When you have your own backyard swimming pool or hot tub you set your own rules for behavior and swimming pool etiquette.
However, when you are staying at a hotel, living in a community apartment building or visiting a public swimming pool there is a swimming pool etiquette to follow.
Follow these simple guidelines and rules of swimming pool etiquette.
Table of Contents
1. Follow the Pool Rules
If you staying at a hotel, live in an apartment building or visit a public pool there will be rules posted around the pool area. The rules are designed to keep everyone safe and allow visitors to enjoy swimming and sunbathing without disturbance from other guests.
Typical rules will be safety related such as no children without adult supervision, glassware, eating in the pool, alcohol, diving, running or splashing. Other rules will be related to providing enjoyment of the pool area without disturbance from other visitors such as no reserving chairs, loud music, shouting or smoking.
2. Keep the Noise to a Minimum
Do not play loud music around a community or hotel swimming pool as you will be disturbing other visitors. Personal music is for your ears only. Wear headphones or earphones to listen to music or watch videos. Do not talk loudly on mobile phones. Receiving a phone call is acceptable if it is quick and you don’t talk loudly. Do not use a phone on loud speaker. If you have a phone call to make leave the area and move to a more private and less conspicuous place.
Parents with children should ensure that their children are not using tablet computers or mobile devices around a swimming pool. If children want to watch cartoons or play video games take them elsewhere so that you are not disturbing other guests or residents.
3. Appropriate Swimwear Dress Code
In the privacy of your own home what you wear in the swimming pool is up to you.
However, at a public swimming pool there are social rules for appropriate swimwear.
Firstly, you must wear proper swimwear not shorts and a tee-shirt. Wear swimwear that suits your body and figure. No one wants to see a larger, older person in small swimwear.
Be mindful of children and members of the opposite sex. They do not want to see people in revealing swimwear.
Parents it is not appropriate to have small children running around naked at a community or hotel swimming pool.
4. Shower before Entering the Pool or Spa
Whether you are aware of it or not, your body is covered with organic matter and contaminants. Humans perspire sweat on to our skin which dries and begins to break down. Our skin in flaking off our bodies and our hair is constantly falling out. Women may also be wearing hair spray, hand cream, moisturizer and perfume.
If you don’t shower before you swim in a pool all the dirt and contaminants on your body will wash off in the pool water. Do you want to swim in dirty pool water?
Swimming pools are sanitized with chlorine to kill bacteria and other contaminants. However, the chlorine can take time to kill all the bacteria and contaminants in the water. Also the filtration system takes many hours to turn over all the pool water and remove the dead contaminants.
So if dirty people are entering the pool you can be swimming in their dirt, bacteria and bodily contaminants until removed by the filter.
Please read our article on Should You Shower Before You Swim
5. Respect Others
When in a public place such as a hotel or community swimming pool visitors must respect the rights and privileges of others.
Parents are usually the worst offenders. When they allow their children to run riot around a pool area disturbing other guests. All parents must keep their children under control or leave the pool area. Many hotels and apartments will exclude guests and residents who disturb or show disrespect to other guests.
6. Use the Facilities
Use the toilet before you enter the pool. It is completely unacceptable to urinate in a swimming pool as it’s a health hazard to all. The pool chemicals will neutralize urine but the filtration system cannot remove urine as it is a dissolved fluid. The dead urine will stay in the pool!
Parents must ensure their children are toileted before entering a hotel, community or public pool.
7. Open Wounds & Bandages
If you have cuts, abrasions or any type of open wound do not swim in a pool or soak in a hot tub. It’s best to wait until the wounds have healed before swimming again. The chlorine and other pool chemicals are only going to irritate the wound and slow down the healing process.
Also, it’s not a good look for other guests or residents to see someone covered in Band-Aids entering the swimming pool. The pool chemicals and filtration system work hard and take time to remove contaminants from the pool so don’t introduce extra contaminants.
8. Swim Diapers
Parents of small children should keep their children out of the adult pool. Parents should ensure their child is fitted with swim diapers and only swims in the children’s pool.
9. Shower after Exiting the Pool or Spa
The reason you should take a shower after swimming is to remove any chemical residues or contaminants from your body.
All swimming pools have sanitizing chemicals, such as chlorine, to kill contaminants in the pool water. This must be washed from your body and hair.
There are also many other pool chemicals in the water such as cyanuric acid, hydrochloric acid, salt, sodium carbonate and algaecide.
If not washed from your body these chemicals can dry your skin causing irritation, redness, itching, eczema, and rashes.
10. Clean up after yourself
When you using the facilities of a hotel or apartment building please ensure you clean up after yourself and your family. Snacks and drinks are allowed in most pool areas but remove the rubbish and put back chairs where you found them. If you use a barbeque always clean it for the next person.
Hotel Swimming Pool Etiquette
A hotel swimming pool is a place of relaxation and serenity where guests can unwind and enjoy themselves. Maybe it’s an infinity pool with a beautiful view or a pool surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The last thing you want is some unruly guests ruining your holiday. Unfortunately, not everyone is mindful or respectful of others so hotel swimming pool areas will have a list of rules posted on the wall. There really shouldn’t need to be rules on the wall. I find it disrespectful to the nice people of the world but some people just have to be told how to live their lives.
Select the right type of hotel
If you have children and you want to stay in a hotel select a hotel suited to families. Many hotels cater to families and allow children to splash around in a children’s pool. The other guests will also have families and you won’t be disturbing others.
If you’re planning to party and dance the night away select an adult-orientated hotel that has a DJ around the pool area, allows drinking alcohol and has a swim up bar. And you’ll be able to wear sexy swimwear without offending a family group.
What to wear from hotel room to pool
I recommend to always dress conservatively inside the confines of the hotel even when going to the swimming pool. It’s not appropriate to wear swimwear only when walking from your room to the pool. Other guests don’t want to see half naked people in the lift or walking through the lobby (unless you’re a super model).
Try to use only one towel
Most resorts provide a towel to guests at the swimming pool. Try to use only one towel. If it gets wet dry it out on the lounge chair rather than using more towels. Hotels have to process a lot of laundry everyday so try to be environmentally mindful with hotel towels.
Don’t reserve chairs when you are not there
Many hotels have rules to prevent disrespectful persons who try to reserve chairs and tables for other people who are not present. Don’t place personal items on chairs to reserve them and then leave the pool area.
Neighbors Swimming in Your Pool
When you have a backyard swimming pool neighbors can invite themselves over to swim in your pool.
It’s important to set the rules from the beginning before this becomes a real problem.
I recommend to inform your neighbors that your pool is personal and private. You are not allowing any neighbors into your backyard pool unless they are specifically and expressly invited each time.
You are not comfortable with neighbor’s children swimming in the pool without their parents supervising them.
Inform your own children to not invite their friends over for a swim without your express permission first.
Remember, it’s your pool and if anything goes wrong you can be personally held responsible at law. If a children drowned or someone injured themselves you could be legally liable for damages.
With the outbreak of the Corona Virus Pandemic it’s even more important to exclude others from your backyard swimming pool.
Please read our article on Corona Virus & Pool Safety
Conclusion
Swimming pool etiquette is common sense. However, for some people common sense is not common practice and they are not mindful or respectful of other people.
Before you enter a swimming pool or spa please shower and go to the toilet. Wear appropriate swimwear. Remember you are in a public place and be mindful of others.
If you have a family and are planning a hotel vacation book a hotel suitable for children. Your children will want to stay where other families stay and where there are family orientated facilities such as a children’s swimming pool.