Shower/bathroom etiquette in the albergues?

[kwinward]

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

 

[J Willhaus]

You will find a mix depending on the albergue. Some small albergues have only one bathroom for all genders to use. In this case, most of the showers will be in a cabinet for privacy. Same with toilet stalls. we have worked in a couple like this.

Others will have a mens/womens bathroom. Showers usually have some kind of curtain or cabinet, but not all. Some are still kind of like a locker room shower where you just pick a shower head and shower. Usually toilet stalls will have a door, but perhaps not. I have stayed in a few like this.

Each albergue is different.

 

[J Willhaus]

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

Also, you may see things you are comfortable with and some things you may not be comfortable with. Mainly, just look away or don't look. On my first Camino a group of male bicyclists from Italy strode around visiting pleasantly in the giant bunk room at an albergue wearing essentially thongs. It covered the front "equipment" and little more.

Some people wriggle into their clothes inside a sleeping bag. Others wait for the lights to be turned off. Others still go into a bathroom cabinet to change.

This winter, some of my female students refused to shower in places where the shower was not private enough for them. I was in the military and am a nurse, so very little phases me.

 

[WGroleau]

You mention "regular social norms," but those vary from country to country—and hundreds of countries have sent pilgrims to Santiago. I've personally checked in people from at least 45 countries. In another albergue, the door to the shower stall was broken with nothing between it and the door to the hallway. I believe I chose not to shower that day. Another time, a pilgrim I had never met tried to kiss me while I was speaking to more than twenty in the dining room. But our albergue, like most, did what we could to provide privacy.

 

[Robo]

@kwinward It's a good question and one that I'm sure worries new Pilgrims to a degree.

I was an avid 'avoider' of Albergues for a number of reasons. I like my privacy, was worried about my snoring, etc etc. But bathroom etiquette, was also something I needed to be comfortable with. Sure I had 20+ years in the Military a long time ago, but this was something new. Mixed genders, ages, cultures. Potentially a situation where is would be easy to cause offence!

So last Camino, I promised myself that I would try Albergues. And I did. 20+ of all different types. Private, Parochial, Municipal etc. It was a really broad cross section. All were good. Some were quite busy / near full. Others almost empty. And the range of accommodations ranged from 10 bunk beds 'crammed' into a small room with one shower / toilet. To a large room. with single beds, and lovely new bathrooms for men and women separately. And everything in between.

So I am by no means whatsoever, an Albergue 'Veteran' but can certainly give a perspective as a 'Newbie' Albergue user.

My experience was:

1. Everyone is generally very respectful and averts their eyes if people are changing.
2. There was no 'nudity'! People would take clean clothes with them to the bathroom, and come back from their shower in fresh clothes. Or they would discretely 'wrap' themselves in something to and from the bathroom.
3. There was a bit of 'changing under the covers' too I think.
4. Most people try not to 'hog' the facilities, so that others don't have to wait too long.

re the Bathrooms........

• There were often showers and toilets in the same area, sometimes in separate areas.
• Usually showers were in some kind of cubicle, often with a lockable door.
• In one, the showers were 'open' like a scene from a prison movie! But those are quite rate I think. At least there were separate rooms/showers for men and women!
• In one there was one room for all genders that contained a shower and a toilet. And the door lock did not work. We put a chair behind the door and agreed to sing in the shower!

My overall impression and experience was very good. It actually became, in a rather bizarre way, quite 'normal' for this varied group of people, of different genders, ages and cultures to all bunk and live in the same space.

The experience also led to me busting a Myth!

On a couple of occasions I noticed during the night that my fellow Pilgrim in the upper bunk, was snoring like a train! Enough to wake me a couple of times, but I was so tired I quickly fell back to sleep. It was not a problem.

Was it the usual 'suspects'? Older, slightly overweight men, who had too much Vinto Tinto with dinner?
(My profile)

No. On both occasions the culprits were.........
young 'twenty something' women, who were very fit!

Both had walked 30-40 km days. So I reckon it's just being dead tired that often leads to snoring!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Our kids named one pilgrim “Mr Long Shower” - don’t be that person!!!
The fact that you are thinking about it tends to indicate you will be considerate.

