Locker Room Etiquette

A locker room is one of those places that most of us look back on with odd feelings that are likely to be a strange mixture of camaraderie and personal insecurity. After a hard-won game, we probably used the locker room to clown around and rehash specific plays that put points on the board. We also remember it as a place where we worried that we didn't measure up.

It's also a place in the gym where we stash our clothes, shower, and get dressed again.

We know that other people will be there, so it's important to learn some basic rules and etiquette guidelines to keep it from being a miserable place that grosses us out.

Most of us remember at least one bad experience in a locker room. It could be a memory of someone staring at you and making you uncomfortable. Or it could be opening your locker and discovering that your stuff has been stolen. Whatever the case, following proper locker room etiquette can prevent future problems.

Here are some things you should avoid in any locker room:

1. Don't stare. When you are in a locker room, keep your eyes away from other people. Look at the wall, your gym bag, or your own reflection in the mirror. Just don't look at others who are cleaning up after the game, or you'll make them feel uncomfortable.


2. Don't treat it as your own personal bathroom. Locker rooms are designed for more than one person. It's not a place where you can prance around naked, hog the shower for an hour, or claim a large space for your own. Get in and out of the shower quickly, wrap yourself in a towel, and get dressed in as little space as possible.

1. Don't leave a mess. After your shower, put all of your personal items in your gym bag and your trash in the trashcan. Never leave soap wrappers or empty shampoo bottles in the shower area. If you shave, make sure all of the shaving cream and whiskers have been washed down the drain. After brushing your teeth, rinse the sink.


2. Don't leave your locker open or unlocked with your things in it. This is inviting theft. Even if you only have a change of clothes in a ratty gym bag, put a lock on it. The lock also lets others know that that locker is taken, and it saves them the time of opening it, only to find that it's full of your stuff.


3. Don't stand around in the nude. Whether you are putting on makeup, combing your hair, or holding a conversation with another person in the locker room, only do so after you are dressed. Nudity makes many people uncomfortable, so please be respectful of their feelings.


4. Don't hold a long personal conversation on your cell phone. In such a small, intimate space, you'll have other people squirming and rolling their eyes if they are subjected to a discussion about the latest fight with your significant other or something else that no one else needs to hear.


5. Don't treat the locker room like it's your own personal spa. A locker room is for showering, changing clothes, and doing light grooming. Save the nail clipping, hair dying, and body waxing for the privacy of your own home. A public locker room is not the place to do any sort of lengthy personal grooming.


6. Don't infringe on other people's personal space. Getting too close to someone else in the locker room will make him or her feel extremely uncomfortable. Keep at least an arm's length between you and the next person.


7. Don't walk around soaking wet. Dry off before you step out of the shower area. Puddles in the locker room are not only breeding grounds for bacteria, they can cause others to slip and fall.

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