Office is Eliminating Shower--Suggested alternatives?

[NRRider]

I work in downtown Los Angeles (Bunker Hill area) and my firm is giving up the floor with the shower (and not replacing it). It's a professional office and a shower is basically a must.
I ride in twice a week (29 miles). Routine is to leave my clothes in the car the night before and take the bus home, ride in the next morning and grab the clothes from the car.
I was thinking about contacting other firms in the building to see if they would let me use their shower, but am not excited about doing that. There's a gym I can join about a five minute walk from the building, but would prefer to not incur the additional time and cost.
Anyone have any ideas for what to do as an alternative?
Thanks

[MattTuck]

Well, a local gym would be my first guess, but I understand your concern with that.

A second option is to reverse your commute, leave your bike at work (if it is secure), take the bus in in the morning, bike home.

You might inquire with your office about the lack of the shower now, and ask if they might (as a company) reach out to another tenant or local gym for the employees. This would work better if you had a few people that could be a sort of voting block and apply some pressure.

[thirdgenbird]

apply some pressure.

By making the place smell like a locker room. Have some coworkers join you in the effort.

(This really isn't my advice)

[christian]

Not much you can do, I suspect, but I'd recommend you at least talk to your HR rep and let them know that you are disappointed they are elimnating a benefit which encourages healthful behaviors and activities.

There is a small likelihood that this has been a facilities-driven decision, and getting HR to weigh in on healthful-living initiatives makes them explore other options.

Good luck!

[thirdgenbird]

The above is very good advice. My employer has talked about adding a shower facility for this very reason.

[Ralph]

If possible....I like the idea above about reversing your commute.

[Bob Ross]

I ride in twice a week (29 miles).

I presume that's 29 miles each way?

If it were round-trip I'd just suggest you do what I do: Inbound I ride as gently and effortlessly as humanly possible...the goal being (obviously) not to work up a sweat. When I get to work I duck into a stall in the restroom and do a very thorough wipedown with baby wipes or the equivalent. I'm basically taking a "whore's shower". If I'm lucky enough to get the Executive Washroom (sic) I can even use the sink and paper towels and really go to town, thanks to the privacy there.

And then on the evening homeward-bound leg, I haul ass. That's my workout. And then I shower when I get home.

But my commute is only ~10 miles each way, so not sure that's feasible if you're doing three times as much distance.

[jtakeda]

Maybe ask them to cover the gym membership?

[572cv]

My wife works for a division of a large national company. Stunningly, they have figured out that healthy employees save them money. Even more impressive, they get it that spouses are on the plan, and need to be encouraged to be healthy. Go ahead and let HR know that this is an important benefit. When doing new office/work area projects, we always try to get the client to include a shower, or at the least, plumb for one (my profession is architecture). Your business might be cutting back on space, but they might respond to encouragement to include a shower.

[false_Aest]

I ride from Western/Melrose to MdR. Half your commute if I'm reading correctly.

Like you I leave a change of cloths at work. If I can't shower I do the 2nd best thing + rock the sink wipe-down. Wash cloth (or baby wipes) + tea tree soap. Not the best but my shower before I ride takes care of the stink....what I do before work takes care of the salt and the sticky sweat.

I used to worry about being a bit unprofessional but then I remembered that the bathroom is like Vegas.

[NRRider]

Thanks all. It's a done deal and they are not building a shower, and I'm on my own. They won't cover the cost of the gym and I'd rather save the 20+ minutes it would take to get there and back anyway.
It's 29 each way (I only ride one way), and riding home isn't a great option since I leave work at around 7-8 at night and the two hours it takes would include some parts of town that I'd rather not ride in at that time. It's a good thought though.
I'm thinking of perhaps contacting building management to see if another tenant would let me use their shower. Longshot, but worth a try.
I would try the washing up approach, but my hair would be a disaster. I'll check to see if there are some bathrooms that are frequented less often and maybe I could soak my head in the sink.
Will think about it some more.

[nooneline]

I've had a few long commutes to workplaces with no shower.

Toweling off and wiping yourself with witch hazel can leave you feeling fresh. There are worse things than a "sink-shower."

[mmfs]

I negotiated with a gym near my office for a "shower only" membership at a small fraction of the regular gym membership. I think I ended up ahead of the game money wise in what I saved in subway fare by bike commuting.

