I was at the gym today and they were hosting a pool party for those that have joined the Army Guard. anyway, I was in the men's locker room and one of the "recruits" comes in to use the restroom. He looked to be about 20 or so and he is wearing his swimsuit and COWBOY BOOTS, no shirt. yes, you read that right, swim suit and cowboy boots. Flabbergasted, I followed him back out to the pool just to see what he was going to do. he sat down and he pulled off the boots (no socks) and went back over to the sand volleyball area. man, is this kid shod brainwashed or what ? I still can't believe I saw that and I thought I had seen it all. Others in the party did enter the building in just their swim suits, so I'm not sure what was up with him.
Well... as hard as I would've been laughing at the near naked + cowboy boots thing... there is a thing called athletes foot / fungus. Not saying I would rush for a pair a shoes when walking into a locker room if I was barefoot to begin with - but, personally, I'd rather not walk on disgusting floors that people have dragged their sweaty socks, sneakers, and god knows what else all over. Even the floor of a public restroom is cleaner than a locker-room floor.
this gym is more of a mom & pop type operaton than Golds. they mop the floor with disenfectant three times a day, at 1100 and about 1700 and then when they close or if a memeber asks/complains. I've never had a problem with athletes foot from here or any other time. The floor of a public restroom is NOT cleaner than the locker floor at my gym, I will back them up on this.
And even getting mopped three times a day, you can't tell me that the floor around the urinals isn't soaked in piss. Come on, you're a guy...you know we can't hit the target half the time. I have been in some public restrooms where it looks more like they were trying to hit the floor than the urinal! Maybe you are comfortable standing barefoot in urine. A lot of folks, me included, aren't!
Well, being barefoot puts you in a low to no risk of getting any type of foot fungus, including athletes foot. Reason being the fungus only grows in warm, damp dark place. Like maybe, hmm, a shoe! So for those of us who don't wear them, there is no place for those funguses to grow. Yeah, I always put on sandals before going into a public rest room... I used to be really germ-a-phobic and would even wash the soles of my shoes after using a public restroom while I was washing my hands.
I got planter's warts when I was a swimmer in Jr. High. I walked around all the time barefoot...and I got those stupid things...
Well, it may not be nice to get your feet wet,but I think urine is sterile so it won"t do much harm. If you have to go, you have to go. It is mostly in our mind that it isn"t sanatary.
I can usually do a quick assessment before going in, and that's just the ones I frequent, places I work or visit regularly. I can bf into those if the assessment shows things to be OK. New or strange places, I slip into my flops. Gross places, I won't go into at all. I do anything to avoid, shod or unshod. Makes no difference. I'll figure out some other way!
Doesn't sound too nice... But warts aren't a fungus or anything are they? But still, sounds less than pleasant.
Yeah.. urine wouldn't be the worst thing to tread through. It is sterile. I still say the locker room has got to be the most germ ridden place ever. Sweat + Damp + Tiling + probably not the best ventilation = all kinds of bacteria. I don't think Plantar's warts has anything to do with being barefoot or not. Anyone know for sure?
According to eMedicine... Plantar warts are caused by direct exposure of HPV to the epidermis. This occurs through breaks in the stratum corneum of the epidermis. Such exposure frequently is associated with using public showers.
yeah an when you walk on the nice green grass ...and feel that wet dew on your feet ...it might be from the last person or animal to walk by
Yeah, I still would take a public shower without sandals, I don't beleive. Fungus or no, that place is still a bacteria farm. The thing about HPV and Plantar Warts just adds to my reasond not to use public showers without putting something on my feet.