Here’s Why A Post Flight Shower Is Better Than Sex

Long haul flying is a dirty business, isn’t it? You sit in a seat for hours on end stewing in your own sweat, eating, drinking, watching movies and waiting to land. Unless you’re flying Emirates first class there is no chance for a shower until you arrive.

There is only so much spritzing you can do on board the plane. Layers of spray and creams add to the natty sticky feeling on your face. Throw in copious amounts of food and drink and things are pretty grim.

The Long Way Home

What are a few extra hours of travel time to save a few bucks? Easy, right? Rather than being a normal human being and flying from Dublin to Doha to Sydney in a quick 24 hours I went the long way around.

Dublin to Stockholm, then Stockholm to Doha, Doha to Auckland and Auckland to Sydney. Different crew members on the Doha to Auckland helpfully advised me to take the A380 directly to Sydney next time! Total travel time? Just under 40 hours all in.

A First Class Shower

After 30 plus hours of travel I arrived in Auckland. The dragon at the Qantas lounge uttered the magic words – “Would you like to have a shower?” I nearly took his arm off taking the offered towel pack – Yes, I would absolutely sell my soul for a shower!

Hopefully it was the crazed look in my eyes and not the stench of travel that prompted him to ask. Happily I skipped off to the shower room, entered and locked the door behind me. Surveying the little room with its shower, toilet, basin and spot for luggage I knew this was going to be good.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

First thing is first, get the liquids bag out of the carry on and brush the teeth. That on its own adds a major feeling of freshness after eating and drinking everything put in front of me for the past day and a bit.

Next, open the towel pack. Pop the mat sized one on the floor in front of the shower, discard the face washer and put the towel within easy reach of the cubicle. It is a nice cubicle too as you can see in the featured image at the top.

Get naked, get the water to the right temperature and dive in. Being sluiced with water feels incredibly nice after a long flight. The lovely fragrance of the complimentary products also adds a nice aspect to the proceedings. Luxuriate in the feeling and realise there is no rush. Deliciously nice!

Once done, hop out, dry off and then shave. A nice shave finishes the whole experience nicely. Well, unless you’re female or sport a beard of course! Dress, pack up and head to the lounge for a nice relaxing beverage and some food. That calm glow you get knowing you’re clean and fresh is unbeatable after a long flight.

Overall Thoughts

Okay arguably it’s not better than sex but having a shower after a long journey is pretty sweet. Any shower that is not full of humidity makes for a lovely experience post flight.

Happily there are always options at airports around the world. Many airports have showers you can use even without lounge access, though I find the ones in airline lounges are generally nicer than airport ones.

Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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