[AngryScientist]

and my firm is giving up the floor with the shower

is there not a chance that you can just continue to use the shower on the floor that you used to even though your firm is no longer leasing that space? surely that can be negotiated with the building management, or the new management of the shower floor space, no? unless their are some circumstances i'm not understanding, if you work in the same building as the shower, it's not unreasonable to think that they could give you special dispensation to use it i would guess.

[Vinci]

I do the sink shower every now and then after a commute, and it's really not that bad. It gets the job done, though I certainly enjoy a regular shower more.

[NRRider]

is there not a chance that you can just continue to use the shower on the floor that you used to even though your firm is no longer leasing that space?
That's a good idea also. They are remodeling the floor and not sure they will keep the shower but I'll try to find out.

[sc53]

Thanks all. It's a done deal and they are not building a shower, and I'm on my own. They won't cover the cost of the gym and I'd rather save the 20+ minutes it would take to get there and back anyway.
It's 29 each way (I only ride one way), and riding home isn't a great option since I leave work at around 7-8 at night and the two hours it takes would include some parts of town that I'd rather not ride in at that time. It's a good thought though.
I'm thinking of perhaps contacting building management to see if another tenant would let me use their shower. Longshot, but worth a try.
I would try the washing up approach, but my hair would be a disaster. I'll check to see if there are some bathrooms that are frequented less often and maybe I could soak my head in the sink.
Will think about it some more.
Cut your hair shorter?

[bikemoore]

Shower beforehand. I have done a similar commute for many years to a professional office setting without showering afterwards. Before you say "eewwww", I'm not saying that I don't wash...just that I don't shower. On bike commute days, I shave and shower at home as normal and keep a wash rag, soap, and deodorant at work. Upon arrival, assuming you at least have someplace private to change clothes and some hot water, you can use the wet wash rag and soap to wipe down body, face, and hair and put on some fresh deodorant. No need for full shower after your ride.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[torquer]

Maybe ask them to cover the gym membership?
Start with that, but as a fall-back, find out who else used the existing shower and see if your employer and the gym could work out a discounted, group fee, perhaps two-tiered (shower-only and full monty).

[bcm119]

I have a very similar situation. A 28 mile, one way commute with over 2k ft of climbing... I arrive sweaty, no way around it. A couple things to suggest: first, if you can stand it, keep your hair pretty short. 2) always wear freshly cleaned kit in the morning, and if at all possible, go with wool instead of synthetic. 3) do the sink shower, wash your face, and rub your hair vigorously with dry paper towels. It makes me look surprisingly normal. 4) stash some strong deodorant at work. I use Brut, it is strong as hell. 5) if you have time, take a shower in the morning before you leave or at least the night before.

[Auk]

Spray bottle set on mist mode filled with mix of witch hazel and rubbing alc. This will kill the bacteria that is the root of all stink.

[OldCrank]

is there a hotel nearby?
With a pool and/or gym?

You may be able to negotiate a good deal, especially if your company uses that hotel.

I once worked nowhere near a gym, or hotel, or Y. I used the janitor's slop sink, with a 'shower head' on a short hose.
A rubber fitting slid over the faucet.
Which was in a dangerous position...
but no harm done.

You gotta be flexible when you're the only cyclist in the office.

[Louis]

Cut your hair shorter?

This guy seems to pull it off:

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/141402/Patrick%2BStewart.jpg

[NRRider]

This guy seems to pull it off:

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/141402/Patrick%2BStewart.jpg

Rocking the bald head like my hero Capt. Picard would be awesome. I've threatened my wife with it many times. Main problem is my Obama ears. Of course given my recent hair loss I may have no choice in the matter anyway.
On a more positive note, I've got a line on another tenant of the building that MAY have a shower that they MAY let me use.

[r_mutt]

i only shower 1/2 the time i ride into work- and it's a usually workout so i'm doing 25-30 miles. i guess i'm lucky and i don't really smell all that bad- and i have a shaved head. towel rubdown is your friend. i bet you don't smell as bad as you think you do.

[Schmed]

I work with the facilities guys (building engineers) at a lot of commercial buildings. You might chat them up and see if they have ideas. They have keys to every door in the building, and if there are any un-used spaces with a shower, maybe they'd let you use it. The property manager would be an option too.

Do you know who manages the building? CBRE? Jones Lange Lasalle? That's who you'd talk to.

Also - I thought that companies got some tax breaks or something when they provided bike lockers, showers, hybrid parking spaces, etc. Is it a LEED Green building? If so.... they normally get "LEEDs" points by allowing people to carpool, bike, etc.

Good on you for pursuing all the options!