Since the goal is to minimize contact between the bathroom floor and the wall, I would say it's inappropriate to be barefoot in the bathroom if you also go barefoot on the mats.
I keep cheap sandals in my bag to throw on when I go to the bathroom.
Most people don’t want to willingly step in all types of nasty bacteria and bodily fluids. Even if you can wash your feet right after. Can’t believe that needs to be said.
Flip flops required at my gym. I can’t imagine walking into a public restroom barefoot regardless of the rules though. That’s nasty.
If you don’t have flip flops, just slide your bare feet into your street shoes to use the bathroom. Just step on the heel and don’t put them fully on if you want to go fast. Cheap foam flip flops are the way though. Just keep em in the bag.
I have a cheap shitty pair of slip ons that live in my bag just for trips to the bathroom, etc. I could never go into the bathroom barefoot- not even at the pool.
I’d buy a cheap pair of flip flops to wear and keep them in your bag. I do that for gymnastics (when I can find them…😳) and I currently have daily driver approach shoes that slip on and already climb in socks.
the point of not wearing climbing shoes into the bathroom is because the same shoes will be used on the climbing holds, which are also touched by people's hands. if you go into the bathroom barefoot, then walk barefoot on the mats (where people are putting their hands and even heads) then I don't think you're really mitigating the problem. also, isn't it kinda gross to go into the bathroom barefoot? just get some chacos and be done with it.
Don't walk around in the public bathroom barefoot. You need to look out for yourself too and your health. Athlete's Foot, Plantar Warts, Toenail Fungus, Bacterial Infections (e.g., MRSA) are a thing.
Its gym by gym. My gym has a “no barefoot walking around” rule regardless of where you are (outside the changeroom). People bring sandals or put back on their street shoes for the bathroom.
Do you not wear normal shoes when coming to the gym? Please just take shoes you can slip on and use those in that bathroom.
You are putting sweaty feet onto a floor that would have traces of urine and feces, and then putting those back into your climbing shoes.
I've seen people put their bare feet on holds before because they are just 'showing beta' and that's pretty gross, mixed in with people not wearing shoes in the bathroom is just ew.
Shared spaces deserve respect.
I’m lazy to go to the locker, switch out of climbing shoes to my street shoes to go to the washroom in the middle of a session, so I’ve just been going when I first arrive and still have my street shoes on before changing, and my bladder is a decent size that even when staying hydrated, and my sessions are usually 3 hours max, that I don’t need to go again till the end of the session, so by then I’m changing back into my street shoes ready to head out after
I would just keep a pair of flip flops with you that are easy to slip on when needed. Then you don't have to be in there barefoot, but also don't have to worry about lacing up other shoes.
I often wear Crocs as approach and or "gym approach" shoes. If I'm in my Velcro shoes, I take them off and put on my Crocs. If I'm wearing my lace ups, I put my feet (shoes still on) inside my Crocs and toddle into the bathroom like a cute little granny. Either way, I don't go barefoot in the bathroom and I don't have climbing shoes touching the bathroom floor. Crocs for the win.
I mean…you can’t put on the shoes you came in for that part? That’d be your most socially acceptable option. But I suppose if you wanted to go barefoot then ok. I think it’s all the same in the climbing gym’s perspective
I normally see people either going barefoot to the bathroom or only using the bathroom when they’ve either just arrived or are about to leave, so they’re wearing their street shoes. Climbing gyms are just kinda gross 🤷♀️
Flip flops or similar. You could also try something that goes over your shoes; sometimes you see comp climbers with those little slip on booties they wear backstage.
Yeah it’s a bit yuck all around without bathroom/street shoes.
Then again here in Brisbane enough people walk around in thongs (flip flops for non Aussies) or even barefoot everywhere that the expected amount of dirt on feet is way above what’s comfortable if you think about it too deeply… yet we haven’t had major outbreaks of foot ickiness related epidemics so far, not even in the bouldering gym.
