A few weeks ago I got my dad to start going to the pool with me. He’s now seen my locker room procedure and thinks I’m a germaphobe. (He says I get this from my mother, which is probably true.) Anyway, there is carpet in the locker room, which is a disgusting concept so I don’t let anything touch the ground; I do this shoe-to-flipflop-thing when getting ready to swim and a flipflop-to-shoe-thing after showering. If any part of me touches anything in the shower it gets re-scrubbed, but thats a topic for another discussion. Dad and I have had several debates about whether its some sort of insurance clause to have carpet in the locker room so people don’t slip, or some such nonsense (his opinion, not mine). I think its just stupidity, similar to not painting a lap line on the bottom of the lap lane in the pool. So, my question, do any of you go to a gym / health club that has carpet in the locker room? IMO, it should be some sort of tile that they can pour bleach on and scrub the coodies from, not carpet.
If it passes health code inspection, then its Kosher. Now with that said ALWAYS wear flops in there. I have worked in and around pools for most of my life, and have gotten some of the most virulent strains of athlete’s foot in places that were supposed to be “clean”, hell, even in ones that I cleaned myself and thought I did a good job in. Germaphobes unite baby!
My club has carpet. I have asked the owners about it. They said it lowered their liability insurance to have carpet instead of tile. I thought he was B.S.ing me, so I laughed. He said he was serious. Also, he said the carpet can be steam cleaned to keep it free from contamination.
That being said, I am exactly like you. I do not touch the floor. Shoes to sandles, etc., just like you said. It is not b/c I am a germaphobe, I just do not want to risk athletes foot.
Dont get me started…
