[yayachiken]

Yes, this is the most obvious omission of the article. It really made me think about the kind of social dynamics that must be going on in an international and culturally-diverse research station like this one. Obviously, you will try to keep social friction low, and there might be some kind of "no co-showering" policy going on to avoid conflicts.

I come from a country that is generally considered very open-minded about nudity, and having a communal shower with your colleagues after your shift (gender-separated, mind you) is considered absolutely normal in jobs that get you dirty.

And even if you are a prude, I really wonder why no-one has considered sharing a shower or sponge-bath with a colleague or two in swim-shorts. It's more unhygienic than showering naked, yes, but I would still consider this miles better than taking no shower at all for days at a time.

Or maybe the showers described are indeed communal, and they just noticed that squeezing two people below one spout is just not a efficient way to shower and does not actually save that much water...

[benttoothpaste]

South Pole station seems to be nudity friendly. They have saunas and 300 degree club: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_Club