Behind the cubicle

Changing rooms are seldom the top focus when the initial designs are drawn for gyms, studios, health clubs and leisure centres. Yet, they are undoubtedly one of the spaces in which customers can be won or lost

Are changing rooms the forgotten part of the customer experience? Data from Sport England’s Quest for Facilities mystery visits suggests they are, with more than half (57%) of leisure centres that undertook the new assessment scoring either a “no” or a “partial” mark against whether their changing rooms were clean and well maintained. Compare that to just less than a third (30%) of swimming pool areas and general housekeeping areas failing the “visibly clean” test. This means that while 70% of facilities achieve the required standards in general, only 43% of changing rooms do so. Caroline Constantine, Managing Director of Quest, says: “It’s really disappointing that the standards in changing rooms and toilets are so often an area that pull Quest results down. If you have to go through a dirty changing room to get to the immaculately clean swimming pool area, that’s going to have a big impact on your experience. It could be the missing link in member retention.

“Changing rooms are the one area of a centre that isn’t actively staffed, so who actually owns the problem? Operators can become so focused on their gym or swimming lesson offering that they simply forget about the impact the changing rooms have on their customers.”

WHEN THE CURTAIN FALLS

Common issues noted during mystery visits include blocked toilets, drains full of hair, slow flowing water or showers that only stay on for 10 seconds, missing or wobbly toilet seats and toilet rolls not in dispensers. Add to that litter, smelly, overflowing nappy bins, dirty vents, stained taps and shower curtains, broken lockers and grime around changing cubicle feet.

“Customers often block cubicles with belongings, rather than using the lockers, check sheets are not completed and there’s signage everywhere telling youwhat you cannot do,” continues Constantine. “The list could go on – slippery floors, ugly blue matting, open plan single sex changing rooms without cubicles.”

Any one of these can bring a score down from yes to partial. For example, one leisure centre scored partially because, whilst the toilets were well stocked and clean, there was an unpleasant sewage smell in the male changing rooms.

It’s a problem mystery visitor Nathan Matley sees regularly. He’s been visiting leisure centres on behalf of Quest for around 18 years and says: “After the fi rst encounter with staff at reception I look in the changing areas and toilets; it’s where you truly get your fi rst impression of the centre’s built infrastructure and hygiene standards.

“Firstly I look for cleanliness and smell. Air fresheners and urinal scent mats are an easy quick win and we could certainly take best practice from other hospitality industries, where scent is a vital element of the customer experience. Then I look at the quality of fixtures and fittings and the provisions provided.

This tells you whether a facility takes its standards seriously. I’ve had the most amazing workouts in fantastic, state-of-the-art gyms, but if the changing rooms are dirty and the showers are cold, that’s the lasting impression you leave with. And don’t get caught out, the standard of the dry change or small toilet on the second floor is just as important.”

According to Matley, who leads on leisure for Rochdale Council, marks are most commonly lost on cleanliness, followed by maintenance issues. Repeated issues include cleaning equipment and chemicals left out, lockers out of order or lockers that are too slim, so customers have to squeeze bags in. Changing room temperatures also play a big part. “There’s nothing worse than trying to change in very hot, humid areas,” he says. “Whilst pool changing areas naturally tend to be warmer, I’ve visited fitness changing rooms where it’s so hot it’s difficult to cool down.

“Family changing provision, including large cubicles, baby changing facilities, lowered toilets and hair dryers, is important. But excellent changing rooms also have little extras to make a visit easier, such as buggy locks and storage or the ability to dry costumes. Good lighting improves the area’s appearance and gentle background music is always an added bonus, as long as the basic provision and cleanliness is in place.”

Additional winners for Matley include digital solutions, such as PIR sensors to ensure lights are switched off in empty cubicles and toilets, lockers that don’t require tokens or padlocks and technology that records and monitors staff checks, alerting managers to missed or overdue inspections, as you see in motorway services.

ACCESS ALL AREAS

Robert Ghahremani is the Director of Mind Over Matter Fitness, specialising in disability and injury rehab personal training, and a mystery visitor for Quest. He says accessible facilities tell a slightly different story.

“Despite only being 35, I still remember a time when some centres genuinely didn’t have accessible facilities,” says Ghahremani, a full time wheelchair user who is paralysed from his chest down. “I can go to a leisure centre now and at the very least fi nd an accessible toilet with grab rails, emergency red cords and sufficient space for a wheelchair.”

