Should you shower before swimming in a public pool?

dlockers · 22 Jul 2021 at 18:18

bainbridge said:
Anyway rant over, I'm old
I remember being able to get into our local pool for a swim for 15p!

At least you have self awareness Victor.

Scam · 22 Jul 2021 at 20:03

robfosters said:
Another swimming pool question.

Why does swimming, or even just frolicking in a pool make you starving hungry?

Because you're doing exercise. Usually when you exercise you get warm, your body sweats and this staves off hunger. When you're in a pool your body can't overheat/sweat so the feeling of hunger is much more pronounced.

dlockers · 22 Jul 2021 at 20:05

Scam said:
Because you're doing exercise. Usually when you exercise you get warm, your body sweats and this staves off hunger. When you're in a pool your body can't overheat/sweat so the feeling of hunger is much more pronounced.

Follow up question, and this may only be a Midland thing, but why does the smell of chips with salt and vinegar on literally fill you with nirvana when you leave the swimming baths via the cafe?

robfosters · 22 Jul 2021 at 20:06

dLockers said:
Follow up question, and this may only be a Midland thing, but why does the smell of chips with salt and vinegar on literally fill you with nirvana when you leave the swimming baths via the cafe?

True, I used to crave burger and chips after swimming

GreatAuk · 23 Jul 2021 at 00:14

Never used to at school because it just wasn't something that anyone did and never seemed like expected behaviour, but since then I think I probably do have a quick rinse... Been years since I've been indoor swimming in the UK though, not sure when the last time was!

Personally agree that everyone should at least have a rinse before getting in the pool. Rinse without swimwear would be ideal to increase the amount of water getting to the actual grebby bits, but many people aren't as comfortable with that sort of thing so won't ever happen here!

In Iceland before going in the hot pools there are repeated messages and reminders to wash your entire body thoroughly before entering the water (presumably because the natural pools don't have any chlorine in them and rely on water slowly being displaced by the inlet). So of course I thoroughly shower with soap all over (and I mean all over), but about half of the coach load of British tourists I saw at one of them didn't even bother having a quick rinse, let alone proper wash. Horrible

Beansprout · 23 Jul 2021 at 00:53

The main reason to shower before getting into the pool is to reduce the pool's chlorine demand, so it's more a kindness to the operator rather than other swimmers. After all the chlorine in the pool will take care of things once you're in it, and the sweat from everyone in the pool is probably greater than whatever you might introduce when you first get in. Still, it helps, and it also feels good to grab a cold shower before jumping in!

On that note, if the pool smells of chlorine then as mentioned above it's actually chloramines which are the end result of chlorine reacting with nasty things, but the smell itself means the pool needs MORE chlorine to combat its workload, not that it has too much already.

A pool / pool area shouldn't smell at all!

Edit: Another fun thing, peeing in the pool isn't ideal but chlorine will deal with that. What's really nasty is to poo in it (kids pools...) because cryptosporidium is pretty resistant to chlorine, so just hope there's no kids or the pool has a good UV filter.....!

Nasher · 23 Jul 2021 at 10:13

You should have a polio vaccine too

I stopped using swimming pools after I realised they were 75% sweat, pee and fecal matter.

My fish pond is probably cleaner than a public swimming pool.

adam cool dude · 23 Jul 2021 at 10:52

I think it is an educational thing that needs fixing. In primary school when most kids learnt to swim we would always have a shower before going into the pool. Then during secondary school we were always told to have showers after sports but then towards the end it slowly got phased out. I still don't know why but I guess communal showers is more than likely considered a woke thing now.

I know for a fact my 13 year old daughter doesn't have a shower after sports at her secondary school.

I will be honest it really doesn't bother me. If you start thinking deep into these things you will not touch or eat anything. I work in the food production industry and if I told some of the stories that I know most people wouldn't touch processed foods ever again.

GR63 · 23 Jul 2021 at 11:24

This thread puts you off swimming pools, no???

GR63 · 23 Jul 2021 at 11:26

Nasher said:
You should have a polio vaccine too

I stopped using swimming pools after I realised they were 75% sweat, pee and fecal matter.

My fish pond is probably cleaner than a public swimming pool.

When I learned to swim as a 6 year old there were 3 pools of various depths/sizes, tiddlers, 10m and 33m pools. The tiddler pool was nearly always yellow.... why would any parent put their kid in their in first place?!??!

BowdonUK · 23 Jul 2021 at 12:01

It's been many years since I went to a swimming pool. But don't remember showering before I went in, nobody did.

The only part washed before the pool was the feet as we had to walk through that shallow pool of water before we got to the main swimming pool area.

Wizzfizz · 23 Jul 2021 at 12:29

Tend not to use swimming pools as I can't imagine how many pubes are floating about

!bluetonic! · 23 Jul 2021 at 12:52

The chlorine in the water should change colour for the detection of pubes, fat, urine, feces, semen and vaginal batter.

And then folk can make their own judgement.

Secret_Window · 23 Jul 2021 at 12:57

!bluetonic! said:
The chlorine in the water should change colour for the detection of pubes, fat, urine, feces, semen and vaginal batter.

And then folk can make their own judgement.

Yummy.

*proceeds to vomit*

Wizzfizz · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:05

I thought it was just urine that was detected. Can't help if a pube falls off can you. I mean how does the water distinguish a head hair from a pube?

Minusorange · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:12

If they want people to shower before getting into the pool why not have an always on shower that is part of the entrance to the pool after the changing rooms ? So you can't get into the pool without literally walking through the shower ?

200sols · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:22

Minusorange said:
If they want people to shower before getting into the pool why not have an always on shower that is part of the entrance to the pool after the changing rooms ? So you can't get into the pool without literally walking through the shower ?

Because that is a waste of water?

dlockers · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:52

200sols said:
Because that is a waste of water?

Just take the water from the pool and then drain it into the pool - infinite supply. I guess you'll need to top up the chlorine in the pool though.

Wait, what problem were we solving?

Minusorange · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:56

200sols said:
Because that is a waste of water?

I don't get this, it's not like water just vanishes once it's used (unless of course it evaporates but then it comes back as rain), it gets cleaned and put back into the water supply, we're not living in a 3rd world country where water supply is an issue

dlockers · 23 Jul 2021 at 13:57

Minusorange said:
I don't get this, it's not like water just vanishes once it's used (unless of course it evaporates but then it comes back as rain), it gets cleaned and put back into the water supply, we're not living in a 3rd world country where water supply is an issue

hOw CaN tHeRe bE nO wAtEr LoOk aT tHe OcEaNs