Swimming - shower at pool or at home? Which do you do and why?

tomatoey
tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Option 1: just dry off, put your wet hair in a pony tail to freeze on your way home, put on the clothes you came in with, feel gross about that, get home, take that stuff off, shower properly there

Option 2: quick shower at the gym, uncertainty about residual chlorine in crevices (especially if showers are open), no shower at home

Option 3: full proper shower at the gym, have plastic sandals etc to avoid locker room grime and fungus on feet, confident about chlorine removal from body (if you have a private shower), still feel kind of "eh", because you're not 100% about the state of the water in the gym showers. Dry hair with blow dryer, etc.

I have tended to do 1 or 3, which both take up SO much time. 2 is a non-option for me

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,364 Member
    I have a quick shower there and then a proper shower when I get home. I don't want to go home chilly and chloriney, so a quick rinse to warm up is neccesary.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I have a quick shower there and then a proper shower when I get home. I don't want to go home chilly and chloriney, so a quick rinse to warm up is neccesary.

    Got it. How long does it take you to do the whole shebang, from door to being clean at home?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,364 Member
    5 mins to get out of the pool, shower quickly and dress, then the 5 min drive home and straight into a proper shower. Then I need to condition my hair (I have a lot of hair) so that shower is maybe 10 - 15 mins? It could be a lot shorter if I tried, though. I tend to luxuriate a bit :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    I always rinse. Most of the time I put on the same clothes I had.
    Then I shower properly again when I get home.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    5 mins to get out of the pool, shower quickly and dress, then the 5 min drive home and straight into a proper shower. Then I need to condition my hair (I have a lot of hair) so that shower is maybe 10 - 15 mins? It could be a lot shorter if I tried, though. I tend to luxuriate a bit :)

    Me too on conditioner and luxuriating :) That's not so bad, actually. It's 20 minutes by transit to my nearest pool (I don't drive), so maybe that's why I feel like complaining a bit about the inconvenience :/
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    5 mins to get out of the pool, shower quickly and dress, then the 5 min drive home and straight into a proper shower. Then I need to condition my hair (I have a lot of hair) so that shower is maybe 10 - 15 mins? It could be a lot shorter if I tried, though. I tend to luxuriate a bit :)

    When you say it like that, it seems so sensible :)
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,364 Member
    tomatoey wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    5 mins to get out of the pool, shower quickly and dress, then the 5 min drive home and straight into a proper shower. Then I need to condition my hair (I have a lot of hair) so that shower is maybe 10 - 15 mins? It could be a lot shorter if I tried, though. I tend to luxuriate a bit :)

    Me too on conditioner and luxuriating :) That's not so bad, actually. It's 20 minutes by transit to my nearest pool (I don't drive), so maybe that's why I feel like complaining a bit about the inconvenience :/

    Yeah, I can understand that, but I reckon that's why I'd be more for the quick rinse, dry clothes and then a lovely shower at home :D
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
    Shower at home before you go, because you're supposed to shower before you get in the pool. Shower at the gym afterwards then sit in the sauna and slather on the moisturizer.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited December 2014
    ...
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Ludka13 wrote: »
    Shower at home before you go, because you're supposed to shower before you get in the pool. Shower at the gym afterwards then sit in the sauna and slather on the moisturizer.

    No chance I'm showering at home, are you kidding! There are showers and soap at the pool, I do that before I go in.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    5 mins to get out of the pool, shower quickly and dress, then the 5 min drive home and straight into a proper shower. Then I need to condition my hair (I have a lot of hair) so that shower is maybe 10 - 15 mins? It could be a lot shorter if I tried, though. I tend to luxuriate a bit :)

    Me too on conditioner and luxuriating :) That's not so bad, actually. It's 20 minutes by transit to my nearest pool (I don't drive), so maybe that's why I feel like complaining a bit about the inconvenience :/

    Yeah, I can understand that, but I reckon that's why I'd be more for the quick rinse, dry clothes and then a lovely shower at home :D

    This is what I'll do :)
  • sheepotato
    sheepotato Posts: 600 Member
    edited December 2014
    I have a shower with chlorine removing shampoo and body wash before I leave the gym. I go pretty late at night (the pool is busy except the last hour before it closes) and live 15 minutes away so sometimes I stop by a store on my way home and I don't want to smell like chlorine the whole time. I'm usually pretty tired and sometimes go to bed shortly after and wouldn't want to be bothered to take a shower once I get home.

    I started wearing my hoodie up over my wet hair to walk to the car and then turn on the heat. I should dry my hair before I leave now that it's winter but I still don't.
  • luluinca
    luluinca Posts: 2,899 Member
    Living in So Cal, it's not that cold, so I throw on some sweats and beat feet home for coffee and a shower. I do sit on a dry towel so as not to screw up my car seats! I hate carting all the necessities with me for showering at the gym, plus I work from home, so it's super easy just to get home and do my thing!
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    Number 3. It is too freaking cold here in Maine to do it any other way, IMHO. LOL
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I rinse off at the gym, go home in my sweats and t-shirt and then shower at my leisure and privacy.

    I'm just not a fan of showering at the gym. It's not private enough for me :P
  • mightygirlruns
    mightygirlruns Posts: 18
    Option 1. The water pressure at my gym is poor. I can never get my hair clean, so i just wait until i get home. I live 2 miles away. Not a big deal, even in the winter. I just put on my sweats and go.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited December 2014
    Yeah, rinsing + showering at home is easiest, I think.

    I've decided I'm going to wear a toque that I don't care will smell of chlorine to cover my wet hair, just for swimming nights. One problem solved.

    It's worth the aggravation, though, it felt so good to swim. (Although - I have lax joints - sometimes they bother me, sometimes they don't; they don't usually bother me swimming. This time they felt loose and were a little painful by the end of it, from flopping around. Do you guys do anything special with your ankles to watch for that?)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    You could do some stretches in the pool, maybe, before getting out. Do some ankle circles and whatnot.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    quick shower before into the water, then option 3.

    It's fine.
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
    Shower at gym with chlorine removing shampoo. Because after swimming my next stop is usually work ;-)
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