college
A college girl's guide to communal bathroom showers
6:09 PM
(image courtesy of MTV)
Going into my first year of college, I wasn't worried about the showers; I'd already conquered the cabin bathrooms at camp so I figured I could handle anything. My roommate, however, informed me that she was concerned with hygiene and, primarily, privacy when she first moved into our residence hall.
I want to preface with the fact that even in their freshmen year, everyone has a unique living situation. This guide, if you will, is directed towards women (and to men, heck) living in halls with communal bathrooms who strive towards having the best and most comfortable college experience possible.
And we need to talk about showers.
Because even though, no, going into my first (and current) year of college, I wasn't too concerned with the shower situation, I have learned a few tips and tricks that I think will help anyone out. So today, I'm gonna be covering a few topics and giving my humble thoughts.
1) Shower curtains:
Yes, they will cover you. And if by any slim chance they don't, report that shit to your RA. They will take care of it. They are obligated to keep you feeling safe! But I can tell you that even the flimsy, light colored shower curtains we have on our floor do the job.
2) Shower parties:
Yes, shower parties are a thing, but they're not what you think. Shower parties occur when a group of two or more commandeer a row of showers, listen to music, jam out, and get clean. It's not a sex thing. These are actually really fun! And totally common. So if you're into that, go for it! But if you're not...
3) Introverts and the communal shower:
Don't stalk people, but try to recognize the general shower pattern of your residence hall floor. For instance, I'm an introvert (or rather an ambivert.) I really do prefer to have the bathroom to myself when I shower so I can listen to my music without worrying whether other people hate it or not, jam out like no one's watching (because they're not), and have some quiet, relaxing "me" time after a long day. It didn't take me long to realize that the shower parties happen between 10pm-11pm, but solo shower-ers who take about 30 minutes to do their thing star trailing in closer to midnight So I found that shortly after 11 is the perfect time for me to relax and take my time without a bunch of extroverts yelling across the bathroom to each other.
4) Boys in the showers?:
So, this one is tricky. If you live on a coed floor, there might be boys and girls in the bathrooms. There's not much you can do about it but again, it's possible that you might have separate bathrooms for separate genders. However, if your RA has implemented a rule banning the opposite gender in your bathroom, or even if that isn't a rule but people are having sex in a bathroom stall and you just need to take a shower: again, report to your RA. I don't want to be like report this, report that, but A) You are COMPLETELY entitled to your privacy and B) If people are gonna be having sex in a shower or bathroom stall, it better be a quickie or it better be while no one is in there. There's a line: sex is great, but not everyone wants to see someone else doing it in a place designated to individuals' privacy. Do not underestimate or lessen the importance of your comfort!
5) Robes or towels?:
Completely up to you: what really matters are the flip-flops. Come prepared with shower shoes! And I would recommend robing (or towel-ing) in your room and disrobing in the shower. Dry yourself off in your stall and then re-robe.
6) The Shower Caddy:
To transport all of your materials between your room and your bathroom, purchase a shower caddy to store all of your toiletries. Make sure that this caddy has holes (they can be perfectly small) cut out on the sides or on the bottom to help the water drain out. Don't overlook that step! It will help things from getting messy. My caddy is plastic and it does have a handle. It has two deep, side portions for shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. It also has a few middle pockets for smaller items like razors. I also like to blot my caddy on the carpet in the hallway before taking it back to my room to remove a but of excess water.
7) Soap:
I prefer to use body wash! I have a bar of African Black soap I use to exfoliate my face, but even that gets messy and mushy. I really love having a bottle of body wash. It smells great, gets the job done, lathers just as well as soap, and is completely mess free.
8) Loofas Will Save Your Life:
I used washcloths my first term of college, and honestly, I'm really happy I made the switch to loofas. With washcloths, I wouldn't always have something to clean myself with when I got behind on laundry. Loofas lather much better, and they're incredibly cheap.
9) Remember That You Are Not The Only Person On Your Floor:
And I can tell you that some people on my floor don't know don't seem to understand this little fact. Clean up after yourself when you're done. Just peel your hair off of the wall so someone else doesn't have to, and we can call it a day! Also, don't clean out your brush in the shower. Clean it out and throw it away in the trash can. I swear someone cleans it out in the showers on my floor. We only have one drain, so when it clogs, none of us are happy.
10) They're Really Not That Bad:
You will discover a routine that works for you! Just remember to be respectful to other people on your floor and don't settle for them failing to do the same for you.
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