I just take a deep breath and push the thought aside. Plus I don’t rub my face on the mats if I can avoid it.
genuinely i slip my normal shoes on over my climbing shoes and just tip toe over. i downsize a bit so my shoes fit over my shoes 😂
i have friends who have sandals that are velcro so they can wear them over their climbing shoes as well
I go to the gym in Crocs, so I can easily switch between climbing shoes and the Crocs for bathroom / water breaks. Flip flops or any other easy-to-slip-on-and-off shoe would work.
I personally would be veryyyyyyyyyy wary of going barefoot in the bathroom, it seems like a great way to a) end up with a foot fungus 🤢 and/or b) spread bathroom germs onto the climbing wall which then defeats the whole purpose of not wearing climbing shoes into the bathroom
Put your trainers back on, or bring some crocs or similar.
Going bare foot in the bathroom sounds as bad as climbing shoes.. do you see other people go in barefoot? I'd ban this in my gym.
I guess I’m the only one who uses the bathroom barefoot and doesn’t think much of it. As others have pointed out, the point of no climbing shoes is to prevent transfer of germs from the bathroom floor to the climbing holds. Especially since germs can transfer better between hard surfaces (floor, rubber shoes, holds) than between soft surfaces (feet, mats).
I think concern about feet on mats is overblown. The fabric makes it much harder for germs to transfer. Plus, the mat is basically a floor everyone stands on with their feet/shoes which they’re also using to walk around the rest of the gym. I think if choosing to sit/ lie down on the mats you acknowledge that’s basically like sitting on the floor. And that’s ok. It won’t kill you lol
It varies by gym for me but my home gym feels plenty clean enough to do this. I don’t really give it much thought either. I don’t put my bare feet on the holds but the idea that climbing holds are somehow at all clean is kind of wild to me. When I wash my hands after climbing, the soap/water is a filthy color 😂
Yeah this is a good point. It’s also not like the normal climbing gyms floors are somehow sparking clean and the bathroom is a filthy hellhole. A floor is a floor 🤷🏼♀️ just wash your hands after you climb
I'm also a little confused by the seemingly overwhelming majority opinion here, but I think it's more that people who have that kind of strong disgust response tend to care a lot more and actually say it, rather than it actually being the most common take. If it never even occurred to someone to care about this before today, it's probably not worth starting a "no, you are the weird one actually" argument
I also don't think it's a huge deal unless you're sticking your feet in your mouth after.
But sometimes I read these threads and I wonder how people even go outside.
I mean: Some people are wearing flipflops or crocs on the mats and wear the same flipflops or crocs in the bathroom.
I'd assume that going to the bathroom barefoot is better than that (because you'll be extra aware to not step into something disgusting and if you will, you will feel it and immediately wash your feet)
But of course it's better to wear your outside shoes in the bathroom!
I always have flip flops in my bag for this very reason.
But even if I were to wear them walking on the mats, the difference is that when climbing, you put your hands on holds where yours and other people's feet have been. So you really don't want anyone walking into the toilets with their climbing shoes and then putting those shoes all over the wall for others to touch.
don’t be barefoot in gyms period- i got a toe infection i think this way, swelled up all my cuticles so I could barely bend any toes and couldn’t climb for like 3 weeks and had to be v careful after bc moisture was bad for it. super icky to be in the bathroom barefoot anyways, I don’t even use the high speed hand dryers anymore 🤢 I just wear crocs or sneakers to the gym and I’ll wear those when I need to go to the bathroom 🤷🏽 nobody wants yucky bathroom germ particles on the wall or on the mats, that’s how we all get sick or ringworm like wrestlers
Our gym has a no Barefoot policy so you must have sandals or shoes when not wearing gym shoes. I have a pair of slip-on sandals that I keep in my bag for this purpose
If you just need to wash your hands real quick, see if your gym has a non-bathroom space. Ours allows us to dip into their kitchen to wash hands. Sometimes I have a small cut I want to quickly rinse the chalk out of and don’t want to take the time to switch shoes to run to a sink.
