Timeless etiquette for a modern world
Everyone must be getting in shape for spring as Modern Ed’s mailbag suddenly has several questions about gym etiquette. Most questions fall into two categories: other members not caring for resources (returning weights to racks or wiping off their sweat after use) or not sharing limited resources (weights, treadmills, swim lanes, etc.). While you should always return clean equipment to its proper place, the rules dictating how long you may use equipment vary by club. Responsible members will be familiar with the rules and go beyond the policy by being aware of other members and not dominating equipment. Someone who is trying to squeeze in a workout before a doctor’s appointment may greatly appreciate you varying from your routine and allowing them access to the abductor machine.
In gyms, as in life, extending courtesy — and acknowledging a courtesy extended — goes a long way to creating a civilized experience that all members will enjoy. The following questions presented unique questions about proper behavior at the gym.
Dear Modern Ed:
After taking my aerobic class at my gym, I often enjoy a sauna and shower. Until recently. A fellow member has a habit of using the sauna completely naked. Well, she sits on a towel but is otherwise open for business which makes me uncomfortable. Can I say anything to her or to club management? Or just use the sauna at different times?
Averting my Eyes
Dear Eyes:
Not being aware of the rules of your gym, or what members agreed to when they joined, it is difficult to know how to advise you. Certainly you can speak with management to ask if this is allowed or what they advise. If it is in violation of house rules, Modern Ed believes it is not your job to enforce their rules. It is your job to bring it to the attention of management.
If your fellow member’s lack of attire is not in violation of any locker room rules, you may recognize that different cultures and different generations have different attitudes around nudity. What may make you uncomfortable may be completely normal to others and saying something to the other person will most likely not change their behavior. Continuing to avert your eyes and sit somewhere where you do not need to gaze is your best course of action.
Thank you for writing,
Modern Ed
Dear Modern Ed:
I love the yoga class I take at my gym. I typically get there ten minutes early to get a good location up front with a full view of the instructor and the mirror. A fellow student always shows up right at class time and wedges herself into the front row causing the rest of us to move our mats or be uncomfortably close. And, even after doing so, I’d prefer to have more space around. What can I say without appearing like I’m a space hog?
Early Arrival
Dear Early Arrival:
Having a good view of the instructor and the mirror is important to enjoying many gym classes. With something like yoga, where you are learning new poses, it is crucial. While gyms don’t tape off sections on the floor designating areas for members to occupy, it isn’t the worst idea Modern Ed has ever mused on. Like so many other social situations involving space, a pleasant experience depends on people behaving and respecting each other.
Modern Ed believes in the “first come, first served” philosophy of space allocation. If you went to a theater with open seating early to get a good seat, and a late arrival happened to choose a seat that required you to move, you would be understandably indignant. Holding prime real estate in a gym class, while not assigned, should be no different.
Modern Ed believes a friendly comment is warranted conveying how excited you were to arrive in time for this pristine location and sharing that your hope they can arrive ten minutes early next week and join you. Meanwhile, start limbering up your arms with big, wild circles while not budging your mat an inch.
Thank you for writing,
Modern Ed
Dear Modern Ed:
I take a hot yoga class and, while I expect a certain level of funk in the air, there is one member who makes the class unenjoyable. His odor is pronounced. I’m not sure if it is his personal hygiene, or his diet, or his lack of laundry detergent. Unfortunately, this is the only class time that works for my schedule but I am considering dropping out because of Mr. Stinky. How would you address this?
Smell You Later
Dear Smell You:
Health clubs are a unique institution where members pay money to perspire and breathe hard in close proximity to relative strangers. Hot yoga can take these olfactory challenges to another level altogether.
The best thing any member can do is to make sure that they are practicing good personal hygiene, regular laundry, and wiping down equipment after use to minimize your personal intrusion onto other members’ senses.
In regard to Mr. Stinky, he may have an issue but if he is not a friend, it would be difficult, if not disastrous, to discuss personal hygiene with him. You could mention a “stale” odor to him and share that you once had the same issue with dried sweat in your yoga mat and a little warm water and dish detergent cleared it right up. Hopefully this will make him curious and self-conscious to the point where he shows up with a clean mat, towel, and clothes. Or, conversely, he may be embarrassed enough by your discussing dried sweat with a stranger that he avoids you altogether. If not, and the problem persists, you may want to not put your mat down until he has selected a spot so you can select another spot far away.
Dear Modern Ed:
My gym has a policy against cell phones in the gym, classes, and locker room. It sounds draconian but it makes it more pleasant for everyone. I get it that some people are waiting for important phone calls, and need to take an occasional call, but feel they should do so with discretion. Quick, quiet, and confidential. Instead, it seems like the same people who flaunt this rule also happen to be the loudest, rudest, and most oblivious. The other day I was in the sauna and another member was in conversation with his office about the intricacies of some business deal that I didn’t care to know. What can I do?
Hang Up and Work Out!
Dear HUWO:
That is kind of you to recognize that some people may need to take a call despite your club’s rules. In today’s world of constant connectivity, some important issues cannot wait. Taking a quick call in a gymnasium full of equipment, treadmills, stairmasters, and fans probably won’t be disruptive.
If you are on the receiving end of such a call, you should remove yourself to a location that is less disruptive to those around you. In the gym, you should step to a corner or alcove; in a classroom you should step outside. Locker rooms and saunas are difficult to remove yourself from and you should ask the caller if you can call them right back.
All that being said, you were not the recipient of a call, you were the unwilling listener to someone else’s call. And in the close confines of a sauna is particularly inconsiderate. Asking the other member if they wouldn’t mind taking their call outside may be uncomfortable but it is certainly within your right to ask. They are not only violating a club rule but doing so without grace or consideration for fellow members. If they continue their call you should drop it and address it with club management.