Navy shower

A navy shower (also known as a "sea shower", "military shower" or "staggered shower") is a method of showering that allows for significant conservation of water and energy by turning off water during the "middle" portion. An initial thirty seconds or so are used to get wet, followed by soap and lather without running water, which is then rinsed off in a minute or less. The total time for the water being on is typically under two minutes.

Navy showers originated on naval ships, where supplies of fresh water were often scarce. Using this method, crew members were able to stay clean, while conserving their limited water supply. The idea has been adopted by many people who wish to conserve water and the energy needed to heat the water, for both environmental and economic reasons. After conventional air conditioning and conventional air heating, conventional water heating is the biggest user of energy in the home, according to the US Department of Energy.

Maritime cruisers often take navy showers when they are not in a port with easy access to fresh water. A ten-minute shower takes as much as 230 litres (60 U.S. gallons) of water, while a navy shower usually takes as little as 11 litres (3 U.S. gallons); one person can save 56,000 litres (15,000 U.S. gallons) per year.

The United States Navy phrase Hollywood shower contrasts with navy shower, and refers to long lavish showers without limits on water usage.

In East and Southeast Asia, many people are accustomed to taking their "showers" by scooping water out of a large bucket or trough (or some other fairly large water reservoir) with a dipper. This necessitates a pause in the "flow" of water during the soaping-and-lathering period. Therefore, such people see the navy shower as the most natural method to use a shower as it is understood in the West.