Open Showers for Men - A fond memory or still in use?

 

Recently there was a discussion on the YMNA2,(Young Men's Nudist Association) Yahoo group. It started when an old advertisement for Bradley Showers was shared (see photo above). Actually, the changes in acceptance (or tolerance) for nudity between men in places where it was formerly both accepted, required and even encouraged has caused there to be a lot of similar discussion in men's circles for many years now. One such example, a lengthy one, on a straight men's discussion board can be found at: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=294839&page=0

Here is the discussion over the past few days:



atitlan wrote: My thanks to the blogger who found this. I can't believe that the artwork for the advert wasn't done by someone with a wicked sense of humour - "pull and turn", the equipment says.

Pete added: Judging by the expression on their faces I would guess they've all pulled and didn't have far to 'turn'!
Can only have been done by someone with a great sense of humour or completely naive.
Aussie Kevin replied: I LOVE the eye-line on the guy on the left!

Actually, this is really heart-warming...and sadly something that most young guys would avoid, in Australia and the States anyway. Showering together, enjoying it openly, just being free and open and natural with buddies! it actually has a really nice energy to it. From days gone by though, sadly.


James of Louisville added:
Here's another ad for the product and a similar product in use.

The Bradley company is still in operation. http://www.bradleycorp.com/

RESPONSE by atitlan:
                                                                                     Thanks, James, for

these - excellent research! I remember moving from one gym with its long line of gang showers to another gym that had pole showers. I didn't like the pole variety overmuch. They were rather too intimate for comfort if all the shower jets were taken. Because we were so near one another, there was little personal space and always a risk of backing into people either side. Yes, that might not always have been unwelcome, except then there was then a further risk of developing a hard-on just inches away from a group of ostensibly straight men.


Pedro chipped in:
Those are the type I had in high school. A friend of mine would soap up my back for me.
This is where I started to develop my reputation as a tough guy.
I took cold showers.

Jason brings up his point:

I have fond memories of the pole type showers like Bradley Corp makes. We had them in junior high and high school both! talk about having nowhere to hide and really getting to check out your classmates!

I haven't seen one in use since then in all of my travels around the States, so I am not sure who is buying these products from Bradley! Even the new gyms I go to which have gang showers have the shower heads built in to the walls around the room. They don't have the 6-person "pole" variety. I do wish I could go to a shower room that has them though!

William wanted to know:
Several years ago I frequently went to the gay bath houses......like The Club, or Midtowne; they had the Bradley shower heads, and everyone loved them. Have no idea if they still use those or not. Anyone know?

ZeroFear replied:
The YMCA I belong to in New Hampshire still has a locker room with gang/open style showers that has both the shower heads built into one wall, and then in the middle of the room it has two of the pole showers. Each pole has either 4 or 5 showers heads on it.

Sunbuns (Kelly - that's me ) adds his experience:

The pole shower is still used in places like public beaches, where close contact isn't expected to cause a problem. 

 

You can find the 'Bradley' type showers along public beaches in Hawaii and Spain (I'm sure many other places, too).

What's nice about them is that you can take a shower in public and stand close to some guys while each of you is occupied with the getting clean without appearing to leer or be inappropriately 'interested.' It's fun when a guy pulls

his swimsuit out from his body (or even down somewhat) to help wash out the sand. You can sometimes get a glimpse of his pubic hair, ass or even more.

It seems obvious to me that some guys - straight ones - seem to enjoy this chance to do a bit of mild flashing - at least in the sexually repressed US.
Sometimes, a few teenager or older young men find it the perfect time to horse around - such as pulling down a unwary friend's suit, and so on. So when I hang out at the beach, I find it very entertaining to stay not very far from the Bradley public shower.

On the nude beach at Gandia (Spain) in Sept this year, it was nice watching guys use these open-air showers either alone or together and, especially when I had timed my shower with some other dude's.

 

ChaosMen: Kenneth and Luca Rosso – Serviced

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Dr Geo And Brody (College Boy Physicals)

Now that Brody's puckering rectum was more relaxed and stretched out from the pounding I gave him, 

I decided to reward him with a little e-stim.

