Communal showers are a group of single
shower
A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers are set up to have adjustable temperature, spray pressure and showerhead nozzle angle. The si ...
s put together in one room or area. They are often used in
changerooms,
school
A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
s,
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
s, and
barracks
Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...
for personal hygiene. Although the use of communal showers has grown less prevalent in the West in the 21st century than it was in prior years, communal showers are often present in school locker rooms for use after
physical education
Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...
. They also continue to exist in some
gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
nasiums and at many
swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
s.
History
Modern communal showers were installed in the barracks of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
in the 1870s as an economic hygiene measure under the guidance of
François Merry Delabost, a French doctor and inventor. As surgeon-general at Bonne Nouvelle prison in
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
, Delabost had previously replaced individual baths with mandatory communal showers for use by prisoners, arguing that they were more economical and hygienic. The French system of communal showers was adopted by other armies (the first being that of
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
in 1879) and by prisons in other jurisdictions. They were also adopted by boarding schools before being installed in
public bathhouses. The first shower in a public bathhouse was opened in 1887 in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria. In France, public bathhouses and showers were established by Charles Cazalet, first in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
in 1893 and then in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 1899. They quickly proved successful, with the latter only closing in 1985.
21st century status
In the United States and in some English-speaking provinces of Canada, students at
public schools have historically been required to shower communally with classmates of the same sex after physical education classes.
In the U.S., public objections and the threat of lawsuits have led a number of school districts to make showers optional or to abolish the practice entirely.
In many parts of the Western world, the number of schools with open communal showers has gradually decreased. Because of students' religious and privacy concerns, communal showers have been replaced with individual and private spaces for bathing.
A court case in
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
noted that students have a reduced expectation of personal privacy in regards to "communal undress" while showering after physical education classes.
See also
*
Mixed bathing
*
Unisex changing rooms
References
{{Nudity
1870s introductions
Bathing
French inventions
Sauna