Ghahremani’s main issue is facilities that have been designed for disabled people rather than by them. Common gripes include grab rails being in the wrong place, emergency red cords tied up out of reach, changing rooms not having a bench, bed or plinth and cubicles where the door opens inwards and cannot be closed once the wheelchair is in.

“While things have drastically improved, there are still many basics that need putting right, which canonly be done with input from those with genuine lived experience,” he says. “During one visit the accessible changing room was small with a very limited turning circle. A grab rail was fixed from the back wall to the fl oor in front of the sink, blocking access to wash my hands, and a large sanitary bin was in front of the hand dryer. All the key elements were inaccessible, not through malice, but through ignorance.

While things have drastically improved, there are still many basics that need putting right, which can only be done with input from those with genuine lived experience

Accessibility challenges

Some of the most common shortcomings that create unnecessary barriers for disabled facility users. Grab rails – either not enough or in the wrong place Emergency red cords tied up out of reach Changing rooms without a bench, bed or plinth Cubicles where the door opens inwards and cannot be closed once the wheelchair is in Mirrors too high Broken shower chairs Sinks too small Shower controls or shower head too high Bins or other items positioned under hand dryers.

“I often have to educate staff on my needs and have no problem doing this; my favourite staff members are those who aren’t afraid to ask questions. Too often they don’t have the confidence in case it comes across as offensive, but in reality, being asked about our disability enhances the experience.”

On the plus side, only one of the centres Ghahremani has visited had used the accessible changing room for storage; something he sees regularly in bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. And, he says, one centre even had additional grab rails in the toilet cubicles of standard male changing rooms. “There were grab rails at the side of the urinals too, which will help people with minor disabilities who still need a little support. It really was heartwarming; it doesn’t take a lot to give everyone true access.”

CHANGING PLACES

There has also been an increase in the number of Changing Places facilities equipped with rise and fall beds, ceiling hoists, toilets with grab rails, rise and fall sinks, and other amenities, with many situated in local leisure centres.

Ghahremani champions these: “Changing Places spaces are vital for those with complex toileting needs and I can count on less than one hand how many times a Changing Places facility I’ve visited has been locked, unstaffed or poorly maintained. For someone like me, the bed/changing plinth allows me to independently get dressed after going for a swim. Without it, some people simply couldn’t participate.

“However, almost 25% of the population currently has a disability – a number that’s likely to rise over the next decade – so only having one accessible changing room will never be enough, especially as trans customers may be asked to use accessible facilities.”

ROOM FOR EVERYONE

Ensuring everyone feels comfortable and safe in your spaces can be challenging, says Constantine, but until the guidance on single-sex spaces is finalised, she says leisure centres shouldn’t simply direct transgender people into toilets signposted as disabled.

“While the spaces can work for both groups as we wait for the fi nal guidance, clear signage, such as accessible changing, all inclusive or all access changing space, offers transgender people a more workable, respectful and dignified option.”

It’s a debate that’s likely to rage on, as Ghahremani argues that, whilst a solution needs to happen, it shouldn’t come at the detriment of disabled people. He says: “Why take from one underprivileged minority group to give to another? If a disabled customer soils themselves due to the only accessible changing space being used by a trans customer who physically could use another changing space, we risk creating a system that further devalues disabled people.”

ARE YOUR FACILITIES ACCESSABLEREGISTERED? Constantine suggests all centres could consider registering with AccessAble, a website designed to help people find wheelchair friendly venues, which also offers guidance for operators when describing the accessibility of their sites.

However, Ghahremani says: “AccessAble is great if the information is regularly updated but, for me, there is no substitute for an accurate virtual tour on the facility’s own website. I always make several phone calls and online enquiries before visiting to try to identify potential access issues, but no two people have exactly the same experience of a disability and a virtual tour allows the user to navigate the facility for specific issues that might personally affect them.”

Ghahremani’s advice to all operators: “Offer a bench or changing bed in every accessible changing room, not just Changing Places spaces, and be mindful not to obstruct sinks and hand dryers with bins and other items.”

The overarching advice from Quest’s mystery visitors is that, as the most emotive part of the experience in terms of body confidence, safety, hygiene and overall dignity, the standards of changing rooms, lockers and toilets should ideally always match the facility’s investment elsewhere.