Take the plunge, just a few steps from home

Imagine if we could laze around all day, floating in a swimming pool, drink in hand, like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. There is more to the swimming pool experience that just that, especially if the pool in question is a community swimming pool in an apartment complex. The pools in residential complexes are not much different from the ones in commercial areas such as hotels and clubs, the only dissimilarity being in the charges to take a dip. Since the residents do not pay for this pool on a daily basis and it gets covered under maintenance charges, they tend to take it for granted. The attention paid to hygiene routines, personal care and precautions while in the pool becomes lower. “We spend much more money on maintaining our apartment pool than hotels do on theirs,” says Vijayan, Maintenance Head, The Atrium, Thiruvanmayur. It is important for you to remember to hit the showers before and after you jump into the pool. A shower before the swim will remove skin surfaces that are susceptible to collecting chlorine and will also help get a better feel of the water that is soon going to come to contact with your body. After your swim, use a body wash with petrolatum or glycerine because this will help your skin retain its moisture and rehydrate. It is no nuclear science that sun expose requires constant application and reapplication of water-proof and sweat-proof sun block with a high SPF value. Tans caused by sun exposure while in water are extremely damaging to the skin and also have long-term effects. Hair is also vulnerable to chlorinated water. Make sure you use a conditioner with SPF before entering the pool. The fact that the pool is a couple of stairs away from the comfort of one’s home doesn’t change the need for appropriate clothing. Always use swimming caps and costumes to protect yourself and other swimmers as well. A popular trend that has been doing the rounds in the city, is for these apartment complexes to lease out their pools to a commercial body or swimming school, so that they do not have to worry about maintaining it. This way, the necessary upgrades are done and there is a possibility for better infrastructure and equipment. However, there is also a flipside to this situation. Since the pool is now commercially run, the chance that swimmers who are not residents of the apartments to use it, would become more likey. “The advantage of the pool in my residential complex is that I know who is using it and there is a certain amount of privacy in the whole affair. I would not like it if people from outside began using our pool,” admits Anuj Srivas, resident at The Atrium.The switch to salt water pools is also seen because unlike in Chlorine pools, you don’t need to stock up on chemicals and can even go a whole year without treating the water. Considering the pool is being used by other residents as well, ensure that filters and pumps are regularly used in the maintenance process. Put on those flip flops and walk to the pool for your evening dip, but also keep in mind these few tips to have nothing to regret about at the end of the day. Go ahead, take a dive!