 

[good_old_shoes]

I bring everything into the shower stall / cubicle. Try to take a very quick shower only. Dry myself and get dressed in the shower stall. Leave fully dressed and leave it to the next person who needs it as quickly as possible.

Also, mop the floor if I find a mop.

I'm from a family who usually went camping. That's what I learned to do in shared bathrooms.

If there is no door to the cubicle / only a curtain, or door doesn't lock, I hang my clothes over the "door" so that others can see that it's occupied.

 

[kelleymac]

I was a bit worried about this as well, as I was walking with my 13 yo son. But it's really not a big deal. Shower quickly, dress quickly. I turn my back on the room to change my shirt and bra. I changed my underwear when I had more privacy when at the toilet. But others changed in their sleeping bags (what talent!), and others just dressed next to their bunks. People avert their eyes. Or just talk through it all. I'm an american, but having lived in Germany in a German household, I'm not so stressed about nudity. I was concerned about drunkenness and parties-- but overall people are just too tired for all that. And there's a often a curfew at albergues.

 

[sugargypsy]

I'm an american, but having lived in Germany in a German household, I'm not so stressed about nudity. I was concerned about drunkenness and parties-- but overall people are just to tired for all that. And there's a often a curfew at albergues.

Out of interest, because this question comes up here from time to time: I am German, but I also lived in the States (in the 1980s). Is there really a big difference in the way this topic is dealt with? I don't remember feeling that it was handled very differently that time. But well, my stay in the USA was quite a while ago ;-).

 

[J Willhaus]

Out of interest, because this question comes up here from time to time: I am German, but I also lived in the States (in the 1980s). Is there really a big difference in the way this topic is dealt with? I don't remember feeling that it was handled very differently that time. But well, my stay in the USA was quite a while ago ;-).

When I lived in Germany there were many spas sans clothing and women sunbathed topless. We don't see that much in the parts of the US where I have lived.

 

[kelleymac]

Out of interest, because this question comes up here from time to time: I am German, but I also lived in the States (in the 1980s). Is there really a big difference in the way this topic is dealt with? I don't remember feeling that it was handled very differently that time. But well, my stay in the USA was quite a while ago ;-).

I find most Americans are more modest about nudity. Of course, there are variations from family to family and person to person. But overall, I find americans are more modest now than when I was little. For example, when I go camping with teenagers they will take turns changing privately in the tent they share to sleep in, waiting patiently outside. (I now wake them up a half hour earlier, because I know they will take forever to get moving.) When I was a teen we shucked off our clothes and changed all together in the tent. Also, there were double showers in the dormitories in college, now everyone has a shower area that is private and often with a door that locks.

There was one time at an albergue, where some young german men were stretching out in their underwear before getting dressed, some American women in their 70's were really upset. I shrugged and invited the women to come and get a cup of coffee with me and leave those good looking germans guys to stretch out on their own.

When staying with a friend of mine in Germany, her husband would come in from working in the fields and change as soon as was inside so as not to track dirt through the house. He's just strip off his clothes and pull on the clean ones hanging right near the door. No one thought a thing about it. But it wouldn't happen in the US-- at least not in my neck of the woods.

 

[Annetom]

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

In my experience. Showers were segregated ie women's and men's. I NEVER had any problem. Relax and Bom/
BuenCamino.

 

[lt56ny]

This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me?

One of the great things of this forum is the advice us veteran pilgrims pass along advice to new pilgrims. I will pass along to you now some sage words my mother would say to my dad, brother and I, EVERY TIME we went to the bathroom. I grew up in a small one bedroom apartment in The Bronx in New York. My brother and I slept in a little bedroom and my parents slept on a pullout couch in the living room. Anyway every time my mother heard (and she heard everything, trust me) the bathroom door close she would say loudly and in no uncertain terms: "PICK UP THE SEAT AND HIT THE DAMN BOWL I AM SICK AND TIRED OF CLEANING UP AFTER YOU ANIMALS". So follow the words of my dear departed mom and you will be fine. My wife, to this day, carries on my mom's words!!!! If you do this you will be fine. Buen Camino.

