Doing may part to encourage locker room nudity...

[workoutbud11]

Well, I joined a gym (finally) and I was expecting things in the lockers to be like I've read, with guys doing the towel dance, keeping their sweaty clothes on, not showing any skin at all, but I was pleasantly surprised at the number of guys both young and old who actually do strip down all the way. I had determined beforehand that I would strip and not care what the other guys did, and so I was a bit relieved to see a couple of other guys strip down too.
I figured that if I was nonchalant about the whole thing then maybe it would show other guys that it's no big deal and they would start in as well. Looks like someone beat me to it!
last week, though, I went in there after my workout, and a gym employee was in there mopping the floor. I said hi, went to my locker and stripped down. I noticed that he had turned so he could watch me without being too obvious. After I had put my cursed underwear back on, I looked up at him and he was blushing a bit... I'm not sure if it was because of me, but I thought that was a bit odd.
Anyways... have you guys noticed that there is a changing view of nudity in the lockers? Is it going back to the way it was 50 years ago with most guys not caring? Or is it just my gym?

[DenitaLC]

It could be your locale.....geographic location and demographics can play a role in how nudity is viewed in an area.

[NudonyII]

Age plays a big part at my local gym. As I'm sure in a lot of other gyms across the country.

- 50's and over: will walk from the shower area to the locker area completely nude, with towel over their shoulders.
- 40's and under: will do their very best, short of showering with a bathing suit on, in order not to be seen nude.

What a generational gap!

[Smiley]

I'll have to agree with Denita on this. I had joined a health club several years ago and noticed no problem with nudity in the locker room, hot tub or showers. This seemed to apply regardless of age. .both younger guys and us older guys seemed to be comfortable. .

[Running Bear]

In the UK complete nudity is frequent in all changing rooms and mens communal showers. There is a cubicle in the mens changing rooms sometimes used by fathers with daughters but often fathers and daughters (up to 8 years old) seem to change communally fully nude. There is a family room which is cubicled but many mothers in ladies with sons and fathers in mens with daughters seem common (read that carefully!).
In my textile swim pool the sauna has no policy and I wear a towel sometimes. The shower outside does have a sign stating "Mixed showers please wear shorts or costumes when showering". This implies one should do so in the sauna but this has not been clearly stated or challenged.
I must admit I rarely see this beach towel dance that is supposed to be a British trait. I have often seen people just changing, albeit quickly, in the open on the beach. It is also common to see naked 'children' on textile beaches as well as the odd topless lady.

[Ren]

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by everyone being naked in the locker room when I went with my uncle. They don't care?! I thought. When I was a gym member in my early twenties, things had changed a bit - I walked nude around the locker room, sat on a towel in the sauna - and yet I was in the vast minority. Maybe it's changed in ten years, but I was shocked by how it changed in those first ten years.

[walter05]

I'll have to agree with Denita on this. I had joined a health club several years ago and noticed no problem with nudity in the locker room, hot tub or showers. This seemed to apply regardless of age. .both younger guys and us older guys seemed to be comfortable. .

I have noticed that if I am at a place with a large hot tub, sauna, and open showers, there is a lot more open nudity.

Once someone has done it a couple of times, he gets used to it.

Perhaps the layout of the facility is a factor. The open hot tub or open showers make nudity more common.

[topher97202]

It could be your locale.....geographic location and demographics can play a role in how nudity is viewed in an area.

I've recently moved to Portland from SoCal and was surprised at how much less casual nudity there is, at least in the locker room. I just assumed that a city that seems to be very concerned with the natural environment would have a higher population of naturists. Not sure if it is the demographic or the locker room environment, but my observations have been:

In SoCal, my gym's locker room was smaller and moderately lit. Members of all ages (college - seniors) seemed comfortable moving around nude, some shaved at the sinks nude and others even used the washroom blow-dryers to dry off before heading to their locker.

In Portland, my new gym is very large and the locker rooms are very well lit - like a big box store. Most members move discretely between the shower and the locker. I've only seen one man nude in the sauna. Maybe if they turned down the lights, people wouldn't feel like they were on stage?

