culture shock, part 118

[jay]

The Hotel Platzl here in Munich has a top floor sauna/gymnasium for the use of guests... it has a steam room, sauna, cold plunge, foot washes, tanning booth, showers, lockers and exercise equipment in various rooms (the latter bombarded with German MTV-like videos). It is lovely, done in tile and in a Turkish style. No street shoes are allowed inside.

So, this morning after breakfast I went up for a workout...

... wondered where the men's and women's lockers were, and bathroom, and wondered if I'd wandered into the wrong side. Er. There's only one locker area, and users often exercise in the nude, going from equipment to shower to sauna in nothing or just a bathrobe. Men and women share the same facilities.

Given the social norms at home in California, this wasn't particularly alarming, except that I didn't know these other people... I kept on my T-shirt and shorts (chuckle).

Comments

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

Yes - my first experience of this in Germany was at a squash club where the cleaning lady was quite happy to go into the men's showers while we were all there in the nude. She had the advantage of us since she was wearing her clothes.

Its for reasons like this that I never found the mixed shower scene in the movie of Starship Troops to be as remarkable as some thought. You'll see a lot of other things, like bear breasts in normal advertising posters, if you travel round Europe.

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Bear breasts? Mmm! Furry! :-)

[purplecthulhu.livejournal.com]

OK - bare...

And the French used to have them on their banknotes! I have no idea how the faint-hearted could cope!

[brooksmoses]

Well, the Commonwealth of Virginia has one on its flag....