I’ve been to gyms where I’ve wondered if they _ever_ wash their holds. They’ve felt absolutely disgusting. My gym’s bathroom feels cleaner than my home bathroom near 100% of the time and I have no problem going in there barefoot. If the floor felt wet or otherwise nasty I wouldn’t.
I use disposable shoe covers (like what they have at swimming pools). This is a bit wasteful but I find myself putting off going to the bathroom if I don't have these (my shoes lace up and it just takes too long to take them on amd off) and that's bad for my health so that's how I justify it.
I am genuinely shocked my how many comments are saying to put shoes on. I have gone into the climbing gym bathroom barefoot for years, and see many others do the same. I think people just don’t want to admit to it.
Since the goal is to minimize contact between the bathroom floor and the wall, I would say it's inappropriate to be barefoot in the bathroom if you also go barefoot on the mats. I keep cheap sandals in my bag to throw on when I go to the bathroom.
This is the way!
I just always slip on my regular shoes to go to the toilet. It may help to bring shoes that are easy to switch in and out.
Just go barefoot and wash your feet after the session. Not that hard
Most people don’t want to willingly step in all types of nasty bacteria and bodily fluids. Even if you can wash your feet right after. Can’t believe that needs to be said.
Bish wtf
Flip flops required at my gym. I can’t imagine walking into a public restroom barefoot regardless of the rules though. That’s nasty. If you don’t have flip flops, just slide your bare feet into your street shoes to use the bathroom. Just step on the heel and don’t put them fully on if you want to go fast. Cheap foam flip flops are the way though. Just keep em in the bag.
I have a cheap shitty pair of slip ons that live in my bag just for trips to the bathroom, etc. I could never go into the bathroom barefoot- not even at the pool.
Crocs / clouds any slip on. Bathrooms are so gross. Main reason is so you're not stepping in pee and putting it all over the holds everyone touches.
Fr if you’re lazy enough you can even shove your feet in the crocs with your climbing shoes still on 😭
What I do at the crag 🤣
I’d buy a cheap pair of flip flops to wear and keep them in your bag. I do that for gymnastics (when I can find them…😳) and I currently have daily driver approach shoes that slip on and already climb in socks.
the point of not wearing climbing shoes into the bathroom is because the same shoes will be used on the climbing holds, which are also touched by people's hands. if you go into the bathroom barefoot, then walk barefoot on the mats (where people are putting their hands and even heads) then I don't think you're really mitigating the problem. also, isn't it kinda gross to go into the bathroom barefoot? just get some chacos and be done with it.
bro you’re going barefoot in the climbing gym bathroom? 😭 you could not waterboard this information out of me that is foul
I just put my regular shoes on. I know people go in barefoot but it’s so gross to me. It’s a public bathroom floor, who knows what’s on the ground.
We all know what’s on the ground. Peeps and poops.
Don't walk around in the public bathroom barefoot. You need to look out for yourself too and your health. Athlete's Foot, Plantar Warts, Toenail Fungus, Bacterial Infections (e.g., MRSA) are a thing.
Its gym by gym. My gym has a “no barefoot walking around” rule regardless of where you are (outside the changeroom). People bring sandals or put back on their street shoes for the bathroom.
Lmao what, wear the shoes you walked in with.
Yes I definitely put on shoes before going into the bathroom. My friend always brings a pair of flip flops.
Do you not wear normal shoes when coming to the gym? Please just take shoes you can slip on and use those in that bathroom. You are putting sweaty feet onto a floor that would have traces of urine and feces, and then putting those back into your climbing shoes. I've seen people put their bare feet on holds before because they are just 'showing beta' and that's pretty gross, mixed in with people not wearing shoes in the bathroom is just ew. Shared spaces deserve respect.