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• Click here for more from College Boy Physicals!

How to set up a 'real' live CMNM Event: Exploring ideas

  One among many: naked vs clothed Originally uploaded by guys2ncmnm

This article is a personal rumination about the pleasures and difficulties of trying to organize a live CMNM event. There are lots of problems in getting a thing like this organized - perhaps I've bitten more than I can chew -- not to be too funny about it.

 For one thing .. CMNM is about what it says it means = clothed males / naked males - it's just that that can mean a lot of different things too. It's not exactly the same as flashing a total stranger - although it could be that.

While the guys involved may be strangers (or even friends/acquaintances), there is a usually mutually agreed upon enjoyment for the nude guy(s) as well as the clothed - which is not always true when flashing - the flashee gets an eyeful whether he likes it or not.

For some, it's about dominance and subservience that matters.. so an element of hazing is desired -- commanding and obeying.. but I'm not really keen to get in those type of role-playing games (BDSM) with total strangers - whom I'll never meet again.

So how this CMNM event that can be accomplished with guys who meet in a public place for the first time will depend on who participates and where it happens. So that's another reason why I couldn't write the details... they are put together yet. I'm only a visitor - staying 3 days/2 nights.

 

We could meet the first night to plan what to do sometime the next day.

Another reason for no details is security.
Putting all the details about precise location and times and everything may get the word out
 better.. but it also opens it up as a target - there ARE people who in the world who have nothing better to do than badger or humiliate men who love men. So it's best to leave the details fuzzy on publicly visible boards - such as dickflash.com





So far only a couple of other guys have indicated a desire to join..- actually only two guys on this site, and a couple from elsewhere... (on this the Guys Into CMNM blog and on other sites) but also.. no one has any given any real ideas about what/when/where or how such a CMNM meetup / hookup / party can be or should be.

I don't live in London or really know it that well.. but I have been several times and can get around. If you do a bit of looking online, you'll find that the address is an accommodation There is several possibilities. Since I'm already booked for a short stay there. I was thinking that our CMNM event(s) could possibly center around that location. I've had plenty of opportunities to be naked (or see naked men) while staying in a hostel. One problem is this one is not male-only - although it depends on the room

and how many guests are staying. Also, in some hostels, local residents are not allowed to stay or sometimes the guests are not allowed to have visitors. I don't think that's the case.. but I'm not exactly sure. I've heard that the shower rooms afford some chance to some 'accidental' exposure.


We could do something so innocent as:

1) meet in the in-house bar/restaurant for drinks or snack,

 2) come visit me in my dorm room - and then get around to getting somebody naked - either one of our 'cmnm' group or maybe some of the other guys staying in the room (is that unethical?) -- maybe? But it could be a whole lot of fun.

 3) having a party in the room and play strip poker (or an easier kind of game where the loser has to remove a piece clothing until some (or all are naked).

4) More clever would be for several of our 'cmnm' group staying in the same or nearby rooms and then pretending not to know each other.. .. so we can get some going like one guy jerking off in his bunk, and then another guy (our member joining in). It would get some of the other guys (not our group) horny and they would join in the fun... Maybe a little farfetched... but you never know until you try. Outside the hostel... it's very large and could be very crowded

5) doing some naked dares and having buddies to watch out / bring your clothes to a rendezvous point, or take photos, etc. ...

6) going to a bar/club where nudity is either allowed or required



7) perhaps some one would be willing to host a small group in his apartment, office lounge after hours..etc...

8) Another idea is to have pre-selected roles for a type of simulation - visit to a doctor's for an exam. One guys in the patient, another two play the role of physician and or specialist, there could be a male nurse who gives sponge baths.  It's up to your imagination.
 

Am I losing you here? There are other roles that come to mind.. but it takes a bit of energy, a passion for realism but fantasy, and a place where that could happen. I've written more than I had thought. So far I've not heard from anyone in Greece.. so it appears that London will be the first 'cmnm' event that would actually get off the ground.. and that is still not determined.

 Let me know what you think or how you would see it working?
If you can make any suggestions, that would be great.
Kelly  (sunbuns / sunbun99 / sunbunz)