Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire Stick  I recently switched to a different gym, and the men’s locker room has the old-style gang showers. The showers at my previous gym were clearly wide open originally, but at some point they had received a makeover with frosted plexiglass dividers, albeit no doors. I prefer the communal showers for several reasons. They are easier for the staff to clean and therefore are kept cleaner. They make it easier to carry on friendly conversation when one is so inclined. They also simplify the “checking-one-another-out” behavior that goes on in most locker rooms by allowing men to easily see how well everyone else is hung, without having to strain their necks or to hover in precise spots to catch sight. So, in a nutshell, they are more practical, social, and efficient. Granted, they are not ideal for the bashful or for anyone who puts a premium on privacy. |
I agree with everything you said. The gym
USED to be a very social place for men to go before the "every guy in the locker room/shower/sauna/steam room is a gay pervert out to rape me" hysteria set in (especially with the younger guys). I especially agree with your comment about communal showers making it easier to carry on friendly conversation. I have had some awecome conversations with other guys when using a communal shower. I wouldn't know if these guys were gay or straight, and I really couldn't have cared less. All that mattered to me was that they were cool interesting guys to talk with. I found that talking with other guys in the communal shower removed any awkward uncomfortable feelings that I may have had (in the distant pass) about being nude around other men. When you talk to other guys, you realize that they are just guys who are the same as you. I mentioned in another thread that I have noticed that guys that use gyms which have ultra privacy such as stall showers with curtains (like my current gym) never talk to each other or even look at each other - not even outside of the locker room. If you try to strike up a conversation with some guys in the steam room or locker room (nothing sexual) you end up getting a look like
. In my younger days (when guys were less paranoid) I used to make a ton of friends at the gym. Whenever I walked in I would know at least a few guys working out. I would then usually run into them at a pub or restaurant and chat with them for awhile. Eventually we became pretty good friends and hung out sometimes. It's a real shame that things have gotten into the sad sorry state that they are in today.
. I think guys of the older generation knew something that today's generation doesn't in terms of communal showering and more open locker rooms (which were normal in the past). Familiarity with other guys builds bonds of friendship, trust, and mutual respect. Hiding from each other breeds fear, paranoia and distrust which is so common in today's locker room. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I long for the good old days.