Hot tubs are gross, and I’ll tell you why
It’s bad enough making eye contact with someone during a soak, let alone accidentally touching a neighbour’s slippery leg or even worse, their feet. And it’s not just a weird thing to do with strangers in a communal jacuzzi. A friend once described the hot tub she shared with a group of pals during a cottage stay as resembling ‘human soup’. The mental image has haunted me ever since.
You’ve also got the logistics of getting in and out. Has anyone in the history of hot tubs ever managed to do so in a dignified manner? Between scuttling in the cold in your cossie, navigating slippery floors, and exiting the hot tub without shoving your rear end in someone’s face, it’s a minefield of potential bloopers.
It’s also prime territory for such gag reflex-inducing sights as floating plasters, and strands of hair, and that’s just the stuff you can see…
In badly maintained tubs, the warm, swirling water makes the perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria, putting people at risk of all sorts of nasty illnesses, including Legionnaires’ disease.
According to the NHS website, it’s caused by breathing in tiny droplets of water containing bacteria, so something to think about when you’re inhaling that ‘spa fresh air’ during your next dip.
(Pascal Pavani/Getty)
