Chantelle FarrellMore and more people are getting into hot tubs and for good reasons. Soaking in a hot tub is both entertaining as it is relaxing and could be a therapeutic experience, especially if you take care of your skin afterward.
But as fun and soothing as a hot tub is, there are a couple of things you should do afterward to keep your skin healthy and happy.
Remember, water in hot tubs requires cleansing to keep it fresh, safe, and hygienic, and the cleansing typically involves chlorine and other chemicals.
With everything that could be in the hot tub water, does one need to shower after soaking in it?
Here’s everything you need to know.
Do You Have to Shower After a Hot Tub?
It is a good idea to shower or at least rinse your body after soaking in a hot tub, especially for people with sensitive skin. Chemicals and germs in the water may cling to your skin and hair, potentially creating rashes and irritation. A good shower will rinse off any harmful elements from your body so you could stay on the safe side.
3 Main Reasons to Shower After a Hot Tub
If you opt-out of showering after a hot tub, you are leaving your skin exposed to possible irritants that can cause redness, itchiness, or worse, an infection.
Here are the reasons why you should take showering after a hot tub seriously the next time.
Rinse Off Chlorine and Other Chemicals
Hot tubs contain chlorine and other chemicals used to treat the water from harmful bacteria. And while these chemicals are good for the water, they aren’t as beneficial for your skin when absorbed.
If you’ve often experienced itching and skin rashes after a hot tub, the main culprits for that are chlorine and other harsh chemicals in the water.
Avoid Possible Skin Infections
If your irritated and itchy skin after hot tubbing becomes dry and starts peeling off, it becomes vulnerable to bacteria and skin infections. When that happens, your skin will become much worse in the long run.
Because the skin is the largest organ in your body, it’s important to keep it protected at all times. Following a bath with a shower is a great way to accomplish this.
Avoid Contracting Any Diseases
Yes, the water in a hot tub is treated and disinfected. But that doesn’t make it 100% safe for you and your skin. You should be careful when using a public hot tub because bacteria could still be present. You are therefore more likely to contract illnesses and diseases.
Three of the major bacteria and parasites that could be in the hot tub waters include legionella bacteria, pseudomonas bacteria, and crypto parasites. Get in contact with any of these three pathogens, and you’ll be likely to experience hot tub rash, flu-like symptoms, and severe diarrhea, among others.
Rinsing or showering after a hot tub is essential if you want to avoid getting sick.
Tips for Taking Care of the Skin After a Hot Tub
Here are tips to make the most out of your post-soak shower sessions.
Shower with Warm Water, Not Hot
When showering after a hot tub, use warm water instead of hot. The hot water will more likely strip your skin of natural oils, leaving it dry and vulnerable to peeling and irritants. Don’t forget to use soap to wash away the chlorine and other chemicals from your skin.
Pat Dry, Avoid Rubbing Your Skin
The hot water in the hot tub helps to cleanse and purify the skin. It opens up your skin pores, so naturally, your skin will be slightly vulnerable after a hot tub session. So, instead of rubbing, pat your skin dry with a soft, absorbent, nonabrasive towel to avoid irritating your skin.
Don’t Forget to Moisturize.
While the high temperature in the hot tub does wonders, it can sometimes leave your skin slightly dry afterward. Make sure you never forget about moisturizing after your post-hot tub shower. Cocoa butter and shea butter are excellent choices for naturally moisturizing your skin after a hot tub.
Why Should You Shower Before Hot Tub Too
As much as it’s helpful to take a shower after soaking in a hot tub, showering before a hot tub is equally important for the following reasons:
- It helps prevent bacteria from entering the hot tub. Say you decided to soak in a hot tub after a workout or a long day in the office. Your skin and hair are most likely filled with dead skin cells, sweat, lotion, hair products, and other nasty things that could end up in hot tub water. When you shower before hot tubbing, there’s less chance for these contaminants to enter the water or clog your skin.
- It prevents that whitish, foamy film in the hot tub. You’ve probably noticed a foamy film floating on top of the water in the hot tub before. That happens because your skin products like moisturizers, sunscreens, and perfumes end up in your hot tub when you don’t pre-shower.
- It allows disinfectants in the water to do their essential work. Water in the hot tub typically has disinfectants used to get rid of bacteria in the water. But when you bring contaminants in the water by not showering beforehand, the chemicals break down your waste products instead of disinfecting water. It means there are no chemicals left to take care of the real problems in the hot tub, like the bacteria.
Enjoy Your Hot Tubs
In summary, showering before and after soaking in a hot tub is a smart practice. Showering before soaking is a good idea to remove all those not-so-friendly guests from mixing with the water – bacteria from your body, dead skin cells, lotions, perfume, and everything else.
Meanwhile, you would want to shower after the hot tub to cool off, protect your skin from drying out, and prevent any possible skin damage from chlorine and other chemicals that could be in the water. But more importantly, stick to the safe limits when it comes to soaking in a hot tub. Twenty minutes of soaking in the hot tub should be enough, but if you want to relax in hot water more, at least take a break after every 20 minutes of soaking.