 

[t2andreo]

Here are my tips, developed over the past decade:

1. Don't stare! Avert your eyes. This is how the Japanese manage nudity - to the extent it exists in baths and inns. As adults, we all know what everyone else has. There is no need to dwell on it. I usually look at a point on the upper wall, in the distance.

2. Wear a towel long enough to cover you from the waist down. Put your clean clothing on under this towel after your shower. It's like changing into or out of a bathing suit on a beach. I use a standard length, microfiber, yoga towel - without the grippy dots. it covers everything on my prodigious body and dries very fast. When not being used, it folds and stores in a one-gallon ziplock bag at the bottom of my rucksack.

3. Wear flip-flops, chanclas, zoris, or whatever you call them! You WILL get a fungus infection (e.g. athletes foot) from showers in albergues. Depending on the style and brand you get, they can also be used around town apres-walking day. But anything is better than nothing. It helps with footing, as well as keeping your feet out of the bottom of shared showers.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[PawelB]

Out of interest, because this question comes up here from time to time: I am German, but I also lived in the States (in the 1980s). Is there really a big difference in the way this topic is dealt with? I don't remember feeling that it was handled very differently that time. But well, my stay in the USA was quite a while ago ;-).

from my experience Europeans are more 'relaxed', for example small kids run naked on the beach.....and guys used to wear a speedo like, unlike North American knee-long loose 'pants', lol.

 

[Treva]

Our first night in an Albergue was at Roncesvalle in a room with many bunk beds. It was our first Camino. Upon awakening in the morning, the first thing my husband saw was a tall, very well-built blonde female changing her bra right there in the middle of the room. Then, as she turned and bent over to fasten it, her shapely thong-clad bum was right in his face. No chance to avert his eyes— by the time it all happened he was in shock and it was too late. Needless to say he thought, “I’m really going to enjoy this trip!” He said he thinks she was probably from Scandalavia.

 

[Marjus]

from my experience Europeans are more 'relaxed', for example small kids run naked on the beach.....and guys used to wear a speedo like, unlike North American knee-long loose 'pants', lol.

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

There are no naive questions . No worries, take it easy. Usually, showers are separated by a door or curtain. In some hostels, there are separate showers and toilets for women and men, but not in all. Bring a large lightweight scarf; you can use it in many ways. Buon camino!

 

[Vacajoe]

There was no 'nudity'!

You must have not walked with many Germans!

 

[J Willhaus]

Another tip for people who are worried about personal bathroom "exposure". Most pilgrims do shower right away when they check in so they can also wash their dirty clothes and have them get dry before morning. You could wait until later in the afternoon or evening and you probably have the bathroom to yourself. There is usually more hot water anyway. This does mean that you can't always wash your dirty clothes and get them dry by the next day though unless there is a dryer. In this case it is nice to have at least three pairs of underwear and socks so you can wash the dirty things from the day before earlier in the afternoon.

Nudity is of course relative and people expect that you will look away (when you can). There are the occasional surprising exposures and this can be upsetting to some people. Usually you are sleeping in a mixed gender dorm with a roomful of strangers at albergues, although some albergues (very few) do segregate men and women into different dorms. It is a different experience for many people and it can take some getting used to at first.

If it is something you cant or don't want to handle, you can seek private rooms with private bathrooms although this can increase the cost of a Camino especially for a solo pilgrim.

 

[Blister Bill]

It's questions like this and the answers they engender that make the forum the joy it is ! The sights, sounds and experiences of the albergue are an integral part of the Camino experience and will give you fodder to regale your family and friends for years to come. Sometimes you will want to burn your retinas out; other times you will pinch yourself just to make sure you are not hallucinating. Sit back, relax, be you but just remember you are going to be living an experience with people from different cultures, countries, ages, beliefs and standards especially in albergues and that is a huge part of what makes the camino the rich tapestry it is so don't miss it !!

