Help Needed: UK Gym Showers and Changing Room Etiquette

[yumyumRaywing]

Hi everyone,

I need to go to the gym for showers, as our bathroom will be unavailable for a couple of weeks due to renovations.

I've been to a swimming pool once in the UK and was quite shocked by how different it was compared to what I'm used to in my home country. For instance, the changing room was not divided by gender, and the shower area was completely open. Towels were not provided either. I remember feeling quite disoriented and ended up wearing my clothes on top of my wet swimsuit because I didn't know how to navigate the unfamiliar setup.

This time, I'm considering going to a different gym and have a few questions:

1. Is it uncommon for gyms in the UK to have gender-specific changing rooms?
2. How can I find out if the gym showers are partitioned before committing to a membership?
3. In shared changing rooms, how does one go about showering? Do you go in fully clothed, shower, and then manage to dress again while still in the shower area?
4. Do I need to bring my own shampoo, body wash, and shower towel?
5. I remember that using lockers was a bit different, but I can't recall the specifics as I was quite shocked last time. Could you explain what to expect?
6. If it is a gender-specific changing room, is it acceptable to walk about naked, or do I still need to wear clothes?
7. Are there any other etiquette norms or things I should be aware of?

I know these questions might seem a bit odd, but it seems like one of those things that people just "know" and never discuss online. As I don't have any friends nearby to ask, I would really appreciate any guidance you could provide.

Thank you!

At my gym, the mens and women's changing rooms are separate. The shower cubicles are all screened off, and contain basic body wash/shampoo.

The getting dried and dressed bit is communal, but there is a large lockable changing room too.

IME...

1. Gyms yes, leisure centres (whereby most swimming pools are these days unless it's a more expensive gym), not necessarily.

1. Phone and ask?

1. I'd walk back from the shower in a towel to a cubicle and dress there, you're more covered in a towel than you would be in anything you'd swim in

1. Yes, almost certainly (again unless you're going to a gym that's a health spa too).

1. At worst, take a £1 coin, put it in the locker and twist the key.

1. Nothing that wouldn't fall under common sense around public decency.

Think you went to a swimming pool and not a gym? Where people just shower off the swimming bath water.. so keep bathing suits on..mixed private changing cubicle... no towel provided.. gyms are completely different and can vary. Most have shampoo etc in the private shower.. which are always private and you can strip.. some changing rooms are communal but kept to gender. There is usually a few private changing cubicles.. No towels provided at any. But l wouldn't expect towels to be provided.

They are all different. In my experience gyms generally have single sex changing rooms, they may have individual cubicles, but often have a shared changing area. There would most likely be separate showers to use as people don't like being naked in front of others in the UK.
Swimming pools often have a different set up to gyms. They may have mixed changing areas, in which case there will be separate changing cubicles. If there are single sex changing areas, they will likely have a communal changing area and more individual cubicles than a gym would have.
Showers are often communal in pool changing rooms as people shower with their swimwear on, it would be very unusual to shower naked in communal pool showers, unless you're under 5 years old! Some have individual cubicles though.
If in doubt just ask the staff.

I find it very odd that you put clothes on over wet swimwear. What would you normally have done after swimming?

To answer a few other questions, bring your own stuff, towels, shampoo, body wash, etc. There will probably be hairdriers, but unless it's a spa or expensive health club gym, none of the above are normally provided.

Gender specific is normal. A lot of them won’t be sex specific though.
Some gyms will expect you to bring your own locker padlock so I’d take a small one in case.

All the gyms that I've been a member of give you a tour of all the facilities before you sign up to join - ask if they do this

Thanks to everyone for your detailed responses; they're really helpful!
I wasn't aware that gyms offer tours, so I'll definitely check that out when I contact them.

The place I'm planning to try next week is described as a "sports village" and seems quite extensive. It includes a gym, a swimming pool, and an athletics track. Initially, I assumed that all these facilities would share the same shower and changing areas. However, based on your explanation, it seems they might have separate sections. 🤔

I wasn't aware that I needed to bring a towel, so I felt a bit stuck. Additionally, I didn't want to remove my wet swimsuit in a mixed-gender changing room.
Where I'm from, changing rooms are always gender-specific, and towels are provided. People are generally comfortable being naked in front of others in these single-gender changing rooms, so the experience here was a bit of a culture shock for me.

My experience at the swimming pool was a total disaster. I didn't know what "lane swimming" meant and accidentally got in the way of other swimmers. Moreover, the pool depth was quite different from what I'm used to—so much so that I almost drowned, prompting the lifeguard to come down and check on me. I left the pool after just 30 minutes and couldn't get out of there fast enough.🥲

I'm hoping to avoid such a disaster this time around. Thanks again to everyone for your help!🙏

Before you sign up, you can always ask for a tour and ask any questions:)

If changing rooms are mixed gender there will generally be cubicles to change in, even if the showers are open. However these days a lot more have shower cubicles as well. My leisure centre has mixed gender changing for the pool and single gender for the gym (no changing cubicles in the single gender so I much prefer the pool set up). For the pool I use a shower cubicle, strip off in there and shower, then come out wrapped in my towel, get my clothes from the locker and go to a changing cubicle to get dressed.

You were probably in a family changing area at a leisure centre. Just have a quick shower in your swimsuit then get dried and changed in a cubicle and have a proper shower at home. There would never be mixed sex communal changing rooms anywhere in the UK.

Private gyms and dryside changing at leisure centres have single changing rooms. Usually a shared space and cubicles and you should be able to have a private and proper shower.

Always take a towel - the more expensive private gyms, particularly those based in hotels or country clubs will probably provide towels though.

I would never expect a towel or shampoo/shower gel to be provided and would take my own.

