Sound Off! - Bathing Caps
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If you’ve ever been to a spa or swimming pool in Taiwan, then you know about the requirement for bathing caps. Once while at a spa mine fell off and I didn’t bother to go get it. A few minutes later someone brought it over to me and told me that I must put it back on. They couldn’t tell me why though. Personally, I hate bathing caps!
What’s your view? Do you mind wearing them, or even prefer it? And while we’re at it, someone please tell me what they are for!
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November 9th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Well, I think the reason is that they reduce the amount of hair which gets into the pool’s filter. I’m not sure how effective they actually are, but I have to admit that this might work. I still hate them though.
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November 9th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I’ve heard that before, StefanMuc, but never from a Taiwanese person. i’ve seen people wear bathing caps at the beach while swimming in the ocean. i’ve also seen people wear them in places like hot springs where the hair in the filter theory doesn’t apply either. i’ve never been able to get any sort of an official reason for making people them, even men with short hair.
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November 9th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Hi,
My friend told me that it is required to wear for two reasons. First off, wearing bathing caps can avoid each person’s dandruff or other dirty stuff fall off onto the swimming pool though I was kind of skeptical of this reason. The other reason seems to be more convincing. Wearing bathing caps can avoid the falling hair, which in a way is unsanitary and also might stuck up the hole of the swimming pool.
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November 9th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
How about swimming goggles? It seems people can’t swim without those either. Personally I hate wearing goggles when I’m swimmnig but fortunately they’re not enforced like swimming caps are.
While we’re on the subject of swimming does anyone know of a pool in Taiwan, preferably Taichung, which is deep enough to dive into and permits diving in from the side? I can’t remember the last time I actually dived into a deep pool and swam to the bottom!
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November 9th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Naruwan » although they must exist, i’ve personally never seen a pool deeper than 1.6 meters anywhere in Asia.
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November 9th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Louis » i have a different theory that i will expound after there are more comments, as i don’t want to influence others. thanks for your comment.
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November 9th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Thank you, thank you! Now I don’t feel crazy. I thought John and I were the only one to get completely pissed off about the bathing cap rule here.
Last year, we traveled to Green Island with our co-workers. Everyone decided to meet down at the pool. John and I were told we should wear bathing caps.
I declined since I have an ear problem. I was only going to wade since I can’t have any pressure on my ears and or get them wet. I had my hair tightly bound up and when I hopped into the pool, the lifeguard came running over with the cap from HIS head. Ewww. Real sanitary!
My co-workers explained I had to wear it because the pool personnel don’t want hair floating in the pool. When John and I remarked that most swimming pools in North America don’t require one, the lifeguard told us North American pools are much dirtier than Taiwanese pools. What an idiot. Of course, I had to ask. And I was right. He’s never been to North America, so how the hell would he know? I haven’t gone to a swimming pool since.
Personally, I would rather find a hair or two in my swimming water than have to swim through loads of chlorine because people pee and spit in the pool.
On a completely different note about pools, the other thing that drives me insane is how people swim their laps. They can’t swim a straight line and never keep a look out for other swimmers. It drives me crazy!
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November 10th, 2007 at 9:02 am
I never knew that swimming caps were compulsory here. I hate the things, but in the 5 years I’ve been in Taiwan I’ve never been swimming. Which is strange itself as I grew up by the beach in Aust and either swam, surfed or went diving everyday.
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November 12th, 2007 at 1:29 am
i don’t like the bathing cap, but what i hate even worse is that you can’t wear beach or sports shorts. why must we wear tight ass (literally) speedos or bicycle shorts???
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November 12th, 2007 at 9:57 am
andres » you hit a nerve right there! once i was in a water park, wearing swim trunks that i bought in the USA. a staff member came up to me and told me that i couldn’t wear “shorts” in the water. i replied that they were swim trunks, and the guy argued with me about it until i gave him a look at the inside. i’m not sure if he was convinced by the netting, or the size of my balls but he let it go after that.
let’s face facts: no one wants to see a 50 year old man in a fucking speedo. i do understand about the no street clothes, though. that day i also had a clean white undershirt that i had just put on after showering in the men’s locker room. again, no one wants to see a 50 year old man’s fat abdomen. no dice - i had to remove the shirt or i couldn’t go into the water. he also gave me shit about my bush hat, which i wore over the bathing cap. come on, can anyone blame me for that?
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November 14th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I propose that bush hats become compulsory in Taiwanese pools.
My theory is that the Taiwanese are so much into the swimming = dangerous mentality, that all and any rules must be obeyed without question. Once discipline breaks down people will die in droves.
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November 15th, 2007 at 12:25 am
StefanMuc » i’m with you on the bush hats. gotta cover up that gay looking cap.
my theory is that like just about everything else, it’s not about whether you can do what others assume you can - it’s about keeping them fooled into thinking so. like dropping English words into conversations that otherwise wouldn’t contain them. like wearing a speedo, racing bathing cap, prescription goggles, earplugs, and sitting on the side of the pool cause you can’t effing swim.
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