there were nude, but there were some who wore shorts. It was their decision, but they never expressed any opposition to the 'nudes'.:smoking:

In my country you have to be naked in sauna. On the door is sign no clothes allowed. Public saunas are single sex and people are naked also in the locker room. Naturally no problems.

[newfred]

I agree with vapaa, to be dressed in mens room is a kind of madness.

[hommenudist]

There was a gym where I used to work and the men's locker room had a sauna. Some would use the sauna wearing a swim trunks others, like me, would be nude. I was always comfortable being nude the sauna regardless of what the other participants wore or did not wear.

[Georgia_Nude]

There was a gym where I used to work and the men's locker room had a sauna. Some would use the sauna wearing a swim trunks others, like me, would be nude. I was always comfortable being nude the sauna regardless of what the other participants wore or did not wear.



I can understand the issue of modesty but I thought the whole point to a sauna was to be naked. Swim trunks really don't cover much and I would think would keep you from enjoying the full effects of a sauna experience.

[hommenudist]

I can understand the issue of modesty but I thought the whole point to a sauna was to be naked. Swim trunks really don't cover much and I would think would keep you from enjoying the full effects of a sauna experience.


I agree. But there seems to be a trend with the younger generation. Nudity in places where nudity is usually acceptable is becoming unacceptable. Locker room I used to attend I thought nothing of going from locker to shower to sauna to shower to locker completely nude. Discussions with other individuals in the shower room, sauna, or at our lockers all while nude. It was no big deal except for a few of the younger generation who showed up my last two years of using that facility. Now I have read two articles on locker room etiquet and both state that nudity in the locker room is a no-no. You are suppose to wrap the towel around your waist upon exiting the shower and going to the locker and wear the towel until dressed. I believe one of the articles was published in a "LifeTime Fitness" magazine. Was thinking about joining that facility until I read that.

I think the younger generation is homophobic, ashamed of their bodies, prudes, or nud-a-phobics. I just do not get it.

Anywho, unless it is coed facility, presume nudity in the steamroom/sauna is allowed and let everyone else sweat it out.

[atalanta]

In the sports club I used to use some years back in the UK it was common and considered entirely normal for fathers to take their young daughters into the mens locker room. I took my own daughter frequently before and after swimming. Mothers would do the same with their young sons. That would not happen in the club I use now in Latin America but in the male locker room no-one bothers to cover up between shower and dressing area, weighing machine, shower and sauna. It is just not an issue. And the showers are open. I simply do not comprehend the apparent mentality in US clubs/pools etc.

[unitednudist]

As long as you sit on a towel of corse! I know i do

[Croydon]

I agree. But there seems to be a trend with the younger generation. Nudity in places where nudity is usually acceptable is becoming unacceptable. Locker room I used to attend I thought nothing of going from locker to shower to sauna to shower to locker completely nude. Discussions with other individuals in the shower room, sauna, or at our lockers all while nude. It was no big deal except for a few of the younger generation who showed up my last two years of using that facility. Now I have read two articles on locker room etiquet and both state that nudity in the locker room is a no-no. You are suppose to wrap the towel around your waist upon exiting the shower and going to the locker and wear the towel until dressed.

I think the younger generation is homophobic, ashamed of their bodies, prudes, or nud-a-phobics. I just do not get it.
You took the words right out of my mouth.

I am 26 and belong to three gyms. First gym is my regular gym near my apt, second gym is near work, and third gym is where I meet my personal trainer. In all three cases, I have observed what you stated above.

I notice that those around my age are fearful of the locker room. After a workout, I shower at the gym, unless I am going home directly after my workout. I have no issues showering, shaving, styling my hair, or applying lotion on my body in the nude. It is a locker room after all and I would do all these things at home so why should I do anything differently in a locker room?

I do notice that the young men either do not shower and put their clothes back on after wiping the sweat off with a towel. If they do shower, they are so meticulous about wrapping a towel around their waist and taking off their shorts with a towel on. I also have noticed guys who shower with their shorts on. Every time I see that I just shake my head in disbelief. Do they know how silly they look? Meanwhile, it is the complete opposite with older men. Guys in their 30s I notice are half way there.

The question is why all of this? I think many young adults come into locker rooms with some homophobia. They think that guys are checking them out or will make a pass at them. I also believe a lot are just shy about their body. The funny thing is, the ones that shouldn't are the ones that are. I have come across a lot of guys who are in great shape and have bodies that I would kill to have and they are the shiest. The ones that I would rather see cover up are the ones who go about their locker room business in the nude.

I also think that as more young people join gyms, the less locker rooms will be used. My gym near my office is mostly young people and majority of the time I've used the locker room, hardly anyone is showering. Most of the guys use it to change.

[chops]

Back in the day, we used to always shower after a workout, and most of the showers were big open rooms with nozzles. You dried and threw your towel over your shoulder. Nowadays guys are so modest its unbelievable. I see guys take their clothes into the shower stall. Others pull their boxers up under their towels before removing them. The most daring stand facing the wall as they get dressed. Its almost a shock to see someone naked. What's everyone afraid of? The lockers could practically be coed at this point. Ten years ago I would have predicted things would be more open by now. I don't get it.

[Gabe]

I usually sit in the sauna nude. The exception is when it is co-ed and there is a sign requiring the patrons to wear a certain level of clothing. I would have to say the gym I go to now is about 25% of the guys that go in wear only a towel, myself included. I have sat in there entirely nude before. I do notice when people come in they are a bit uncomfortable so I usually just drape the end of the towel over me.

[nakedcowboy]

I agree if it is in the men's locker room it is appropriate to be nude. If this is not an appropriate environment, what is?? Yes I realize some guys may be uncomfortable, but this is a learned behavior, and covering up only reinforces the idea that there is something wrong with it. You should think twice before you stand in front of someone and have it in their face of course! But if you are both sitting on a bench facing a wall, why should you have to cover up?

[mountainman]

I have belonged to a couple townhome associations in resort areas where the stm rooms were co-ed, all ages over 13, with signs posted nudity ok, swim attire/nude: no street cloths. Also my gym in mountain resort has steam and spa in mens, and in womens, nude/optional. Many locals bring there family, kids included into the mens area, all fully nude, many from Japan bring there kids, kids clothed, odd?. No one has ever complained. My gym down south in OC has steam and spa co-ed swim attire only. There, I am in a comp speedo, or speedo thong.:surprised: