By Ester Marsh

I was asked to do another column on the “unwritten” bathroom and locker room etiquettes!

Bathroom etiquettes:

• Flush after you are done. When you are “doing a No. 2,” please give it a courtesy flush. When you are using a lot of toilet paper, please flush numerous times. We are having challenges with toilets clogging due to massive amounts of toilet paper.

• After you wash your hands, turn off the faucet. Double check if it’s not trickling. If it doesn’t shut off properly, let us know. It blows my mind when people walk away not shutting water off at all. Wonder if they do this at home too.

• Throw the paper towels in the trash. When you drop it on accident, pick it up and try again.

• Women, do not flush anything else than toilet paper down the toilet please. And as I mentioned above, using lots of toilet paper flush numerous times, thank you.

• Please clean the lid when you “sprinkle.”

• Do not change clothes in the bathroom. We have locker rooms to change. It is very frustrating, when you really have to go, to find someone changing clothes in there.

• Do not change clothes outside the bathroom in front of the sink.

• Let us know when there is no toilet paper please, in case there is no toilet paper; please do not use paper towels. If it is not dispensed in the stall, it isn’t toilet paper!

On to the locker room:

• Lock your valuables. Because you are hiding them does not mean they can’t be found.

• When naked, put towel down before you sit down! That includes the sauna, steam room and benches. Would you want to sit down were someone else sat naked?

• When naked, please be aware how you put on your lotion. Maybe it’s a good idea to put underwear on before you lotion your calves? Or at least turn the moon the other direction.

• Don’t shave in the steam room, ever.

• Don’t blow your nose without a tissue in it either.

• Just because it’s moist in steam room, please do not pee in there.

• Don’t spray cold water on the thermostat. Wonder why a steam room breaks? Thermostats are made to regulate temperatures, not be sprayed with cold water.

• Do not dry your clothes inside the sauna, especially not the heating element itself.

• When people are waiting to take a shower, please cut your shower short. And we shouldn’t be so wasteful anyway.

• Keep your time to color your hair for home or the beauty shop — please — even with temporary hair color.

• Please do not leave any sanitary products around (used or unused!)

• Love your body but watch how you share it! Coming from Europe and a nudist family, there are also etiquettes for being naked in (nude-accepted) public places.

Once again, it is all about respect isn’t it?!

We love having all of you! I am happy many people realize that they must move and eat healthy to continue or start a healthy lifestyle. Remember, sometimes you must embrace the “suck,” but it’s so important to enjoy your journey!

Ester Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.