Showers

[VentureForth]

Honestly, if an indivual who has a permanent address on Canal St had the money to get cleaned up with exceptional attended shower service, so be it.

Now, ideally, Amtrak passengers shouldn't have to wait to get a shower over a local. But revenue is revenue. If things are slow, I wouldn't turn away a $10 bill or two.

 

[Mackensen]

Honestly, if an indivual who has a permanent address on Canal St had the money to get cleaned up with exceptional attended shower service, so be it.

Now, ideally, Amtrak passengers shouldn't have to wait to get a shower over a local. But revenue is revenue. If things are slow, I wouldn't turn away a $10 bill or two.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but nothing I've seen of Amtrak's operations in Chicago makes me comfortable about the idea. Every time I'm there everything just feels disorganized, haphazard and slipshod.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but nothing I've seen of Amtrak's operations in Chicago makes me comfortable about the idea. Every time I'm there everything just feels disorganized, haphazard and slipshod.

Now this is a legitimate concern in my view. Unlike all that pointless "Eww! Gross! Icky!" nonsense. I know that shower rooms can be setup in a clean and efficient manner that's cheap and easy to use because I've seen it in person. Unfortunately I was thousands of miles away from the nearest Amtrak station. And that's where things get tricky. It's hard to know in advance if Amtrak personnel would be able to manage and maintain a clean and pleasant shower service or if they would simply screw it up beyond all recognition. All of which leaves me in a similar predicament to so many other passenger rail issues. Namely, that I strongly support the idea of having shower rooms at major stations but I'm not exactly a fan of letting Amtrak design or manage them.

 

[VentureForth]

Who said anything about Amtrak running it? My idea is for a private venture to operate it with lease and utilities paid directly to Chicago Union Station, completely independently of Amtrak involvement.

All I can tell you is that there were literally HUNDREDS of potential clients stinking in the waiting room.

I just don't know if there is plumbing and rent that can be recoverable by revenue. And how much Mayor Rahm would have to be paid off...

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

The Idea of a Pay / TIX PAX only shower i not a bad Idea !

If you take it far enough the idea of a shower in coach may not be a bad Idea !

I would have NO problem forking over $10 15 20 to have a shower .

Peter

 

[PRR 60]

Minute Suites

No mention of showers, but it's the general idea,

British Airways has arrival showers at Heathrow that have to be experienced to be believed. Pure joy. Worth the trip for the shower alone.

 

[fredandgingermad]

Heathrow, Gatwick and Schipol Airports all have Yotel (theres also one in NYC) which was built on from the Japanese Capsule idea, can be reserved for a minimum of 4 hours and have bed, tv, wc and shower Great for early morning flights whether you're coming or going or for long layovers, specially if you don't have lounge access anywhere

 

[Devil's Advocate]

British Airways has arrival showers at Heathrow that have to be experienced to be believed. Pure joy. Worth the trip for the shower alone.

Are you referring to the facilities for international business ($3,000+) or international first class ($7,000+) passengers? The pay showers in places like Narita are more like $5 for 30 minutes which makes them easily accessible to folks who aren't bursting at the seems with cash.

 

[lthanlon]

Several major airports have barbershops/beauty salons/spas where you can buy a shower. Don't know if it's still there, but a few years back there was a nice facility near the international terminal at San Francisco International. And like several others have pointed out, if a homeless person can pay for the service, who cares? After all, some of the richest, sexiest people around have lice.

 

[amamba]

Those pod hotels (like yotel)are pretty cool. What a great idea. One of my best friends wanted to stay in a capsule hotel in Japan, but she was told that many of them do not allow women to stay in them.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Those pod hotels (like yotel)are pretty cool. What a great idea. One of my best friends wanted to stay in a capsule hotel in Japan, but she was told that many of them do not allow women to stay in them.

I believe the capsule hotels are intended as an alternative for drunken businessmen who miss the last train for the night and would rather pay the equivalent of maybe $50 instead of possibly hundreds of dollars for a taxi fare back home. Another reason women are not often welcome is because the facilities are not divided up in a way that would provide enough privacy for mixed sex use. And of course there is the whole male chauvinism thing Japan is famous for. However, there were at least a few capsule hotels that did allow women IIRC. So if you really want to try one you could look through some guidebooks at the library or the bookstore and see what they say.

 

[PaulM]

In addition to the aforementioned truck stop scenario, there are also many private businesses that offer showers just outside National Parks to campers (National parks tend to have much more in the way of primitive camping without shower facilities than many state parks in my personal experience).

But you are missing the point. Apparently, only the upper classes ride trains; and it would be beneath their dignity to use a public shower. On the other hand, the lower classes who camp out are not as choosy.

 

[Anderson]

Some European stations (Stuttgart, for example) have "day hotels" that can be rented for a few hours (no, they're not "that kind" of hotels...) for a relatively low charge, somewhere on the order of 20-30 euros for up to 8 hours, which gives access to a shower, bed, etc., which can be very handy for longish layovers...

I was also thinking about the Japanese "capsule hotels"- just enough room to sleep, a little TV, wi-fi, and showers and restrooms down the hall. They run from ~$25-$50 US. Might be a good idea for rail stations, airports, etc.

I've long wished for a "respectable" set of hotels like that. I'm a night driver when it comes to LD (non-train) travel, so I often end up in awkward positions (such as having to cut travel at 2-3 AM so I can be assured of a respectable amount of sleep when I could readily make it to 6-8 AM and then crash).