Some beaches used to have showers we could use, public showers I mean. Recently most of them have disappeared and some have been replaced by private ones, meaning you need to put a coin for 3 or 5 minutes of water. Have you seen this? How do you feel about it?
I have mixed feeling about this... It really depends on how much money is being asked, and what country this is being applied. One the one hand, water is scarce, and it takes money to deliver it. So citizens have the responsability of contributing, so these services can be delivered. Of course they already do it with taxes, but... On the other hand, it always sucks to pay more money. I haven't noticed this where I live, but it's been ages since I've gone to the beach.
I haven't seen this, but it doesn't surprise me any. For starters, at least with private ones that require pay, at least there's a guaranteed shutoff. No more water being wasted by the water continuously running! On the other hand, many people would avoid showering at the beach if they have to pay like that, so that's not so awesome.
It's just 1€, so it's relatively cheap and when you need to go straight to a place and don't have the time to stop at home it's great because we can optimize the beach time lol. This happened to me last week, I was not certain I had the time, but than I recalled of those showers and they were worth their value, no question there.
Yes. Some of the beaches here in the Philippines have this already. I prefer this actually and consider it an improvement. It's because there are incidents of peeping toms in public showers here in the country. Also, we don't need to pay that much to take a shower.
I think charging for any service is okay, although it would be nice for us to be able to get them for free, we don't really have any human right to, and they have to be paid for somehow. However, I find that showers at the beach are a great way to save money. In the summer, I will go to the beach most days (I am a writer, and will work for a couple of hours on the sand) and then shower and wash my hair afterwards. Luckily our showers are still free, but obviously I don't know how much longer this is going to be the case. Showering at the beach means that I don't have to shower at home, which saves both water and energy. My partner goes to the gym, and I always say to him that he should shower there. He's already paying for the membership, so he might as well try to save a little more money and make use of the facilities that he's paying for anyway!
Yes, I agree Gemma, 1€ is really not much and it's a really cool service. For 1€ they keep an eye on the showers and they keep them running in a good condition, what would not happen if they were just free, no one would care. Believe me, it's really good to go for a swim and then a fresh water shower.
I guess this is a nice step, because personally i don't like public showering. And it is not a big deal to pay some coins for personal shower. coins are charged to provise us good service, so it is not an issue.
Yeah, I don't enjoy too much showering in public, but as long as the salt gets out of my body and I manage to take a swim and get on with the rest of my day, I think it's a great service for 1€, a little over a USD. Sure, in August I image that there are lots of people there, when I went nobody was there so it was pretty cool.
I totally agree with Daren. To pay coins for showering is not a big deal. If showering in public is not necessary so we can do it at our home in a very calm and relax way. Recently I have seen this system on a beach. I found it a nice step for those who just waste and leisurely spent their time in showering.
Yes, it's a fact, the difference between this system and the system where the showers are free is that when we pay the coin we know that the system will last longer and someone keeps an eye on it, while if it's just free most likely no one does the maintenance and it will stop working soon.
Yes you are absolutely right Gelsemium. Mostly People do not care about free things. When it becomes paid they became conscious and careful. I don’t like this kind of selfishness that you just think about yourself. Well are you like to go on beaches? Which is your favorite beach?
Now, don't get me started talking about the beach... I am in Portugal so my favorite beaches are in Costa da Caparica, most likely you never heard of it. A few years ago we had some free showers, but they disappeared, now these new paid ones are a fine addition.
After being at the beach all day I feel disgusting and can't wait to even get home to shower. I never forget my flip flops!!! We always use the showers at the beach even if it means we have to pay for it. It is well worth it so me, my husband and our 4 kiddos don't have to pile in the car all full of sand to go home!! I think instead of getting rid of these, they should add more... and keep them cleaner!! Danyel
If I am going straight home I don't bother in showering, it's just 20 or 30 minutes drive home depending on the traffic so I really prefer to go directly home, much more comfortable there to shower. You have 4 kids Danyel? What a task to give them a shower...!!!
I haven't seen that here on the beaches I've been to but I would be ok with it. Specially if it means that the facilities get better maintenance. Most beaches I've been to have showers and restrooms that are in really bad condition. Also I like the idea of a private shower. When I'm at the beach I usually shower really quickly to get the worse of the sand and salt out and wait until my bathing suit is dry, then put clothes over and go home. I know some people prefer to shower better and change in the restrooms but I always find them so dirty and uncomfortable, and I also don't like being in the shower too long because all the people looking makes me anxious.
The free showers that existed before had no facilities at all, they were just standing there by the entrance of the beach and we could use them. These with coins do have some facilities, we do not have privacy, but we have fresh water.
The same happened on our beaches, the showers are private now and you have to pay. The change is welcomed tho', the cabins are better looking and cleaner. The old showers we had were a nightmare to use, rusted and quite dirty (for a place of cleanliness). The prince is small, and considering I only showered when leaving the beach to wash the salt until I took a 'real' shower, it didn't really add up to much.
Beach showers are a must, because salt waters is stinky, salty, and irritates my skin. Also, I believe the reduction of beach showers is due to less people going to the beach and swimming, and the fact that may homeless people use them too much [which I don't mind; better they wash and be clean, than be dirty], and overuse of water sources may have forced city public servants to shut off a lot of these shower places.
I don't really see why someone would want to shower at a beach. If it's large enough, all the stuff just gets to dispersed that you don't have to worry about getting dirty or anything like that. I wouldn't mind paying a coin for a shower if I really needed it though, as long as it's well kept and allows you to gauge the temperature.
