STEP ONE: Scope the Place Out

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This is the first thing you want to do, and probably the most important thing on this list. You can buy a day pass, or even just tell the person at the front desk that you’re considering buying a membership, and would like to look around. If it’s a slow enough day for them, they’ll often give you a tour and answer questions.

If there’s a bad vibe, you’ll know, and you’ll also get to figure out exactly what the change room situation is. (See section below on change rooms.) 
 

Gauging General Inclusivity 

 

Relatively few larger commercial gyms or rec centers in the west are going to be explicitly discriminatory. And unless you live in a very reactionary area, it’s unlikely that the people there are going to care very much about anything besides their own workout. For this reason, such places are usually a fairly safe bet in terms of inclusivity. (But they can have their drawbacks also- see this article on how to select a gym.) 

 

The only time it really could be helpful to call or email and straight up ask them if they are inclusive of trans* people is if it is a VERY small specialty gym. You’ll likely be talking directly to someone who’s relatively high up in management, and that person likely is also working on the floor there five days a week. If they wind up being a dick, at least you know.

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Change Rooms- Scoping Them Out and Using Them Discreetly

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All of the following assumes you’re going at this alone, and do not have a gym buddy of the same gender who can go into the change room with you. But depending on your comfort level and the specific facility, a lot of this advice will be applicable either way. 

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If you want to go somewhere with a gender neutral change room, you should send an email or call to ask, if it’s impractical to go beforehand to see for yourself. 
NOTE: Often, especially with rec centers, the only gender neutral change room is the “family” change room, and if you’re an androgynous looking person in a conservative area, this may in fact be the worst of all available options. Know what you’re getting into.

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It is worth finding out if the gym has individual stalls in the change rooms, or even just individual shower stalls. Many do, and this is obviously a complete game changer for a lot of us. The gym might have a gallery of facilities on the website, or you might have to call or email to ask- but this isn’t a question that will out you automatically. Lots of cis people are uncomfortable changing in front of each other and ask about this too. 

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If there are bathrooms separate from the change room, you could potentially change in there. Many gyms have rules about this, but in my experience, they’re seldom enforced- it’s awkward for us to have to tell people not to do it. 

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If you are planning to change in a shower stall, make sure to figure out if there will be a safe/dry spot to put your clothing inside or just outside the stall. Many shower stalls have a double set of curtains or doors for exactly this purpose. If also showering in there, I recommend turning the shower head away from the curtain or door if possible, to minimize any splash effect on your dry stuff. A waterproof gym bag, or a plastic bag you can put over it, has obvious use. 

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Rec centers with a gym and a pool sometimes have separate change rooms for the gym and the pool, and sometimes they don't. Either way, if you are just there for the gym, you are likely not going to be in a situation where you have to go through a change room to get to it, as is usually the case with the pool. 

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Change Rooms- Avoiding Them Entirely 

 

If you want to avoid the change room entirely, you may be thinking, “well, easy enough, I’ll just go to the gym in my gym clothes”. 

There are a few things to consider in order to avoid issues/awkwardness here.
-Some gyms may not have bathrooms that aren’t in the change rooms. Plan accordingly. 

-Some gyms have pretty strict rules about locking all your stuff up (backpack, coat, etc), and sometimes the only lockers are in the change rooms.

If you are driving to your gym, this is a surmountable problem by just leaving everything in your car, and dashing inside quickly if it is cold. You’d still have your outdoor shoes on, but it is rare for the shoe racks in a gym to not be right inside the main entrance. 

If you are not driving to your gym, and it is impractical to walk there in your gym clothes holding only your indoor shoes, this becomes more of a potential issue. Call, email, or check beforehand to see if they have lockers outside of the change rooms. 

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Miscellaneous Advice 

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Ladies:
-If there is a “no bags on the gym floor” rule, there’s a chance you can still get away with a small purse, for a mini water bottle and similar supplies. This may make it easier to keep your phone/wallet with you and not have to lock it. 
-If you can wear relatively tight gym shorts/pants, but it is too cold outside to wear those on the way, get a heavy skirt/baggy pair of sweats and wear those over top, so all you have to do is remove that layer when you get there. 

-You are more likely to attract unwanted attention if you seem timid/lost. 

-If a guy won't stop ogling you, conspicuously scratching your ass can work wonders. 

-For ergonomic reasons, most women will opt to do back extensions with a cable rather than holding a plate if given the choice.

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Gents: 
-As you’ve likely already learned with public bathrooms, nobody really looks at or talks to anyone in the average men's change room. It isn’t like in organized sports or phys ed class. If you pass, you are not going to be scrutinized.

-However, if you're going down to your underwear, a packer (or even just a rolled up sock) is advisable for peace of mind. 
-If you have top surgery scars, facing the wall/into your locker and quickly changing your shirt can be an effective maneuver if it isn’t crowded.
-In addition, if there are separate bathrooms with a strict “no changing in the bathrooms” rule, it’s probably going to be pretty easy to quickly change your shirt in there on the way out, if you don’t want to do that in the open. That way, you don’t have to leave in a sweaty shirt.  

-For ergonomic reasons, most guys do not use a foam roller on both quads or both sets of hamstrings at once.