To remind people of French swimming pool rule

[Solmum1964]

Just a quick reminder for people holidaying in France this year. Many public swimming pools and campsites insist that boys and men wear proper (lycra) swimming trunks in their pools. These can be traditional brief style, swim shorts or jammers but must be tight around the leg for hygiene purposes. Looser swim shorts are not allowed.
I'm currently on holiday in France and have seen a number of men asked to leave the pool because they were not wearing appropriate swimwear.

That's what I want to know too. I deliberately buy waterproof/resistant suncream for this reason.

Most Swiss indoor pools require swim caps and tight fitting swimwear. Outdoor pools are sometimes more flexible but not always.

No swimwear of any kind in saunas; nude only.

For once those of us who choose to have a Hollywood won’t be criticised. At last!

Budgie smugglers keep the pubes and bum crumbs contained.

If you are buying new swimwear consider the colour, some colours are not visible under water:

On holiday in Germany years ago and we had to buy funny little swim hats. They weren't the old fashioned rubber ones more like fabric lifeguard hats.

Really I wish there were proper enforced hygene rules everywhere. I remember as a child in the 60s all public swimming pools had a long footbath and shower that you had to walk through to get to the pool.

Decathalon

I just want to say to the people who think people don't shower before they go swimming, how do you know they haven't at home or the hotel room before they go to the pool?

I shower at home right before going to my local pool then put my swimsuit under my clean, loose clothes. You would see me go out of the cubicle and into the pool withour showering but I already have. So basically you have no idea really!

We had similar at a holiday park with a large pool complex, got told off for trying to go the cafe for a snack before we got changed, had to be in swim wear to sit in the cafe!

How are Lycra shorts going to stop wee? They aren’t nappies.

I think the foot-baths were taken out because they caused more problems with infections than they resolved.

Many men are in effect covered with pubes anyway

Why do you want to see men’s bare tops walking around the high street? It’s grim.

Probably because she's brushing it off as a normal 'man' thing.

It's not normal for anyone. It's gross.

Bleurgh. The more I think about swimming pools after reading this thread the more I think I might never step foot in one again

I'd never considered the hygiene angle; always assumed it was about modesty. I've seen a few wardrobe malfunctions from men swimming, reclining and generally flopping about in loose-legged shorts.

Reading all the posts reminds me how much I hate swimming and pools these days. OMG the amount of work necessary to have a swim is just too much for me now. I know I am an outlier but the worst part for me is getting out and showering/changing after a swim. The hair is like straw ladies, the hair..... The slippery feeling when skin is not fully dry. Ugh. No I won't do it again.

Thankfully I travel in the off season so it's never hot enough to need a pool to cool down, and furthermore I never go anywhere with a pool vibe anyway.

Not knocking anyone else and I do understand that a pool is vital where kids are there, but it is just so, I dunno, so much hard work! For me anyway, and I shudder to think how many people have peed in the pool, because they do.

And if you swim right behind a bloke with loose shorts and you wear swimgogles so you can see under the water .... Just nasty.

I feel that my neck hurts when I swim without swimgogles but I will not wear them in a crowded pool. Learned that the hard way 🫣

For anyone moaning about the French rules - do you ever go to UK public pools? Because I do and they are only rarely anywhere as clean and pleasant to use as the French ones.

UK pools have a sign asking swimmers to shower before going into the water. I have never seen that rule enforced.

I don't.
I'm a keep-it-covered kinda person.

But I'm trying to understand what's grim about a bare chested man, versus a women in a bikini top.

People on here seem to be leaning into the old "horses sweat, men perspire, ladies only glow" trope.

And the commentary seemed to imply it was flabby men she didn't like.

Just seems like double standards of the sort we used to hate .... remember the "free the nipple campaign"?? Or "no fat shaming"??

Such a pointless rule. So a really hygienic person can't wear swim shorts but you can be as dirty as you like if you're wearing Speedos. Do they check if you've got freshly changed into your swimwear or been wearing them under your clothes before you get in? Can't imagine my husband or sons being comfortable in tight budgie smugglers so we best avoid France!

It’s not really personal hygiene because you are supposed to shower first it’s about not wearing outerwear into the pool.
Men (well French ones at least) are less likely to wear tight Speedo’s or trunks all day.

Think Speedos are making a comeback now men are happy looking more sporty.

Brief style or 'budgie smugglers' appear to be worn by very few men, so far as I've seen.
The trunk style linked by a PP are more common and then jammers (just above knee length) are worn by some too.
DH likes the trunk style and wears them when he swims at home. DS (adult) used to wear jammers as he swam competitively but now prefers the brief style which he wears to play water polo.

My top tip if you have a car is to locate the most convenient Decathlon en route...