Do You Need to Shower After Hot Tub?

Hot tubs are now more popular than ever, and are still a great way to kick back and relax, entertain or have some fun upon an evening.

As fun as hot tubs can be, they do require a lot of regular maintenance. If you want to keep your hot tub in the best condition, then you will know how important it is to use the right chemicals, filtration and hygiene before entering the water.

Hot tubs require cleansing, chemicals and chlorine to keep the water fresh, safe and hygienic.

Although these chemicals are not extremely dangerous for the skin, you may be wondering what effect these can have on your body if you use the hot tub a lot.

In addition, you may be wondering if you need to shower after using the hot tub, to protect your skin from damage.

Luckily, we are here to answer these questions, and tell you why you need to shower after using the hot tub!

Do you need to shower after using the hot tub?

The short answer is yes, you do need to shower after using a hot tub. Hot tubs have lots of chemicals such as chlorine in the water, which can help keep the water sanitary at all times.

However, chlorine can be quite harmful to the skin, and can cause rashes or reactions on the skin, damaging and drying out the skin barrier.

Chlorine is a powerful bacteria killer, whilst this works great in your hot tub, its effects can work many days later upon your skin.

You will want to remove it from your skin immediately after bathing, or you may get a reaction, develop dry skin, eczema, or suffer some itching and redness in the skin.

To avoid this, you will want to ensure that you shower after going into the hot tub, as you can remove any excess bacteria, chlorine and chemicals from your skin.

Why shower after the hot tub?

If you choose not to shower after using the hot tub, you are basically leaving your skin very vulnerable. This can lead to redness, irritation, and even infections.

This is mainly due to the chlorine and other chemicals within your hot tub’s water, as these can dry out the skin, and remove the natural protective oils and barriers that your skin has.

Without rinsing off excess chlorine and hot tub water, you are leaving those chemicals to sit on and absorb into your skin, which can make it prone to rashes, eczema, peeling off, and becoming extremely itchy and irritated.

If your skin then peels off, it is highly vulnerable to infections and bacteria which can make your skin much worse in the long run.

The skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and you will want to ensure that it is protected at all times.

This is best done by showering just after stepping out of the hot tub, as this will rinse off any chlorine, chemicals, bacteria, germs and build ups that may have been in the hot tub, that could harm your skin.

A quick 5 minutes shower after hot-tubbing seems like a small price to pay to keep your skin happy, healthy and thriving.

How to look after your skin after using the hot tub?

Soaking your body in the hot tub is a great way to unwind after a long day. However, you will need to care for your skin afterwards.

The best way to do this is to shower off after going into the hot tub.

This will effectively remove any lingering chlorine or other cleaning chemicals on your skin.

To do this, you will want to use warm water and soap, and be very gentle when washing, and do not use hot water as this can strip away some of the natural protective barrier on your skin, which can leave it vulnerable to irritants, or can even dry it out.

Then, pat your skin dry, and try not to rub with the towel as this can irritate the skin also.

Once your skin has dried off, you will want to moisturize fully, and lock in some extra moisture after the chlorine has dried out your skin.

Before you relax and put your feet up for the evening, you should also check your water pH levels and the chlorine to ensure that your hot tub is ready for the next use, and your skin will be protected.

Should I shower before the hot tub?

In addition to showering after using the hot tub, you should also try to shower before using the hot tub, too.

Showering before using your hot tub is just as important as showering afterwards, as you will be rinsing off any sweat, grime or products that may have built up on your skin before entering the hot tub.

For example, if you are wearing perfumes, or moisturizers or sunscreen, when you enter the hot tub, this will then all be floating around the tub with you, which can breed bacteria, but also cause that foamy, whitish film that floats on top of the water once the jets are on.

By showering before going into the hot tub, you are removing any bacteria, which will lessen the chances of your hot tub filter becoming clogged with oils and waste.

As hot tubs are filled with water, that is not changed regularly, and instead filled with chemicals to remove waste, if you, or other users do not shower before going in, all of that sweat, bacteria and skin products will be sitting in the water.

This is another reason why you should shower afterwards…as you do not know if others showered before they got in, and what they may have brought in with them!

Summary

To summarize, you should always try to shower before and after using a hot tub, as many chemicals, irritants and bacteria can build up in your hot tub water.

To prevent adding any bacteria to your hot tub, you will want to shower before, and to protect your skin from drying out, or from chlorine damage, you will want to shower straight after!