To say something to people who go from sauna to pool and vice versa without showering

[DyslexicScientist]

A few people do this in my leisure center. I think its beyond grim, there are cold showers and the pool is not designed to be a cool plunge pool. Its not even cold.

Would you say something to these grim and unhygienic people?

Own toilet brushes, believe firmly in the power of soap and hot water and a good scrub. Do use bleach down the loos once a week, though.

Have no desire to wallow in other people's dirt. Wash before you swim, all you mingers out there!

Micah, you have any scientific studies to back up your opinion?

Which opinion? The one about mn male family members refusing to wear speedos? The one about splashing about in a swimming pool shower not affecting your arse crack cleanliness?

Only previous mn threads for the first. The second mainly extrapolated from nhs handwashing data showing soap and water is more effective than water alone. But no, havent done a literature search for the effect of swimming pool showers on arse bacteria :)

I have no studies to prove it, but I suspect that walking through a shower in a swim suit to clean your bottom is a no more effective than standing in the rain.

Anyone who has posted and said 'I dont see how this matters' has never done a CIMSPA Pool Plant Course or heard of anything about giardia or cryptosporidium; or come back from holiday to have suspected listeria outbreak at one of the pools they worked at and had a local medic ask for the names and contact details of all my pupils.

If you dont shower before you swim or go between the sauna etc you are just plain dirty, all pools have something called a balance tank so that water can be filtered as well as being chemically treated to make it in the best possible shape for bathers; all pools I have worked in regularly test the water and the scum line and floor were cleaned daily. I do agree that I have gone to other venues and seen things 'growing' (hair) out of the vents and it is truly boke inducing.

But if you think a pool is in a filthy state/cold/etc. complain, dont just girn on MN. If enough of you do it it might get changed.

But just thinking hygiene is of no consequence and showering isn't essential...urgh I heard some awul stuff on my pool plant course, I always shower regardless of how cold it is.

This one, Micah " i think wetting yourself under a cold pool shower, while wearing a swimming costume, makes bugger all difference to the cleanliness of your arse crack."

If you're going to refute a factual study, it takes more than a personal opinion.

But Horton, the extract you quoted does not show that a UK style pre-swim shower (stand under running water in a swim suit) will clean anybody's bottom.

Oh lord. Im a scientist so app for referencing and backing up theories.

However, using "i think" as introduction,and the non industry standard term "arsecrack", plus the technical measurement of "bugger all", leaving off units and standard deviation, would indicate my comment was an off the cuff, intended to be humourous, informed opinion at best, rather than trying to refute anything.

Although now i am actually interested in whether splashing your shoulders does affect arse crack bacteria. My hypothesis would be that it doesnt. A pp hypothesis is that standing in a warm shower will further make arse environment favourable for bacterial growth. If i get bored at my mil's later ill do a lit search and get back to you :).

I think people get that hygiene is of consequence notsobad, just feel sceptical that a quick, non soaped, non arse cleaning shower is going to be very effective. The stuff you mention about listeria isn't evidence that it does, but maybe you were told about some in your pool course you mention?

Saunas should be without clothes anyway, so they should be in separate locations with good showers, not poolside.

Notsobadpharma knows what she's talking about.
Can't believe the number of people who think it's okay to swim in a public pool without showering first.
It's basic common sense and decency surely.
I thought that saying that Brits were dirty and hardly ever showered was an old fashioned nasty rumour. By but I'm beginning to wonder.

British people generally shower or bathe once a day, and even in the days when you had to use a tin bath once a week it was customary to do a daily stand up wash.

They do not, however, strip and wash their privates with soap before entering a pool. They might stand under a shower for a few seconds in their swim suit.

Many of us are just sceptical about whether this cleans your bottom, and, given the low incidence of swimming pool related illness in the UK, whether this is a problem.

(Of course it would be lovely to be all Icelandic and swim in chlorine free pools, but I don't think we are likely to see Icelandic style swim regulations in the uk any time soon.)

I don't understand and that finetonive- its other countries who have reputations for not washing? The French never wash and cover themselves with perfume to disguise the wiff, the Germans are hairy and sweaty.

I don't get it - people are saying that Icelandic pools are lovely and clean and don't need chlorine because they wash properly before swimming.

Do Icelandic children not piss in the pool then?

No ungoogleable! Only the British are dirty fuckers. Non British children are born continent. Dur!

c'mon Micah, do the literature search, and if there's nothing there, maybe you can get funding to actually study it, maybe get a postgrad or something to actually examine and swab the arsecracks for cleanliness.

The Icelandic pools tend to be fed off geothermal sources so the water is much fresher with less treatment. Maybe the easy access and low cost of the heated water means that it's circulated around with more input of fresh water compared to British pools. There's also a lot of minerals in the water. Maybe like salt, that has a hygiene effect.

I'm no expert. I just had some lovely swims there a few years back

Oh, Lysuhol, the pool has natural alegea and the water is warm and green, they; keep it so lovely by ensuring all bits properly washed in Iceland.