 

[David Tallan]

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

I generally change in the shower stall, where there is most often room to do so. I will take with me into the shower my towel, a smaller ziplock with my toiletries, and a large ziplock with a clean change of clothes. After my shower, I will change into the clean clothes and the dirty clothes will be put into the ziplock to be taken to the laundry area and cleaned. After they are dried, they go into the empty ziplock.

There are usually multiple shower stalls and multiple toilet stalls (sometimes in the same large washroom, sometimes in separate rooms). Sinks are not in stalls (obviously ).

All that said, there are pilgrims from countries where social norms are different than where I live and it isn't uncommon to see pilgrims walking around dorms wearing less than I would walk around a dorm in.

 

[David Tallan]

Others will have a mens/womens bathroom. Showers usually have some kind of curtain or cabinet, but not all. Some are still kind of like a locker room shower where you just pick a shower head and shower. Usually toilet stalls will have a door, but perhaps not. I have stayed in a few like this.

I have seen very few albergues with locker room style showers. They certainly exist, but in a small minority. I haven't yet been in an albergue without doors on toilet stalls.

 

[CarolamS]

I always change within the shower cubicle. It can be snug! ALWAYS take your valuables with you. I use ultralight dry bags for my clothes, and have a small Heroclip (a type of S hook) in case there is no hook.

You'll be surprised at how quickly it all feels normal

 

[Frankybaby66]

Our first night in an Albergue was at Roncesvalle in a room with many bunk beds. It was our first Camino. Upon awakening in the morning, the first thing my husband saw was a tall, very well-built blonde female changing her bra right there in the middle of the room. Then, as she turned and bent over to fasten it, her shapely thong-clad bum was right in his face. No chance to avert his eyes— by the time it all happened he was in shock and it was too late. Needless to say he thought, “I’m really going to enjoy this trip!” He said he thinks she was probably from Scandalavia.

'No time' . . . The Camino provides is really a thing!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I always change in to my clean clothes in the shower cubicle, being a rather prudish American. I toss my toiletries and clean clothes in a typical grocery bag I hang with an S-hook if needed in the shower. After showering I then replace the bag with my dirty clothes to take to the laundry area; no special zip lock bag needed for me.

 

[kwinward]

@kwinward It's a good question and one that I'm sure worries new Pilgrims to a degree.

I was an avid 'avoider' of Albergues for a number of reasons. I like my privacy, was worried about my snoring, etc etc. But bathroom etiquette, was also something I needed to be comfortable with. Sure I had 20+ years in the Military a long time ago, but this was something new. Mixed genders, ages, cultures. Potentially a situation where is would be easy to cause offence!

So last Camino, I promised myself that I would try Albergues. And I did. 20+ of all different types. Private, Parochial, Municipal etc. It was a really broad cross section. All were good. Some were quite busy / near full. Others almost empty. And the range of accommodations ranged from 10 bunk beds 'crammed' into a small room with one shower / toilet. To a large room. with single beds, and lovely new bathrooms for men and women separately. And everything in between.

So I am by no means whatsoever, an Albergue 'Veteran' but can certainly give a perspective as a 'Newbie' Albergue user.

My experience was:

1. Everyone is generally very respectful and averts their eyes if people are changing.
2. There was no 'nudity'! People would take clean clothes with them to the bathroom, and come back from their shower in fresh clothes. Or they would discretely 'wrap' themselves in something to and from the bathroom.
3. There was a bit of 'changing under the covers' too I think.
4. Most people try not to 'hog' the facilities, so that others don't have to wait too long.

re the Bathrooms........

• There were often showers and toilets in the same area, sometimes in separate areas.
• Usually showers were in some kind of cubicle, often with a lockable door.
• In one, the showers were 'open' like a scene from a prison movie! But those are quite rate I think. At least there were separate rooms/showers for men and women!
• In one there was one room for all genders that contained a shower and a toilet. And the door lock did not work. We put a chair behind the door and agreed to sing in the shower!

My overall impression and experience was very good. It actually became, in a rather bizarre way, quite 'normal' for this varied group of people, of different genders, ages and cultures to all bunk and live in the same space.

