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Original poster

Share your swimming pool changing room tips

30 replies

NigellaAwesome · 27/09/2023 16:03

I have just taken out a pool membership and went for my first swim today. I found the changing to be challenging and would love to know other people's tips. These are my issues:

  1. I'm squeamish about verrucae, so think I might want to wear surf socks, if it's allowed. I really don't want to put bare feet on the floor.
  2. I find getting dressed after to be hard work as I was wet and sticky, and left with no bra on.
  3. The changing rooms are mixed, with cubicles. In my last line of work I had a fair few dealings with sex offenders, so I may be a bit more sensitive than others about this, but I felt self conscious even in the cubicle.

I drive 10 minutes to and from the pool from home. I will be going home straight afterwards most days, so no need to worry about putting make up on, drying hair etc. I have many many pairs of croc slides, and also have a dry robe (bought in a moment of heady madness when I thought I might do a bit of sea swimming). I am thinking along the lines of arriving in my swimsuit with the dry robe on. Afterwards just strip off swimsuit, put it in a wet bag, give body a cursory dry and leave in the dry robe & crocs.

What are your pool changing room tips?

OP posts:
BeverlyBrook · 03/10/2023 20:10

NigellaAwesome · 03/10/2023 16:15

Thanks for all your tips. I've been a few times now and I am getting into the swing of things. I have one of the decathlon hooded towels which is handy, and I bought a foot mat from decathlon today, as well as little booties for wearing in the pool. Talc and spray in conditioner have been great. I don't think the dry robe is going to feature in my plans too much - the one I have is absolutely enormous, but I have found putting a gilet on over what I am wearing hides my braless state well.

There is another pool nearby that I can go to on the same membership which I think I prefer, but what is it with the mixed sex changing? This second pool doesn't even have doors on the shower cubicles so it makes having a proper shower after the pool impossible. I must say I find the changing aspect very very off-putting, albeit that I enjoy the actual pool. The pools are council run and I would love to see the equality assessment that they would have had to have completed when introducing the mixed changing policy.

Yes I would be very interested to see the equality assessment and who contributed to it.
I'd say it is miraculously non existent

Mxflamingnoravera · 04/10/2023 18:06

Talc left on the floor or bench by a previous swimmers is yuk. If you use talc, please clear it up after you are dressed.

I'm a covid swimmer habit now too. Arrive with swimsuit under easy to wear clothing. When I get out I dry off my hair pull on the easy wear clothing and come home to shower and get the chlorine smell off properly.

HoHoHoliday · 04/10/2023 18:20

I wear flip flops in the changing room and right up to the edge of the pool, I leave them by the steps when I get in and step right back into them as I get out. I cannot bear to touch poolside/changing room floors with my feet! Have not tried pool socks but imagine they do the same job?

I wear my swimming costume underneath a loose fitting tracksuit - baggy bottoms and loose top. Out the pool, wrap towel around, feeble attempt to dry but then exchange swimming costume for a loose vest and pants under the same tracksuit. Usually leave quite damp as I don't like to linger undressed in the changing room.

I live ten minutes walk away so do the showering, hair wash, etc, back at home.

I HATE mixed sex changing rooms. Even with cubicles you have the fear or someone looking above or below the door - it's happened to me. Why oh why can we not just have these few safe spaces kept available for us? Toilets and changing rooms, it's not much to ask.

KimWexlersPonyTail · 04/10/2023 18:28

I used to have an old towel to put on the bench to sit on, i used kitchen roll to dry my feet rather than my towel

Precipice · 04/10/2023 18:42
  1. Wear flip flops, to leave by the pool edge. This is common. You just have to put them a little further from the steps or from the edge so that people can get in and out.
  2. I don't get this problem. Dry off with a towel?

I personally hated having to arrive in the swimming costume in pandemic restrictions (walking). I walked about 20 or so minutes and I'd have a line of sweat pooling beneath my breasts.

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