My local leisure centre has a changing village at the swimming pool area with a communal shower area where you keep your swimwear on

The gym section has single sex changing rooms with showers and a changing area with lockers. There is 1 individual cubicle in there too I think.

Mix gender 'changing village' is becoming more common, especially if it's somewhere aimed more at families so parents with different sexed kids can change together. Ask to look round any gym before taking out membership, so you can check out what's available.

If you end up going to the mixed style you encountered before, then you'd shower still in your swimming costume, then take your clothes into a cubical to change.

Even in single sex charging rooms, it would be unusual to walk round naked (technically fine, but brits tend to be prudish). If they have fully enclosed rooms with shower cubical in, it would be fine to take cloths in there, strip off to shower, then get dressed. You would be more likely to find that set up in the gym area though, even single sex swim areas are often more open with the expectation to shower in swimmers.

You will usually be expected to bring your own towels and shampoo etc. The lockers often require a coin to use, usually either a 20p which is taken after use, or a £1 which is returned as 'deposit'. Either way you will need either correct change or to ask at reception on the way in.

I use a token in our lockers at the gym. I have some like the new £1 coin. Some need a padlock rather than a coin/token

I’m interested in where you’re from that lane swimming and the depth of the pool were such a shock. I’ve been to public pools across Europe, in several Asian countries, North America and in one South American country and they’ve all been really similar - and always have lane swimming and parts of the pool where you’d be out of your depth. I don’t think I’ve been to a public pool in Africa though!

If it’s a more traditional/serious sports centre (which this sounds like it is as it has a track), it will likely have single-sex communal changing rooms and very possibly communal showers, although there may be a few cubicles for
those who don’t like getting showered/changed in front of others.

if it’s a more modern gym it is more likely to have individual cubicles.

Best bet is to just phone and ask.

Traditionally in the U.K. changing and showers have been communal and this is still the norm for places catering to team sports like university sports centres but a lot of people who don’t come from that background are squeamish about this hence the move towards individual cubicles in more modern gyms.

My local sports centre showers have separate cubicles. The changing area is open plan but the showers aren't communal.

I'm originally from South Korea. The pools I went there, at least in the city where I grew up, had a consistent depth (I've been to about 5 places, so I can't say this is universal across Korea). The pool I visited in the UK was different; one side was shallow enough to stand in, while the other was so deep I couldn't touch the bottom.

As for lane swimming, the pools in Korea usually have a designated lane for casual swimming. In the UK, I felt pressured to swim quickly because there were so many people swimming behind me. It was like being on a treadmill but in a swimming pool. 😂

With lane swimming there are usually fast and slow lanes. Was there not an area with no lanes? All the pools I've been in have a shallow end and a deep end too. The depth is normally displayed.

In terms of lane swimming, there will pretty much always be a shallow end and a deep end (deep enough for diving usually), and lanes are often marked as slow/medium/fast - I usually take a moment to check the speed of other swimmers and find the lane that matches my speed as closely as possible. The signs often also say whether you should swim clockwise or anticlockwise, otherwise follow the other swimmers. Etiquette states that you stop at the end to let faster people go past you, they may tap your feet to let you know they are there, or you can check behind you before setting off again.

If you are from South Korea, then it is probably also worth noting that we do not tend to go naked into a sauna over here. I got stripped and told off for wearing clothes in a sauna in Seoul by three old ladies (very sweet but with firm opinions on appropriate sauna wear.) I do not speak much Korean, but their instructions were very clear.

The pools I swam in over there were all quite shallow, so I can understand your surprise. We also had towels, toiletries, hairdryers, etc provided free.

My local pool is a standard council-owned one in a sports centre. The showers and changing are gender-specific. It has a mainly open area and some cubicles. I generally change in the open, and aim to keep broadly covered with a towel, but don’t worry overmuch if bits show.

Mixed sex changing facilities are awful. My local pool has them. There are closed shower cubicles, but there are gaps at the top and bottom of the doors and not enough room to keep clothes dry in them. No way would I risk being naked apart from a towel in a mixed area, so I just rinse off very briefly and go home for a proper shower.

Firstly, the open showers at a public pool are to rinse off BEFORE going in the pool.

After swimming, as a pp said...

"For the pool I use a shower cubicle, strip off in there and shower, then come out wrapped in my towel, get my clothes from the locker and go to a changing cubicle to get dressed"

But instead of a towel, I put on a towelling surf style robe to go from the shower cubicle to my locker. In fact I take it with me poolside. My shampoo and locker key fit in the pocket.so when I come out I carry it straight to the shower cubicle, lock the door, remove swimwear, shower/wash hair/rinse swimsuit. Then put the towelling robe on for walk to locker, get my dry clothes/shoes/phone and into a changing cubicle.

I find the robe gives me a lot more confidence than a towel, especially if it's a communal space. I now have two to rotate for washing/drying.

Then there's an area with free hairdryers to use before leaving.

OP, when you are doing your research please use the word sex. "Gender" will be used for nefarious reasons when men want access to women's spaces. They claim female gender.

Sex is important. Male or female.

I think you definitely need to go and look around first.
The gym I go to has a ‘wet changing village’ which is communal showers and cubicles. Here, you would shower in your swimsuit, then dry and change in the cubicle. These are mixed.

Then there are female and male ‘dry’ changing rooms. The showers are in cubicles with space to put your things on a low shelf. You can either get dry and dressed in there (you need an extra towel for the floor) or move to one of the changing cubicles in your towel and flip flops. I get showered, dried and changed in the shower cubicle.

I think the difference is the wet changing village is used by families, so it could be a dad taking his daughter or a mum taking her son, whereas you need to be over a certain age to join the gym.