Whether it’s your place of refuge, ultimate challenge, source of motivation or necessary evil, the gym caters to all types of people. The same is true for the women’s locker room; while it should be a place to let your hair down, many women find the locker room more of a battle ground or obstacle course than a pampering sanctuary. Help your fellow female fitness buffs to feel more comfortable by following simple locker room etiquette.

It’s a conundrum; the locker room is for disrobing yet those women who strut around the locker room naked have a way of making others feel uncomfortable. And most often it’s not feelings of jealousy over someone’s rock-hard body, but rather a simple awkwardness over a display of nudity. After all, we’re taught to keep our clothes on in public so it can be uncomfortable to have a stranger parade their nakedness in front of us. While the locker is meant for undressing, do so with respect to those around you and use the help of a towel. Even if you’re just on your way to the shower, give thought to those whom you have to pass to get there.

Have you ever walked into the locker room and saw a pile of used towels sitting on the bench or floor near the lockers? While it’s a pleasure to belong to a gym that has locker room staff, it’s not a free pass to forget your manners. Think about the woman coming in behind you who will most likely want to change in a clean environment, rather than one where she has to navigate around wet, used towels. Most gyms have bins conveniently placed to properly dispose of used towels; find them and use them.

Peak workout time means peak shower time. Be aware of how many other women are waiting to take a shower and time yours accordingly; it can be frustrating to be late to work or dinner due to someone else taking an excessively long shower. Also remember to take all of your shower items with you when you are finished, even empty shampoo bottles.

The mirror, hair dryer, counter and lockers are all subject to proper protocol in the women’s locker room. Hogging the mirror, using the hair dryer for an exceptionally long time, having your cosmetics thrown all over the counter or using several lockers at once means that someone else has to do without. Use your fair share, and then make room for the woman next to you.