[Chosen One]

So my gym never disappoints. Had an incident at my gym this morning and wanted to see if I was in the wrong here, don't worry I'm a big boy and can handle criticism if you think what I did was wrong.

Leg day for me, I'm doing leg presses and typically will do 4 sets. Usually around my next-to-last set I'll start to look towards my next machine to see if it's being used or not. If it's being used I will always go do something else or just mix up my order, which is good to do anyway. After set #3 I look over at the hamstring machine and do not see anyone there. I rest for about 30-45 seconds, do my set of 10 reps (another 30-40 seconds), go get some wipes and clean the leg press (a minute) and walk over to the hamstring machine, still no one in sight.

When I arrive there is what appears to be a very small washrag folded and laying on the top of the machine (not on the bench where you lay down, on the top where people generally lay their drinks, phones, etc.). So I paused, took a 360 and looked in every direction and no one was even remotely nearby except an older gentleman who I'm friendly with on the other side. I asked him if he was using it or if he knew if anyone else was using it, he says "Nope, I have been here several minutes and no one is using that." OK, so I come to the conclusion someone likely just forgot their washrag (who brings a washrag anyway???) and lay my towel next to it and as the guy is walking away a guy who looks very similar to Leslie Nielsen the actor comes up behind me rushed and points to the rag with a scowl on his face.

I say "Oh I'm sorry were you using this?" in a very polite tone and a smile. He rolls his eyes and says "Yeah that's why my towel is there, but I guess you're on it now, huh?" I replied "I'm sorry but I was watching this machine for several minutes now and walked all the way from the other side of the gym, stopped and looked around and even asked this gentleman if anyone was using it and he said no one was using it. Would you like to work in?"

Now he's really agitated and starts railing into me about how he's been in gyms for 30 years and this is how it's done blah blah blah. So my blood pressure is rising but I said "Listen, I am going to keep a quiet tone here even though you're not. You simply cannot go lay towels on multiple machines and expect them to be yours, these aren't your machines, they are for everyone." He says he went to the bathroom so I'm like "OK well how in the world would I have known that?" and again he reverts back to the rag being on the machine. I say "So let me get this straight, I can come in here and bring 4 towels and reserve 4 machines at once and no one is allowed to use them but me, is that right?" He's like "Yep, a towel means it's being used." I asked "OK so for how long do you get to reserve each machine?" He says 5-10 minutes each and I just laughed. I wanted to keep debating with him as, in my opinion, he's terribly wrong but he started walking away so I let it go.

For those who either do this reserve system and for those who don't, is this proper etiquette in a commercial gym to lay your things down and expect no one to use them while your things are laying on it?