Benefits of Showering at the Gym vs. at Home

Locker room
Photo by Ivan Samkov from Pexels

Most gyms have a locker room with a shower, and nothing feels better than soaping off the sweat immediately after a workout. But not everyone is comfortable with the commonality of gym showers and you may have a hard time deciding between the lesser of two discomforts: showering at the gym or at home. Here are some tips to help you decide where to shower after a workout.

Hygiene

As you might imagine, showering in a place where other people have showered increases your risk of athlete’s foot and similar issues. It’s important to wear shower shoes in public showers, which should help eliminate the risk. At the same time, it’s not very good for your skin or other areas to wear sweaty clothes for too long, so if your journey home is longer than is comfortable, you may want to at least rinse off and put on dry clothes before leaving. If it’s not too long, then be sure to shower and change right when you arrive home if you’re very sweaty.

Comfort and Privacy

Much of this decision comes down to personal comfort. Specifically, how much stuff do you want to take with you? How much privacy do you care about? Do you have a long post-shower routine? If you choose to shower at the gym, you’ll have to carry an extra change of clothes and possibly extra personal hygiene products, unless you have a dedicated locker in which to keep them. But that may be worth it for the immediate satisfaction of getting clean and dry without an uncomfortable journey home.