The experience also led to me busting a Myth!

On a couple of occasions I noticed during the night that my fellow Pilgrim in the upper bunk, was snoring like a train! Enough to wake me a couple of times, but I was so tired I quickly fell back toT sleep. It was not a problem.

Was it the usual 'suspects'? Older, slightly overweight men, who had too much Vinto Tinto with dinner?
(My profile)

No. On both occasions the culprits were.........
young 'twenty something' women, who were very fit!

Both had walked 30-40 km days. So I reckon it's just being dead tired that often leads to snoring!

Thanks so much. Very helpful. I am looking forward to it.

 

[kwinward]

One of the great things of this forum is the advice us veteran pilgrims pass along advice to new pilgrims. I will pass along to you now some sage words my mother would say to my dad, brother and I, EVERY TIME we went to the bathroom. I grew up in a small one bedroom apartment in The Bronx in New York. My brother and I slept in a little bedroom and my parents slept on a pullout couch in the living room. Anyway every time my mother heard (and she heard everything, trust me) the bathroom door close she would say loudly and in no uncertain terms: "PICK UP THE SEAT AND HIT THE DAMN BOWL I AM SICK AND TIRED OF CLEANING UP AFTER YOU ANIMALS". So follow the words of my dear departed mom and you will be fine. My wife, to this day, carries on my mom's words!!!! If you do this you will be fine. Buen Camino.

Your mom sounds like quite the woman.

 

[Tincatinker]

There is a custom of behaviour in much of Europe that is best described as a “custody of the eyes”. You do not look and you do not see. It’s a custom with deep, deep roots. Think “Susanna and the Elders”, Peeping Tom, the story of Siproites. These stories are intrinsic to societies where the behaviour, taking advantage of another’s vulnerability in an intimate moment, are understood to be an outrage against common culture.

It’s not a matter of “Don’t look Ethel”, it’s more “Ethel, why are you looking?” In a common intimate space maintain custody of your eyes and expect that everyone there with you will do the same. Even the buff Italian cyclists in their tiny drawers and the nice Scandinavian lady who has saved weight in her rucksack by wearing the skimpiest skimpies she could find.

This not to be confused with those pathetic flashers waving their todgers out of the bushes.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I must say I feel the Germans are being unfairly singled out here. I see the same attitudes amongst Scandinavians.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

"Custody of the eyes" or not, I am not willing to get dressed in the aisles of an albergue. I've been known a few times to accidently take a quick peek at others, so who's to say a few wouldn't necessarily do the same. Irregardless, it makes me feel uncomfortable, so I'm not doing it...to each their own.

 

[J Willhaus]

I have seen very few albergues with locker room style showers. They certainly exist, but in a small minority. I haven't yet been in an albergue without doors on toilet stalls.

I did see both this year at Xunta albergues on the CF. Some showers where the area was open with a shower head on each side. No door. At least one Xunta albergue with no doors on a couple of the toilets. Also outside of Estella in the big sports hall albergue (don't recall the name) where the shower room is actually a locker room. There are not many of them, but they do exist.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

There are not many of them, but they do exist.

Not sure about now, but on my first Camino in 2015, the muni in Zubiri had two large open shower rooms in a separate building; men's and women's. I felt vulnerable, even so.
O Cebreiro's showers were set up the same way in 2017, although I didn't take one there.
I remember another Xunta on the Frances with the same huge stalls, but can't remember which village.

 

[witsendwv]

I find most Americans are more modest about nudity. Of course, there are variations from family to family and person to person. But overall, I find americans are more modest now than when I was little. For example, when I go camping with teenagers they will take turns changing privately in the tent they share to sleep in, waiting patiently outside. (I now wake them up a half hour earlier, because I know they will take forever to get moving.) When I was a teen we shucked off our clothes and changed all together in the tent. Also, there were double showers in the dormitories in college, now everyone has a shower area that is private and often with a door that locks.

There was one time at an albergue, where some young german men were stretching out in their underwear before getting dressed, some American women in their 70's were really upset. I shrugged and invited the women to come and get a cup of coffee with me and leave those good looking germans guys to stretch out on their own.

