Sydney gym bans female members from using changing room dryers on their pubic hair

A Sydney gym has banned female members from using their changing room dryers on their pubic hair, displaying a poster telling women not to use communal hairdryers to dry their groin area.

First reported by the Daily Mail Australia in July, the move by management at Fitness First Top Ryde was reportedly made “to ensure members felt comfortable using the change rooms and facilities.”

Staff at the Fitness First club put up the signs around the facility to remind its female members that blow-dryers are not to dry off their naked bodies, including their pubic hair and groin area.

The poster features an illustration of two women to explain how to use a public hair dryer properly.

On the left-hand-side, it shows a naked woman holding a hair dryer with a large red cross underneath it.

While the right-hand side of the cartoon image shows a fully dressed woman blow drying her hair with a green tick beneath it.

And if the message isn’t loud and clear, it’s also explained in writing: “Please respect other users of the female changing room, including children who come in with their parents.

“Please only use the hairdryers to dry the hair on the head.

“Thank you, Management.”

A Fitness First spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that they produced the sign to help the “mixed and varied” and “ensure members felt comfortable using the change rooms and facilities.”

It’s unclear whether similar signs were displayed in the male changing rooms.

While this represents an Australian first, management of a popular swimming pool in Reykjavik, Iceland, have advised male swimmers not to use communal hairdryers to dry their groin area.

Management took action after a disgruntled patron wrote to the Fréttatíminn newspaper with a complaint entitled “This is not a scrotum dryer”.

According to Iceland Magazine, Haraldur Jónasson slammed the mis-use of blow-dryers describing it as “inconsiderate and offensive behaviour”.

The swimming pool’s make changing area now displays a poster giving the following advice:

“Don‘t dry your ball sack or your butt with the communal hair dryer in the swimming pool or the gym.

“Bald older gentlemen with hairy torsos must either bring their own blow-dryers or just buy a more absorbent towel.”

A 2013, a US study found that 88% of adults wouldn’t exercise in a gym or athletic facility if they found it to have cleanliness issues. 

Images: The poster displayed at Fitness First Top Ryde (top and below) and the club's facilities (middle).

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