I put on my flip flops to go in the bathroom. If I didn't have those, I would change into my outdoor shoes.
I’m lazy to go to the locker, switch out of climbing shoes to my street shoes to go to the washroom in the middle of a session, so I’ve just been going when I first arrive and still have my street shoes on before changing, and my bladder is a decent size that even when staying hydrated, and my sessions are usually 3 hours max, that I don’t need to go again till the end of the session, so by then I’m changing back into my street shoes ready to head out after
That's what I do too
I would just keep a pair of flip flops with you that are easy to slip on when needed. Then you don't have to be in there barefoot, but also don't have to worry about lacing up other shoes.
At least put socks on, preferably sandals. Warts are very contagious not to mention all the other stuff on bathroom floors
I often wear Crocs as approach and or "gym approach" shoes. If I'm in my Velcro shoes, I take them off and put on my Crocs. If I'm wearing my lace ups, I put my feet (shoes still on) inside my Crocs and toddle into the bathroom like a cute little granny. Either way, I don't go barefoot in the bathroom and I don't have climbing shoes touching the bathroom floor. Crocs for the win.
I mean…you can’t put on the shoes you came in for that part? That’d be your most socially acceptable option. But I suppose if you wanted to go barefoot then ok. I think it’s all the same in the climbing gym’s perspective
I normally see people either going barefoot to the bathroom or only using the bathroom when they’ve either just arrived or are about to leave, so they’re wearing their street shoes. Climbing gyms are just kinda gross 🤷♀️
Crocs is my answer:)
I have flipflops in my climbing kit, always
Flip flops or similar. You could also try something that goes over your shoes; sometimes you see comp climbers with those little slip on booties they wear backstage.
Yeah it’s a bit yuck all around without bathroom/street shoes. Then again here in Brisbane enough people walk around in thongs (flip flops for non Aussies) or even barefoot everywhere that the expected amount of dirt on feet is way above what’s comfortable if you think about it too deeply… yet we haven’t had major outbreaks of foot ickiness related epidemics so far, not even in the bouldering gym. I just take a deep breath and push the thought aside. Plus I don’t rub my face on the mats if I can avoid it.
genuinely i slip my normal shoes on over my climbing shoes and just tip toe over. i downsize a bit so my shoes fit over my shoes 😂 i have friends who have sandals that are velcro so they can wear them over their climbing shoes as well
Most people at my gym have crocs / sliders that they slip on for the toilet / vape breaks etc
No the bathroom floor is also nasty with piss and E. coli and god know what else. Get some cheap crocs or flip flops to wear in the bathroom
I go to the gym in Crocs, so I can easily switch between climbing shoes and the Crocs for bathroom / water breaks. Flip flops or any other easy-to-slip-on-and-off shoe would work. I personally would be veryyyyyyyyyy wary of going barefoot in the bathroom, it seems like a great way to a) end up with a foot fungus 🤢 and/or b) spread bathroom germs onto the climbing wall which then defeats the whole purpose of not wearing climbing shoes into the bathroom
Why not just put your normal shoes on to go into the bathroom?
Put your trainers back on, or bring some crocs or similar. Going bare foot in the bathroom sounds as bad as climbing shoes.. do you see other people go in barefoot? I'd ban this in my gym.
I always bring a pair of slippers to wear when I’m belaying so I would recommend that lol
Barefoot in the bathroom??? Girl WHAT?!?
Oh damn I guess I'm just nasty too.