When staying with a friend of mine in Germany, her husband would come in from working in the fields and change as soon as was inside so as not to track dirt through the house. He's just strip of his clothes and pull on the clean ones hanging right near the door. No one thought a thing about it. But it wouldn't happen in the US-- at least not in my neck of the woods.

I am lucky if I get my husband in the house before he strips (after working in the barn on the diesel tractor), but we have no neighbors for over a mile from our house! We have to remodel our bathroom so the old claw foot tub is going on the deck for soaking!!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

flashers waving their todgers out of the bushes.

It was just yesterday I mentioned that I often learn new things on the forum; sometimes it's words...today is one of those days.

 

[CalgaryLynn]

"Custody of the eyes" or not, I am not willing to get dressed in the aisles of an albergue. I've been known a few times to accidently take a quick peek at others, so who's to say a few wouldn't necessarily do the same. Irregardless, it makes me feel uncomfortable, so I'm not doing it...to each their own.

Yup, what you said! I camp all the time in the summer but I am treating myself with privacy this trip. I am outgoing enough that when I want to mix with other folks, I will.

 

[lt56ny]

Your mom sounds like quite the woman.

Gracias! She ran a pretty tight ship. But not always as successfully as she wanted

 

[WGroleau]

I generally change in the shower stall, where there is most often room to do so. I will take with me into the shower my towel, a smaller ziplock with my toiletries, and a large ziplock with a clean change of clothes. After my shower, I will change into the clean clothes and the dirty clothes will be put into the ziplock to be taken to the laundry area and cleaned. After they are dried, they go into the empty ziplock.

Our showers were sort of “double stalls” so you could hang your clothes in the outer stall to stay dry while you shower. The door was opaque and enclosed both parts.

 

[DeaconJohnny]

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in albergues. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what to expect. Since it is often mixed dorm rooms, do people dress in the bathrooms or do the regular social norms just kind of go out the window. Are there usually multiple shower stalls and are they separate from the toilet and sink? I appreciate any advice you can provide. I don't want to offend anyone.

I agree with the previous answers but want to share that some Albergues are converted houses and so they have private bathrooms. However, in one albergue I remember it was a large older one, there were separate shower, sink, and toilet rooms but they were all coed! I walked into a shower room full of women!
I backed out with several Lo sientos and searched for the men's shower and was told it was a coed shower!

 

[pjacobi]

Sit back, relax, be you but just remember you are going to be living an experience with people from different cultures, countries, ages, beliefs and standards especially in albergues and that is a huge part of what makes the camino the rich tapestry it is so don't miss it !!

Well said! That's very good advice.


-Paul

 

[CanadianBarb]

Perhaps I missed it but one thing I also always do when having a shower is just wet my hair and body, turn the shower off while I suds where needed to and then quickly rinse , using the least amount of water I can to hopefully allow some warm water left for other pilgrims. I have also been the recipient of several cold showers and I attempt to not leave this cold water for others behind me! Basically remembering The Golden Rule with kindness!

 

[J Willhaus]

Perhaps I missed it but one thing I also always do when having a shower is just wet my hair and body, turn the shower off while I suds where needed to and then quickly rinse , using the least amount of water I can to hopefully allow some warm water left for other pilgrims. I have also been the recipient of several cold showers and I attempt to not leave this cold water for others behind me! Basically remembering The Golden Rule with kindness!

Some places have hot water on demand which is great. Others as you note have the traditional hot water heater which can run out quickly. Thanks for being considerate!

 

[WGroleau]

Some places have hot water on demand which is great. Others as you note have the traditional hot water heater which can run out quickly. Thanks for being considerate!

Our boiler was so far from the shower that we had a recirdulation system to keep the pipes warm!

 

[Albertagirl]

I prefer gender modesty in showers, but will sometimes choose not to shower at all if the shower room is very cold. Ancient dormitories in monastic settings will sometimes necessitate a choice between bodily cleanliness and simply freezing. I generally tell myself, "I can shower in tomorrow's warm(er) bathroom."