To think swimming pools are utterly disgusting?

[clutchingatpearls]

Just that really. I love swimming and can swim in a warm sea. But I find swimming pools (posh spas are a possible exception) literally make me feel sick. The plasters, hair, bodily excretions... truly a human soup.

Am I unusual?

Unless you have your own swimming pool, then no.

I cannot swim in public pools either.

Yes they are. I worked at a leisure centre and the amount of times shit was found in the pool was horrific. "Operation brown trout" put me off pools for life

I swim several times a week. My pool (UK) isn't that bad. No shoes in the changing rooms, everyone showers before getting in. I've not noticed many people swimming with long hair not tied up, although there are no rules about that. It is very much a pool for lane swimming, so you don't get many children.

Center Parcs pool on the other hand is grim.

I don't go very often and used to send DH with the kids but on the occasions I've been - butlins, alton towers, centreparcs they have all been grim. Used sanitary protection, used nappies, hair everywhere and that's just the changing rooms. The pool - floaters fished out with a net and once in a toddler pool a man pulled off a massive scab in front of me and flicked it into the pool. The gorge rose at that point.

@AreOttersJustWetCats I was thinking more villa pools, which I've shared with a big group, or v small hotel ones. I think it's because it's outdoors and the ground is usually dry because of the sun. It just feels much less yuck to me than indoor pools at home, where you see bits of dirt, hair and worst of all old plasters!

I've never had any of these horror experiences in any indoor pool. I wear goggles and go down to the pool floor a lot when I'm with the kids and never seen this stuff. Once when I was at a baby session, there was a poo emergency...staff got us all out and started the cleaning process straight away. I'd forgotten about it until now. I didn't even realise anything was wrong until they got us out. Certainly never seen used sanitary pads, dirty nappies or anything like that in the changing rooms.

At any rate, I've been swimming for years and I'm still here, so I guess I'm hardy enough for it. Hooray for risk taking.

Understood 🤣 absolutely

but if it’s in the water, you’re not breathing it in… unless of course you’re a fish 🐠 and in which case, that’s bad and you really shouldn’t be in the sports centre pool!

Certainly never seen used sanitary pads, dirty nappies or anything like that in the changing rooms[

I swim in a squad, Sunday nights were the absolute worst! The filth that the sodding public used to leave in the changing rooms was awful. Made even worse that we weee swimming in the last hours of the day, until 10pm and the public swimming sessions had stopped hours previously.

actually, since covid it’s been better, maybe the centre staff are actually cleaning up now. I suppose the point is, they shouldn’t have to.

I see Motherland has already been mentioned. Julia’s ick at the pool is exactly how I feel about them.

Yeah. I love swimming. Hate public pools.

NASPALT

That's why they add chlorine! To kill the germs.

I am not worried about germs in swimming pools as the chlorine kills most of them.
It’s the human debris and other half naked humans generally that puts me right off. At least in the sea or a lake I get some space

100%. The devil's work.

My partner has told me not to read this thread. She thinks I will be sick.

I'm comfortable with that, not least because the volume of water is vastly bigger. I eat fish. That is my revenge.

As for the spas, they are just cleaner, for business reasons. They may well still have disgusting things in the water, but at least I am not treading through it all in the changing rooms.

Just gonna leave this here....

The idea that a sea - even a warm one 🤣 - is cleaner is laughable. Though the salt is beneficial.

Me too. I just can't get worked up about germs 🤷

Bed sheets have been on a week or two. It's grim; GRIM, I tell ya 🤣🤣 Meh. No fucks remaining to give 😚

I am a member of a health club and the pool is fine. My main gripe with it is that they’ve more or less stopped heating it because of cost. The hot tub is not as hot as it should be either. Flip flops are compulsory and no outdoor shoes allowed in the shower area.

Corpse:water ratio is great. Nobody said this had to be rational, but it's funny to see how defensive people are of the human swamps.

I feel the same about hot tubs. They give me the creeps

I don't really understand how people manage to function in life if they are so neurotic about hygiene.

I frequently wonder about this - although I never did before finding MN!! I'm not in the UK, but spent my entire childhood summers swiming in the local pool with no ill effects.

YABU OP although to be fair, by not going you are freeing up the pool for me, thanks.

Yanbu, I hate them, the whole thing
is disgusting. Water washing around the arses and genitals of strangers, and then mine. Kids wee splashing into my
mouth. Yuk yuk yuk.

DD adores swimming but has caught SO MANY tummy bugs there, I try to go as little as possible.

I went swimming the other day in a spa hotel. Came out feeling cleaner than ever, probably the chlorine. Even in my gym when I go swimming I just feel cleaner. 😆