Clean Bodies, Clean Clothes, Clean Gym
As we continue to make our return to full-contact training and larger class sizes, it’s the perfect time to revisit the Cellar’s guidelines around member etiquette and cleanliness! Upon joining the gym, every member receives an email copy of our Membership Agreement, which includes our expectations regarding hygiene and member conduct. We’ll outline a few of our key points in this article as a helpful reminder for old and new members alike.
General Hygiene
Clean clothes. Come to class each day wearing clean, appropriate workout attire. If you are taking multiple classes, please bring a fresh shirt for each class you plan to attend.
Clean bodies. Shower daily and/or after each training session, brush your teeth, and use deodorant.
Clean gym. Please wipe down your equipment after using it, including heavy bags, cardio equipment, weights, Thai pads and focus mitts, and foam rollers.
Trim your nails. Please make sure your fingernails and toenails are neatly trimmed before coming to class. All of our classes are performed barefoot, and many classes involve gripping your training partner, so it’s important to avoid the risk of scratches, cuts, and tears.
Cover yourself appropriately. The Cellar requires members to wear shirts/tops at all times, as well as bottoms (leggings, pants, or shorts) that fully cover the rear end. If you need to change your clothes in a way that exposes your body, please use a bathroom stall, changing stall, or locker room — do not change in the common areas.
No bare feet in the bathroom! Please be sure to wear sandals, shoes, or even socks when using the restrooms. We train barefoot, and it’s important to ensure that our training mats stay as clean as possible.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Wash and dry your gi. BJJ gis must be washed after every class. Gis can be machine washed and tumble dried on low heat. If you hang your gi to dry, please make sure it is fully dried before wearing it to class again. If you train BJJ frequently, this means that you will need multiple gis in rotation to make sure that you always have a fresh, dry uniform available.
Yes, you should wash your belt – at least once in awhile. Use the same wash instructions that you use to wash your gis. Yes, you can replace your own stripes with fresh athletic tape after washing. No, you won’t wash the “knowledge” out of your belt — but you can help remove any sweat, dirt, stink, and skin funk that may have accumulated during training.
Shirts and rashguards are recommended. We don’t require a shirt to be worn under the gi, but your training partners may appreciate it.
Compression shorts or leggings are also recommended. Since gi pants can come untied or get pulled down during live rolling, it’s a good idea to wear tight-fitting bottoms underneath your gi pants to avoid exposing your underwear or body.
A clean uniform, every time. When training in no-gi or when wearing a rashguard under your gi, please wear a fresh rashguard every time. Never wear rashguards, board shorts or MMA shorts, leggings, or spats more than once without washing them between uses.
Muay Thai and Kickboxing
Clean and dry your gear. Gloves and shin guards should be wiped down after each session and set out to dry. You can also use boxing glove deodorizers to help reduce odors in your gloves between uses.
Wear clean Thai shorts. Use a fresh, dry pair of Thai shorts for every Muay Thai training session. Wash your Thai shorts on gentle cycle and tumble dry on low.
Wear shorts or leggings under your Thai shorts. While it is common for Muay Thai students to roll up their shorts for greater range of motion in the legs, please wear compression shorts or leggings under your Thai shorts to avoid exposing your undergarments or jockstrap.
Wash your handwraps! Handwraps should be washed and dried between every use. Use a mesh wash bag to keep them organized in the wash. You can also wash them by hand in the sink, bathtub, or shower, and hang them to dry.
Leave a Comment