Marketing these offerings is smart for many reasons, he says.

“Many club owners say they just don't want a ‘gray-haired’ club, but even if you don't want to gray your club, you do want to green your bottom line,” Milner says.

The population of people aged 50 and older will grow by 25 percent in the next 10 years. For that reason, the ICAA recommends making health clubs as accessible as possible for older adults. ICAA also developed a checklist for seniors to use when choosing a health club. (Visit www.icaa.cc to learn more.)

Transgender Issues

Transgendered people are another population that's increasingly important to keep in mind for locker room design. Thirteen states have passed anti-discrimination laws that affect transgendered people's access to locker rooms. Cities and counties also are passing similar bills, including the city of Gainesville, FL, which passed an anti-discrimination law for transgendered people.

The law initially caused concerns from business owners, including club operators, who questioned whether they would have to provide separate locker room accommodations for transgendered people — and the cost of those accommodations. The final Gainesville law does not allow discrimination against transgendered people, but it does stipulate that a business is allowed to deny transgendered people access to facilities where being seen naked is unavoidable.

“Transgender individuals are not allowed into a locker room based on their inner sense, only their biological sex. So we didn't have to change anything with our locker rooms,” says Joe Cirulli, owner of Gainesville Health and Fitness Centers.

Massachusetts is considering expanding its hate crime laws to include transgendered people, something that could affect health club locker room access. A state judiciary committee recently heard testimony on Massachusetts House Bill 1728 supporting transgender rights. Helen Durkin, a representative from the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), testified at the hearing.

“If the proposed legislation becomes law, there would be situations at health clubs where not only adults, but also children, would be in close proximity to an individual with the anatomy of the opposite sex as that individual undressed,” Durkin said.

Privacy issues involving locker rooms can be handled without discrimination, says Jennifer Levi, attorney and director of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders Transgender Rights Project, who testified at the Massachusetts hearing.

“There are very easy ways to address these concerns without jeopardizing passage of the bill,” Levi says. “One way people generally address privacy issues is to provide private spaces for anyone who wants to use them.”

A growing number of fitness facilities already are providing these spaces.

“We have been including private changing rooms in most women's locker rooms for some time now and have recently seen the trend extend to men's locker rooms, also,” Fabiano says. “To accommodate special groups, we do try to push for at least one private toilet and shower room in every club.”

Locker room privacy may become less of an issue if locker room usage continues to decrease, as McDonald has observed.

“People use locker rooms less and less because more and more people arrive at the health club dressed for their workouts, then leave and shower at home,” McDonald says. “The trend is to not provide as many showers as in the past.”

So as shower numbers decrease and private changing areas become more common, club owners and architects are smart to revise locker room design accordingly.

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