Airport Oasis: the Best Shower of My Life

I’m a big shower guy. Good news for anyone who ever hangs around me. Personal hygiene is important! But it’s more than just the hygiene aspect. It’s a part of my routine. It’s like a cup of coffee to jolt me awake in preparation of the day’s adventure. It’s also a huge reason why I dislike camping. The filth accompanied with the lack of shower options create my worst nightmare.

You see, the issue is if I feel the grease and disgust on me. That’s all I can think about. I will force my brain to distract itself yet the mind is addicted to the need to be clean.

The first half marathon I ever ran, I woke up at 4am to shower before. Yes, I was about to run for 2 hours and get ungodly sweaty. But, I needed to shower or I’d spend the entire run fixating on how filthy I was.

There’s gotta be some mental health problem there I am sure of it.

Over the last handful of years, another area where this shower dilemma has appeared is with international flights.

I first discovered this mindset had eaten it’s way into my travel life when I flew from Honolulu to Sicily. It was a veryyyy long journey and involved stops in Vancouver and Munich. I can’t recall how much time had past but enough time that required a shower. Yet, there was none to be found and I squirmed in my seat.

This experience popped up again from Seattle to Paris with a stop in Newark (vomit) and Seattle to Delhi & Maldives (we had a stop in Delhi returning from the Maldives where we sat at the airport from 11pm to 3am.)

Each trip, my disgust of grease that would accumulate over those flights had gotten worse. I don’t know if it has to do with the length of the flights, the fact I sleep and then try to carry on without my routine of showering post-zzz. Either way, it has taken over.

Anticipating this same feeling for a trip from Seattle to Tanzania with a stop in Amsterdam, I started to research. I knew Amsterdam was a major airport connecting the world to the countries of Europe. Millions of people be swinging through there often. I wonder if they have showers in any of the lounges we have access to.

THEY DO!

Our flight to Tanzania was hit with a fat 24-hour delay so the hotel shower saved me.

The flight from Tanzania, we had a 2.5 hour layover. Plenty of time to test out the shower. Before we could even leave Tanzania, tragedy struck.

We had left our resort in Zanzibar at 11am. Walking around Stone Town and Zanzibar’s tiny AND hot AF airport left me dripping before 2pm. Then we had to lug our bags from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 in Dar Es Salaam in the blistering heat which added a secondary layer of filth.

Our flight didn’t depart until 11:59pm and it was currently 5:15pm. Our bags could not be dropped until 9pm and for whatever reason, the Check In lobby of DAR had zero A/C. Layer 3 acquired.

With so much time we decided to send our bags to a holding room and Bolt off to dinner in Dar Es Salaam. We found ourselves at cute spot, Levant in the Coco Beach area of the city. Unfortunately for myself, outside seating with little breeze. A 4th layer of grease had been applied.

By the time we got back to the airport, all I could think about was how badly I would pay for a shower.

We slipped through TSA by 10:15pm and had about an hour until boarding.

Chantel and I were 50/50 if we’d be able to get the other 3 traveling with us in the lounge. I’m not usually one to separate from the pack regardless of the travel perks we have but this would be a rare instance. I NEEDED a shower like Spongebob needed water.

After a bit of sweet-talking, we got everyone in. We plopped our bags down and off to the front desk I went.

The moment of truth. Would I be able to shower.

She mumbled a few things and vanished.

Hopeful but unsure, I waited.

A few moments later, she returned with a towel stating the shower was cleaned and ready to use.

Shampoo. Body wash. Lotion. They had it all.

I set the shower slightly cooler than lukewarm.

I’ll spare the deets from here, but it was without doubt the best shower of my life.

I had my doubts with our current travel card and overall uncertainty toward the value of airport lounges, but the annual fee was worth the single shower.

If you’re ever flying international with a layover, pack a change of clothes in your carry-on and head to the lounge showers.