[Gabe]

I have even noticed a change in the military too. We use gang showers in many schools we go to but I am starting to see an aversion to nudity. Guys usually keep a towel around them going into the showers or at least shorts on in the sauna. There are a few exceptions. I usually carry my towel or have it slung over my shoulder in the shower. And I am nude in the sauna, I do notice many are uncomfortable if I don't at least drape the towel around me. I come from a career field that does not have women so nudity is not an issue there are times we all are all changing in the woods together and I have done a stream crossing where we all crossed basically nude because it was winter and we didn't want to have to carry around wet clothes. I think we guys are in units with women and they make a big deal about segregating the sexes in latrines, showers and sleeping areas then these guys get use to privacy and become overly modest.

Perhaps all locker rooms and bathrooms should be co-ed. I don't think it will fly thought.

[Meeee]

At the gym I go to, it depends what time of day you go. I am not a morning person in any way, shape, or form so when I started going to the gym I went in the evening or on the weekend, usually late morning or early afternoon. At these times, there are a lot of the younger members there (18-25 or so) and a lot of them actally go to the gym wearing their gym clothes under their street clothes. None of them seem to shower. Ocasionally, an older person will use the shower during these times, but generally, I have the shower room to myself, but have a couple of times noticed people looking at me while I get undressed in the locker room. I really don't care, I tried waiting unitl I was in better shape before joining the gym, but for some reason that plan didn't work too well :).

Then one day I decided that I needed to put more effort into my fitness routine and decided to try going in the morning before work. The first time I went I was very surprised, most people there were 30-60 years old and almost all are there before work like me and pretty much all use the showers and nobody pays attention to who is naked.

I can't remember the last time I went in the evening.

[richo]

Meeee:

Some of that may just have do to with the nature of where people are going after they work out.

For example, I work out at home now, but when I used to go to a gym near my house, what I did at the gym was affected by where I was going. If I went in the morning, sometimes I'd take clothes and shower there if I was going to work immediately afterwards. If I was going home (for a telecommute day), or when I worked out in the afternoons after work, I'd just shower at home.

Sometimes I'd even jog to the gym, work out, and then jog home and shower at home (I live about 2 miles from there).

So, it may not be the ages that matter so much as what people are doing or where they're going; the ages just may correlate more to their plans more than anything else (younger individuals may going when they get out of school and thus headed home afterwards, vs. older who are likely going to work).

[workoutbud11]

Then one day I decided that I needed to put more effort into my fitness routine and decided to try going in the morning before work. The first time I went I was very surprised, most people there were 30-60 years old and almost all are there before work like me and pretty much all use the showers and nobody pays attention to who is naked.

I can't remember the last time I went in the evening.

Well, I guess I hadn't thought of that.... I may have to check out my gym early in the morning and see if there's any difference!

[FSUsmartboi]

at the gym on campus most of the students do not shower, i would say probably around 85% will not shower no matter what. I always shower simply because this is my only form of public nudity in tallahassee lol, but i would have to agree that very early in the morning is when most people shower.

[workoutbud11]

I haven't had an opportunity to use the showers at the gym yet, so perhaps going in the morning will facilitate that!
I have a gym buddy that I've been going with, and while I don't have any problem getting naked in front of him, he will still turn around when he changes his underwear. I'm hoping that him continually seeing my nonchalance about stripping down will encourage him to do the same some day.

[walter05]

Just be relaxed and don't force anything and it may happen.

[Naturist Zoar]

There are 6 sinks in a common lavatory at my gym. When I first joined, one older man used to shave nude at the sink, no matter what else or who ever was there. I soon adopted the habit and now, more and more guys are shaving nude at the sinks. This afternoon there were three of us. nothing like a good steam bath and shave in the middle of the day.

[matthew_starsberg]

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by everyone being naked in the locker room when I went with my uncle. They don't care?! I thought. When I was a gym member in my early twenties, things had changed a bit - I walked nude around the locker room, sat on a towel in the sauna - and yet I was in the vast minority. Maybe it's changed in ten years, but I was shocked by how it changed in those first ten years.

i too have always been fascinated by public nudity, and i assumed i'd be able to shed my clothes in a locker room without a care. in college, however, very few guys are open to being nude in public. even on a cruise i was just on, where i spent a considerable amount of time in the men's sauna (it was the only place on the ship i could be nude), i was often the only man nude-- and i was usually sitting next to older men. at first, i would've said it's just my generation who's afraid to be naked, but after the cruise i'm not so sure.

