The Nostalgia of Public Swimming Pools
A Wellbeing Solution for Men?
Catherine Lawson
As I make my way across the old, chipped tiles in the changing room, keen to get that far away lane to myself for some uninterrupted lengths, I realise that I’m not the first here. At 7am there are other early risers ready to seize the day too, their laughter reaching me as I make my way to the poolside entrance. Standing there I find several men of a certain vintage, goggles at the ready as they wait for the nod to go through. There’s a frisson of excitement as they move restlessly from one foot to the other, and I see the mischievous schoolboys they once must have been.
I’m welcomed with a smile and a brief ‘hello’ as we wait, before they turn back to each other and into their chat. I recognise that this is a regular meeting point for these men; their conversation is familiar, their interest in each other real. One swimmer is telling another how he treated himself to a steak at the weekend – he’d been feeling a bit lethargic. ‘Low iron?’ asks another. ‘Likely,’ he replies. ‘The wife’s got me on white fish all the time.’ The others nod in understanding and the conversation takes flight. ‘There has to be some red meat in the diet for sure… vital for iron levels and muscle mass… And eggs… for the amino acids alone… essential.’ Then the conversation moves on to what’s happening in America, the football results at the weekend and the best way to eat rhubarb crumble. There’s some spirited debate.
When the lifeguard nods in our direction I watch as they make their way through with a spring in their step, patting each other on the back. They pick their lane, slip into the water and push off into their first length like pros. It strikes me as I watch these easy interactions that for many of them this is a place filled with boyhood nostalgia. This is one of the first places they would have been trusted to go on their own without the watchful eye of a parent. It’s where they would have dive-bombed into the deep end when the lifeguard wasn’t watching and where they no doubt stole first kisses with one eye on the ‘no heavy petting’ signs. It’s where they would have quickly got changed before heading out into the cold with wet hair and flushed faces before racing to the local chippy for a shivery bite to share. There’s a freedom bound up in the nostalgia of public swimming pools which we all remember with differing levels of fondness, but the joy of the pool shines bright in these men as they plough through the water, stopping every so often to pick up the conversation where they left off.
For these men the local swimming pool is having significantly more wellbeing benefits than physical exercise alone; it’s also nurturing social and mental wellbeing. The positive associations with ‘place,’ and the associated feelings of belonging and connection it offers, enables them to connect and find kinship here again in the middle years. It makes complete sense – this is a safe and familiar place where they can talk about all sorts as they wait to go in and when they stop for a breather in between lengths, checking in on each other, exchanging health and lifestyle tips, reminiscing about Auld Ayr and having some fun along the way. Time spent at the pool, it turns out, is ticking just about every wellbeing box there is: public pools are and always have been a place for everyone, and these men are benefitting in countless ways from the sense of community they offer. It might just be the wellbeing solution that’s been right in front of us all along.
If you’re curious, the answer to the rhubarb crumble question is hot, with vanilla ice-cream. Mackies to be exact. Can’t beat it.