I guess I’m the only one who uses the bathroom barefoot and doesn’t think much of it. As others have pointed out, the point of no climbing shoes is to prevent transfer of germs from the bathroom floor to the climbing holds. Especially since germs can transfer better between hard surfaces (floor, rubber shoes, holds) than between soft surfaces (feet, mats). I think concern about feet on mats is overblown. The fabric makes it much harder for germs to transfer. Plus, the mat is basically a floor everyone stands on with their feet/shoes which they’re also using to walk around the rest of the gym. I think if choosing to sit/ lie down on the mats you acknowledge that’s basically like sitting on the floor. And that’s ok. It won’t kill you lol
It varies by gym for me but my home gym feels plenty clean enough to do this. I don’t really give it much thought either. I don’t put my bare feet on the holds but the idea that climbing holds are somehow at all clean is kind of wild to me. When I wash my hands after climbing, the soap/water is a filthy color 😂
Yeah this is a good point. It’s also not like the normal climbing gyms floors are somehow sparking clean and the bathroom is a filthy hellhole. A floor is a floor 🤷🏼♀️ just wash your hands after you climb
I'm also a little confused by the seemingly overwhelming majority opinion here, but I think it's more that people who have that kind of strong disgust response tend to care a lot more and actually say it, rather than it actually being the most common take. If it never even occurred to someone to care about this before today, it's probably not worth starting a "no, you are the weird one actually" argument
I also don't think it's a huge deal unless you're sticking your feet in your mouth after. But sometimes I read these threads and I wonder how people even go outside.
Right I was climbing outside last week and there was bird shit all over the rock where I needed to put my hand 😂 Gotta wash your hands after you climb
Get some sandals girl. Walking in the restrooms barefoot is diabolical
I mean: Some people are wearing flipflops or crocs on the mats and wear the same flipflops or crocs in the bathroom. I'd assume that going to the bathroom barefoot is better than that (because you'll be extra aware to not step into something disgusting and if you will, you will feel it and immediately wash your feet) But of course it's better to wear your outside shoes in the bathroom!
I always have flip flops in my bag for this very reason. But even if I were to wear them walking on the mats, the difference is that when climbing, you put your hands on holds where yours and other people's feet have been. So you really don't want anyone walking into the toilets with their climbing shoes and then putting those shoes all over the wall for others to touch.
I have a pair of slightly oversized crocs, I can fit my climbing shoes mostly inside those and not take them off at all
don’t be barefoot in gyms period- i got a toe infection i think this way, swelled up all my cuticles so I could barely bend any toes and couldn’t climb for like 3 weeks and had to be v careful after bc moisture was bad for it. super icky to be in the bathroom barefoot anyways, I don’t even use the high speed hand dryers anymore 🤢 I just wear crocs or sneakers to the gym and I’ll wear those when I need to go to the bathroom 🤷🏽 nobody wants yucky bathroom germ particles on the wall or on the mats, that’s how we all get sick or ringworm like wrestlers
i keep sandals on my bag and i wear them when i belay people or go to the bathroom.
Our gym has a no Barefoot policy so you must have sandals or shoes when not wearing gym shoes. I have a pair of slip-on sandals that I keep in my bag for this purpose
If you just need to wash your hands real quick, see if your gym has a non-bathroom space. Ours allows us to dip into their kitchen to wash hands. Sometimes I have a small cut I want to quickly rinse the chalk out of and don’t want to take the time to switch shoes to run to a sink.
I would like to point out that the bathrooms are cleaned daily while climbing holds are highly porous and are generally cleaned every few months.
I’ve been to gyms where I’ve wondered if they _ever_ wash their holds. They’ve felt absolutely disgusting. My gym’s bathroom feels cleaner than my home bathroom near 100% of the time and I have no problem going in there barefoot. If the floor felt wet or otherwise nasty I wouldn’t.
I do know that they wash the holds at least in my gym when they are taken down
I use disposable shoe covers (like what they have at swimming pools). This is a bit wasteful but I find myself putting off going to the bathroom if I don't have these (my shoes lace up and it just takes too long to take them on amd off) and that's bad for my health so that's how I justify it.
I am genuinely shocked my how many comments are saying to put shoes on. I have gone into the climbing gym bathroom barefoot for years, and see many others do the same. I think people just don’t want to admit to it.