Iceland bans men from using hair dryer in swimming pool or gym shower rooms for drying groin area
Until recently, the hair dryer in men’s shower rooms in swimming pool or gym locker rooms were hardly used. Unlike many women who prefer to dry their hair using the device after a shampoo or shower, since most men have shorter hair or don’t mind having wet hair, the hair dryer is often unused.
That is until a growing number of male Icelanders felt they have another body hair which they wanted dry before putting on their clothes after a shower. So they used the hair dryer to dry their pubic hair, reports The Telegraph.
However, a local swimmer noticed the practice and complained about it in a local daily that one public swimming pool is banning the use of the hair dryer on the groin area. To drive home the message, the operators of the pool came up with a poster reminding men on the proper use of the dryer.
The poster is titled “This is not a ball sack dryer” and reminds men “Don’t dry your ball sack or your butt with the communal hairdryer in the swimming pool or the gym.” It advised bald men with hairy bodies to bring their own blow dryers or purchase a more absorbent towel.
It seems the practice is not limited to Iceland because a Reddit thread discussed also the practice. Among those guilty of doing it cite avoiding dampness, stickiness and friction when they use a towel to dry those intimate body parts as reason.
One man, who used the fan at home to dry his groin, explains that wearing briefs or boxers when that area is wet cold lead to a sour smell. Elder men add the groin is prone to rashes due to moisture and a prime spot for yeast infection.
The Telegraph says it has not received reports of similar practice in women’s shower room. However, Gawker’s Caity Weaver, in response to a letter writer who saw females also do it in the locker room, replies that it is more odd than gross. She points out “holding a blow-dryer near your pubic region is less disgusting than walking around a gym locker room barefoot.”
However, she crosses the line at the only body part touching the dryer is the hand. Weaver notes there is no way to surreptitiously use the hair dryer even for a few seconds only.