[walter05]

Mathew and FSUSmartboi;

It seems that the two of you both go to FSU. Perhaps if the two of you meet and use the showers at the same time, you could change things.

If others see that there are those comfortable with it and it is okay, they may do it too.

[toadfish327]

I think it depends on the gym and the time. Sometimes the only guys that are nude in the lockers rooms are the ones in the shower, and sometimes not even then. I have seen a few guys (always seems to be one guy who never disrobes) shower with their underwear still on. Other times there is not a stitch of clothing on anyone unless they are leaving the locker room to swim, work out or leave. I usually go naked. Sometimes if there is already someone in the hot tub and they are in a swimsuit, I will reluctantly put mine on. My 6 year old son usually strips down reguardless of how anyone is dressed. I don't shave at the gym very often, but will do it in the nude if there are not too many people around.

[walter05]

First of all, my 8 year old and 7 year old sons think nothing of being nude in a locker room.

If one goes to The Chicago Sweat Lodge on Sunday afternoons, one will see boys to elderly men all comfortable being nude. It is very nice.

I remember being in a locker room where there was someone who showered in his briefs. They were open gang showers. I think the wet underwear called more attention to his obviously visible private parts.

He would have been less conspicuous naked.

Walter

[Meeee]

I remember being in a locker room where there was someone who showered in his briefs. They were open gang showers. I think the wet underwear called more attention to his obviously visible private parts.

He would have been less conspicuous naked.

There used to be one guy at my gym every morning who did the same. I think he eventually realised that it was making himself stand out like a sore thumb and finally just started showering naked like everyone else to blend in.

I've only been going to the gym for a few months now, but he is the only one I have seen showering in their underwear. Most people don't shower, but the ones who do shower nude.

[hommenudist]

Gymnasium and various fitness activities were subsidized and supported by my former employer. I started using those gym facilities 30 years ago and there never seemed to be any problem in the men's locker room with nudity. Fellows pretty much walked nude from locker to shower to sauna and back to locker or shower. I noticed in the mid to late 90s and into the 2000s young men started wearing towels wrapped around their waists in the locker room and a lot of the contractors, who were primarily Indian/Pakistan, showered with in swim suits or in their underwear. Some of the immigrants would wear their underwear/swim suits in the sauna. Most of us mature gym rats continued our clothes free locker room environment. Through attrition via retirement or forced retirement our numbers were fading.

Read an article a few months ago about locker room ettiquet in a LifeTime Fitness magazine. According to LifeTime Fitness one should wear a towel or some other draping when not in the shower, even when standing in front of locker or travel from locker to shower or vicea versa. Guess I will not be joining that place.

[lightmetal]

I have even noticed a change in the military too. We use gang showers in many schools we go to but I am starting to see an aversion to nudity. Guys usually keep a towel around them going into the showers or at least shorts on in the sauna. There are a few exceptions. I usually carry my towel or have it slung over my shoulder in the shower. And I am nude in the sauna, I do notice many are uncomfortable if I don't at least drape the towel around me. I come from a career field that does not have women so nudity is not an issue there are times we all are all changing in the woods together and I have done a stream crossing where we all crossed basically nude because it was winter and we didn't want to have to carry around wet clothes. I think we guys are in units with women and they make a big deal about segregating the sexes in latrines, showers and sleeping areas then these guys get use to privacy and become overly modest.

Perhaps all locker rooms and bathrooms should be co-ed. I don't think it will fly thought.

You might be surprised if you were in a co-ed unit. If nudity was necessary for the mission, I don't think the fact that it was mixed gender would be an issue. In theater, if you are on a long mission, you don't stop so someone can go pee. ya just pee in the vehicle while traveling (bottle, or jug, as the case may be). Even on training mission here in the states, the tents are co-ed (sometimes), and most people do not think twice about getting up and putting on clean clothes. Getting changed in a sleeping bag is just stupid (and difficult). As long as you don't make a spectacle of yourself, no one says a word. Mission first. Modesty is way down on the list. Co-ed showers might be a stretch though, unless it was a limited water supply, in the field.