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Lockers which provide plenty of room for clothes which have high security ranked high among swimming pool visitors’ demands

Lockers&ChangingRooms JUN 2010 SPN

commercial and local authority projects on its changing rooms and locker rooms.

“The trouble is the public has high expectations now. They probably have lovely bathroom facilities at home and when they go to a luxury hotel and spa then the changing rooms and facilities are often very luxurious. We are not saying that swimming pools have to match the ‘private‘ spa quality but there is a minimum standard that swimmers will accept if they are to enjoy the whole swimming experience and keep coming back.

“The costs are not really huge. Cleanliness and good design are often the priority when it comes to the changing areas. We worked recently on a refurbishment of really dated changing room facilities in Harrogate and the whole project was designed and completed for less than £25,000. The big difference here was the provision of private cubicle showers and secure, well designed lockers.” What can you do to upgrade your locker room and have money left over to spend in areas that will have a more direct impact on attracting more people in to swim?

“For a minimal budget you can absolutely convert the appearance of a locker facility and make it more inviting,” Ian Barrett from Vickers Design said. The first changes he suggests are new lockers and a new wet area. “In older pools, wet areas are frequently poorly designed and poorly-laid-out,” he said. “The overall quality of the wet areas is improving in terms of

large health club group ran an internal survey into its changing room facilities the two things which disappointed members most was poor quality towels – and not enough of them. Overcrowded changing areas, locker facilities which are either too expensive or do not offer security to leave clothes, slippery surfaces, low quality towels, poor shower facilities... there’s no shortage of the ways swimming pools can deter their customers. The ‘out of pool’ experience is now one of the biggest factors in enjoying the swimming experience – and the style, amenities and products in and around wet leisure areas are now increasingly important. Pool design consultant Amy Enticott works with a number of specialist pool companies to advise large

architectural work and aesthetic design. It’s not just throwing down some marble and putting up some mirrors anymore,” Barrett said. ”The trouble is not enough has been done over the past few years. I don’t think the number of people using commercial or local authority pools has declined but the facilities haven’t kept up. When you look at how technology and style has brought in a new era to private bathrooms and spas then you can see how far back some pool facilities has slipped back. I don’t think it takes a lot to put right. There’s an awful lot of renovation work going on all over the UK and thankfully a lot of the money is now going into locker and changing rooms. “You need individual showers with attached individual dressing areas. Individual toilet stalls with fully-louvered doors are the norm. Ladies’ locker

room usage is still far below the men’s. And any pool manager can tell you that most women won’t shower at the pool. “There will always be a few, but don’t go in supplying too many (showers), or they’re going to sit empty,” Barrett said.

One frequent complaint evolving around locker rooms is how dirty they are. There can be hundreds of people for instance in a pool on any given day, and they all use the locker room facilities. If there isn’t an attendant standing by to make sure the room is kept clean, the facility can get pretty dirty. Showers can be disgusting clogged with soap scum, hair, etc. Adds Amy: ”Needless to say, it is important to have a clean, well-designed locker room to keep patrons happy. The room should be comfortable and well lit. The room should have a constant supply of soaps, shampoos and lotions for its clientele. Above all, the room should be staffed by an attendant who works diligently to keep the sinks, toilets, showers and floors spotlessly clean.” Alison Thomas advises for leisure groups and hotels who employ her to get the facilities around pools and leisure centres to a high level which are also easy to maintain.

“Hotels naturally tend to do it better and more professionally but commercial pools have not, I don’t believe, invested as much as they should do to attract more customers. People want safe, secure, easy to use lockers which guarantee their belongings, plenty of room to change in and relax after a swim, top quality towels good hair dryers, rinsing machines for customers and toiletries – and individual not ‘mass ranked’ showers. “Locker rooms are not home bathrooms and whereas pools and leisure centres may be capable of providing facilities to accommodate a couple of hundred people or more at once, locker rooms are only capable of adequately accommodating small portions of these simultaneously. As a result, people find themselves feeling locked in like sardines when using the facilities and the whole thing becomes a less than pleasant experience. An attractive and well-maintained locker room can speak volumes to those who use it.

Gone are the days of smelly, rusted out metal lockers in new locker rooms. Solid plastic lockers are an innovative solution because they are easy to

LOCKING UP

THE LOCKERS!

There are many locker- securing options, and each mechanism has its good and bad points. McKay has found that the one type of lock that seems to work well, however, is the pin pad system. While “it is still susceptible to a large screwdriver,” he says, it’s a good choice. Swain suggests that many commercial pools do not provide locks for member use, due to the possibility of opening the facility to liability. “Clubs should avoid providing locks, because, if a member’s possessions are stolen, a club may be held responsible,” says Swain. “I have seen some clubs provide pay-to-use lockers. With these lockers, once payment is made, the member receives a key that must be returned to the lock in order to open it. This type of locker is okay, as it transfers the security to the members until they return the key.

BELOW: New designs for safe and space saving systems are bringing new style into changing rooms

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