"Navy Showers"

For those of you who have been in the Navy you can fully appreciate this. For those of you who haven’t, here is how it works. On ships where fresh water is a limited resource, it becomes necessary to refine personal hygiene beyond a level taught to youth. The "Navy Shower" is an accepted way to limit water use while maintaining an adequate level of bodily cleanliness. Following rules similar to those for brushing teeth, water is only used

when absolutely necessary.    

A typical Navy Shower algorithm:

1.Strip.

2.Turn on water.

3.Regardless of whether or not the water has reached desired temperature, wet entire body from toes to scalp.

4.Turn off water.

5.Using soap, shampoo, and other cleansing products, build up an acceptable amount of lather.

6.Turn on water again.

7.Rinse.

8.Turn off water.

9.Do not repeat, as you have already used more than enough water.

Note that this is the polar opposite of a Hollywood Shower and in fact rarely builds a level of psychological reassurance provided by allowing gallons of warm water to pour over one's body. But you've gotta do what you've gotta do. However, those of us who were smart enough to figure it out, the shower curtain hooks made great tools to hold the nozzle buttons on the shower heads down. It became obvious what was happening when the curtains in each stall were being held up by one or two hooks.