How can water shoes help you at a waterpark?
Introduction
Nothing like a water park to cool off and have fun in the summer. You can splash around, ride waterslides and chill in the lazy pool for hours without getting bored. Amidst all the fun, you shouldn’t forget about protecting your feet! Thankfully, water shoes will take care of this job for you. Water shoes are awesome at the beach, but should you wear water shoes at a waterpark? Splash into this article and find out!
Should you wear water shoes at a waterpark?
Water shoes are an absolute necessity at any place that involves a large amount of people, their feet and water. Allow us to tell you why. Wherever there are lots of people mixed with wet and warm conditions, such as the changing rooms/showers at a waterpark, you can be sure that there will be some kind of bacterial, viral or fungal growth in the premises. This microbe infestation is never good news! Walking barefoot around these places is sure to get your feet dirty and infected.
Possible infections
To name just a few nasty diseases you could get from walking around barefoot in a waterpark changing room, we have:
● Athlete’s Foot
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that you can get if you come in direct contact with the fungus. This infection starts off as a rash and can start producing painful, itchy blisters if left untreated. Antifungal powders and creams are your best bets at solving this issue. Remember not to scratch!
● Staph Infections
Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria, which enters into your body through direct contact with an open wound or cracked skin. Staph infections usually begin as small red bumps which look like pimples that may turn into large red, painful abscesses. You should visit a doctor if you see these symptoms as things could get pretty serious pretty quick.
● Ringworm
Ringworm is yet another fungal infection that you can get from direct contact with an infected object or person. Ringworm, as the name suggests, looks like a circular rash and can be itchy and red. Ringworm can be treated with oral and topical antifungal medication.
● Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection
Finally, we come to the big daddy. Yes, you can get HPV from walking around barefoot in water park changing rooms/showers. HPV is a viral infection that can be transmitted through skin to skin or skin to object contact where the virus is present. This infection starts off as small hard sores and if left untreated, can infect a lot of surrounding cells to cause cancer!
Other reasons why you should wear water shoes at a waterpark
Of course, the infections are bad for you, but there are a couple more reasons why wearing water shoes at a waterpark is a good idea. Firstly, water shoes have grippy rubber soles with special patterns to make sure you don’t slip and fall on slippery waterpark flooring! Secondly, water shoes can insulate your shoes from the cold when you’re not in the water, keeping them warm while you’re chilling around. So, should you wear water shoes at a waterpark? For your own good, yes!
Are water shoes allowed at a waterpark?
So we’ve decided that water shoes are an integral part of your waterpark visit, but let’s see if they’re even allowed at the waterpark! Fortunately, most water parks allow water shoes, as long as they’re not worn in the pools or on the rides and for good reason. Water shoes are known for their strong grip. This grip can turn out to be dangerous if your water shoes get stuck on a ride, leading to serious injury. You also don’t want to carry any microbes on your water shoes into the pools now do you?
Final Thoughts
All in all, having fun at a waterpark should always be done with precaution. One such useful precaution is water shoes. Water shoes will save your feet from all sorts of nasty infections that pervade water park changing rooms/showers, like Athlete’s Foot, Ringworm, Staph infections, and even HPV! To keep your feet infection free and to not lose your grip while walking around, wear your water shoes to the water park! Hope we’ve answered your question; should you wear water shoes at a waterpark?
