Communal Showers
Communal Shower Association (CSA)
The following content is from the Homepage and How-To's sections of the website of the Communal Shower Association, available at www.communalshowerassociation.com.
Mission Statement
Communal showers have been a central component in American society since their first usage at the start of the 20th century. Thanks to their economy, throughput, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity, they became a vital component for facilities where it was required to get large numbers of people clean.
However, their importance transcended this obvious utility. For many generations of Americans, communal showers formed an important cornerstone in their daily social life. Whether as part of school gym class, at the pool, during summer camp, at the factory, or in the military, communal showers were a regular feature of American life. The social bonding and personal understanding and growth that occurred within the context of these facilities was an important rite of passage for millions of Americans from 1900 up until the present day.
The Communal Shower Association is dedicated to furthering our understanding and appreciation of this widespread but little studied aspect of our material culture and history.
Recent trends have been away from this hallmark of the American Century as more and more facilities incorporate strict individual privacy. Without having been studied, what is being lost and sacrificed by this anti-social shift is not fully appreciated. The costs may be measured more in the harmful distortion of self-image, a loss in social cohesion, and a rise in alienation and insecurity among future generations than in higher construction and maintenance costs. It is the goal of this association to document the merits and value of communal showers to help stem this recent shift and to further promote and effect a resurgence in the use of communal showers.
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.
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.
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.
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 their 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 it's not a big deal if others are doing the same around you. You’ll be shocked how quickly your trepidations fade away.
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 a 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.
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!
How to Persuade Others to Communal Shower
Communal showers have hygienic, efficiency, and practical reasons that make them an excellent showering option. However, the most rewarding aspect of communal showers is the social bonding and camaraderie you can develop in the communal shower setting. The trouble is that, for the most part, people who have never experienced this bonding are not aware of its existence. They avoid the communal showers and thus miss out on a chance to connect, bond, and socialize in this healthy, platonic way. Indeed, although communal showers are still common, many people manage to reach adulthood never having used them and often make it a point to avoid them. This can often make persuading them to try communal showers challenging; however, since most of these people will end up enjoying the experience and have nothing to lose, it is often worth the effort to convince a new person to give the communal shower experience a try.
Know your audience. Every person is different, and there is no magical argument that will work on everyone. There are people you know well enough who it would be fine to just have an open and frank discussion about the merits of communal showers. Some people will just be open to this and will listen (especially if you have good rapport). List the reasons you enjoy it and invite them to join.
Lead by example. Sometimes, unspoken cues are even more persuasive than words. Be casual and confident in your use of communal showers. If you are relaxed and open, others around you will pick up on this. If you are engaged in a conversation while you disrobe and prepare to shower, some people will follow along into the showers.
Peer Influence. Doing things as a group will usually often motivate other individuals to join in. If you have one or two friends regularly joining you,it will be easier for other friends to pick up the practice. People tend to model their behavior off of the social cues from others. Even if you are the only person communal showering, this leading by example can be effective; however, the effect is multiplied when more people participate.
Know yourself. Understanding why you enjoy communal showers is the first step in being able to convey that appreciation to others. If you can't articulate why it is that you enjoy them, then explaining the benefits to others will be difficult. Think about what drew you to them in the first place and what you enjoy about them. Then you’ll have a good basis for conveying those merits to others.
Appreciate and understand the objections people have. This can be tricky because most people have vague and poorly defined reasons for wanting to avoid communal showers. They just don’t like the idea of being seen naked by anyone (strangers or peers alike). On the one hand, this can make a purely logical discussion difficult because they are rarely putting forward much of an argument beyond, “I just don’t like the idea,” but this also means that some well-placed points will make for a stronger case. Consider the following points:
It's more hygienic.
It feels good and liberating.
You’ll gain confidence in your body and body image.
You’ll gain a level of trust and bonding with your friends you otherwise would not.
It’ll build your confidence.
It’ll give you a better more grounded perspective on the human form (as opposed to the totally unrealistic portrayals of the human body that dominate social media).
While it is certainly possible to benefit from and enjoy communal showers alone or among strangers, sharing it with your peers is a substantial social enhancement. Many people who experienced this bonding while playing team sports and showering after reflect very fondly on the experience and seek to duplicate it as a social highlight of unique importance. Even if you never had the chance to play a sport and shower with your teammates, you can create the same experience with your peers, co-workers, gym buddies, or anyone else with whom you engage with in a collective communal activity. The benefits mean it's usually worth the effort!
Source: Communal Shower Association