Can You Use Shampoo in a Pool Shower? The Rules in Dutch, Belgian and French Pools

Yes, in most pools you can use shampoo in the showers, but not always in every shower: Den Haag's municipal pools, for example, allow shampoo at some showers and not at others, and mark clearly which is which. So the honest answer is "check the sign on the wall". Rules also differ by country: the Dutch and Belgian pools we checked ask you to shower before you swim, and French pools often ask for a proper soapy shower. Here's what real pools actually say.

If the pool is doing things to your hair, our big guide on whether swimming is bad for your hair is the place to start. This one is about the shower itself.

Can you use shampoo in a pool shower?

Usually yes, but the pool decides, sometimes shower by shower. In Den Haag's municipal pools (Overbosch, Waterthor and Zuiderpark), shampoo and care products are allowed at some showers and not at others, and each pool shows clearly which is which. The house rules ask you to always follow the instructions on site.

Picture the 7am lane swim: half awake, cold changing room, first free shower. If it's a rinse only one, you've broken the rule before your first length. So look for the pictogram, or ask the lifeguard. Nobody minds.

Why do some pools ban shampoo at certain showers?

Mainly because soapy floors are slippery. Den Haag's house rules give slipping as the reason. In May 2025 the Waterthor pool even temporarily banned shampoo and shower gel after several people slipped on soap and shampoo on the floor around the pools, and one woman needed medical care.

Think of where the foam goes: a shower by the pool edge drains onto the tiles that barefoot kids run across on their way to the slide.

Some pools think about bottles too. The house rules of the Sint-Annazwembad in Maldegem, Belgium, say you may only use soap in the showers, and that shampoo in glass bottles isn't allowed.

So what you bring into the shower matters as much as where you use it. Shampoo, shower gel and face wash means three bottles balanced on a tiny shelf, and three chances of one leaking onto your towel on the way home. One solid bar for hair, body and face is one thing to hold, with no glass and nothing to leak.

Whatever you wash with, the bigger point stays the same: use it where the pool says you can, and rinse the foam away so the floor is safe for the next person.

Do you have to shower before swimming in Dutch and Belgian pools?

Yes, at every Dutch and Belgian pool we checked. At the pools SRO runs in places like Amersfoort, Zeist and Velsen, showering before entering the water is compulsory. Zwembad De Boetzelaer's 2025 house rules say showering before swimming is compulsory for everyone. In Belgium, Maldegem's Sint-Annazwembad and De Zwemkom in Wevelgem both require a shower before you enter the swimming hall.

Some pool operators even explain why. A short shower before swimming helps keep the water clean, because sweat, cosmetics and other substances rinse off your skin first, and residues of soap, shampoo, hair gel, deodorant and make-up otherwise end up in the water.

Notice these rules ask for a shower, not necessarily soap. Your proper wash can wait until after your swim, at a shower where shampoo is allowed.

What does "douche savonnée obligatoire" mean?

It means a soapy shower before you swim is compulsory, and many French municipal pools ask for exactly that. The baseline comes from a model house regulation under the French Sport Code, published by a regional health agency: bathers must pass through showers and footbaths before going into the pools.

Many towns go further. The municipal pool rules of Tours say bathers must take a soaped shower ("une douche savonnée") and walk through the footbaths before the pools, and must not use soap or shampoo anywhere other than under the showers. The Arbois pool's 2025 rules say a shower with soap and/or shampoo is compulsory before the pool deck, to remove sweat, hair, dead skin and cosmetics, and they ban glass objects, bottles included.

So for a French pool on holiday, bring something to wash with before you even get wet. Flying? A solid bar isn't a liquid at airport security. More on that in our guide to solid toiletries in your carry-on.

The rest of the French rules, like compulsory swim caps and which swimsuits are allowed, are covered in our swim bag essentials list.

How do the rules compare?

Here's what each pool or authority says on its own pages. "Not mentioned" doesn't mean allowed, just that the page is silent.

Pool or authority	Before swimming	Soap or shampoo
Den Haag pools, NL	Short shower to keep water clean	Allowed at some showers only; signs show which
SRO pools, NL	Shower compulsory	Not mentioned
De Boetzelaer, NL	Shower compulsory	Not mentioned
Sint-Annazwembad, Maldegem, BE	Shower compulsory	Only in showers; no glass bottles
De Zwemkom, Wevelgem, BE	Shower compulsory	Not mentioned
Model regulation, FR	Showers and footbaths	Not mentioned
Tours, FR	Soaped shower and footbath	Only under the showers
Arbois, FR	Shower with soap and/or shampoo	Required; no glass

Why does a shower before swimming matter?

Because whatever is on your skin ends up in the water and uses up the chlorine. Public health guidance for swimmers says a one minute shower removes most of the dirt, sweat and oils on your body that use up the pool chemicals needed to kill germs.

You'll recognise the second reason with your nose. Chlorine combines with pee, sweat, dirt, deodorant and make-up to form chloramines, and that "chlorine" smell at the pool is probably chloramines. That's why the pool smells strongest on a busy Saturday morning, after a hundred people have been in. If the smell then follows you to your desk, read why chlorine smell stays on your skin.

How do you shower politely at the pool?

Rinse before, wash after, and keep foam where the pool wants it.

• Before: a quick rinse in Dutch and Belgian pools, a soapy shower in France.
• Look for the sign before you lather up.
• Rinse the tiles around your feet when you're done.
• No glass, anywhere.
• Keep it short during the kids' lesson rush.

As the founder of a brand that sells bars, I'll be honest: what you wash with matters much less here than where you use it. A plastic bottle at the right shower is perfectly fine.

The after-swim wash is where a crowded kit gets fiddly: wet hands, a slippery bottle, the kid by the lockers asking if you're done yet. A 3-in-1 bar keeps it to one item, with Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate as its first ingredient and no saponified oils. Our guide on how to use a shampoo bar covers the basics.

Let it dry between swims (see how to store a soap bar), and if you swim most days, read whether you need to wash your hair after every swim or which shampoo to use if you swim a lot.

Summary

You can usually use shampoo in a pool shower, but not necessarily at every shower: Den Haag's pools mark which showers allow it, because soapy floors cause slips. The Dutch and Belgian pools we checked require a shower before swimming, and French pools such as Tours and Arbois require a soapy one. Look for the sign, skip glass, and keep the foam in the showers.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

The facts in this article are based on the sources below, checked in October 2026.

1. Huisregels in het zwembad. Gemeente Den Haag, 2024 (updated 2026).
2. Waarom douchen vóór het zwemmen zo belangrijk is. Gemeente Den Haag.
3. Haags zwembad verbiedt shampoo en douchegel: 'Een vrouw is ongelukkig gevallen'. Hart van Nederland, 2025.
4. Huisregels SRO Sportaccommodaties en zwembaden. SRO, 2024.
5. Huisregels De Boetzelaer 2025. Zwembad De Boetzelaer, 2025.
6. Huishoudelijk reglement Sint-Annazwembad. Gemeente Maldegem, 2020.
7. Huishoudelijk reglement De Zwemkom. Gemeente Wevelgem.
8. Règlement intérieur type des piscines. ARS Bretagne, 2025.
9. Règlement municipal des piscines. Ville de Tours, 2023.
10. Piscine: règlement intérieur 2025. Ville d'Arbois, 2025.
11. Healthy Swimming: Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
12. Preventing Eye Irritation from Pool Chemicals. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.