A communal bathing experience - a story
So I’ve had a few interesting experiences lately I figured I’d share. While not necessarily “communal showering” per se, I think it falls in line with the interests of this sub.
So about 2 weeks ago, I was in my local gym’s steam room. It was about an hour before closing and there was one other gentleman, I’d estimate in his early 50s. We both had swimsuits on. But as I looked over, I noticed he was rubbing a substance all over his body. Arms. Legs. Torso. Everywhere.
Out of sheer curiosity, I asked what is that?
He went onto explain that he was originally from Morocco. In his home country, they use this highly concentrated organic and fragrant soap they use in steam rooms. He asked if I’d like to try it. It was like this gel substance that melts into a lather in the heat.
Hesitantly, I tried a bit. It smelled amazing. He encouraged me to try even more and before I knew it, we had taken off our swim suits and were lathering up in the steam room. He told me all about life in Morocco and how it compares to life here. It was a very cool and 100000% non sexual experience.
Fast forward to last night. Same gentleman. Same steam room. This time there was another younger guy (I’d guess maybe 25?) who joined in.
The man from Morocco said that in his country they wash each others backs that are hard to reach, but here in the US it is frowned upon. Eventually we rinsed off in the showers with the doors slightly ajar so we could see each other. Like a continuation of the steam room.
Anyway, I thought it was a cool experience with not even a hint of sexual tension, but ended up being a connecting experience across cultures.