Shower shoes update

Chaco sandals are part of my travel gear and would work well as "shower shoes."

My wife wears shower shoes at the local public pool, but never considered them for use in a hotel while traveling.

If I encountered a hotel that made shower shoes advisable, I wouldn't be there long enough to take a shower.
That blur you saw was me going out the front door.

I don’t wear “shower shoes” at home or at hotels, so I have no need to bring them when traveling.

I bring cheap flip-flops from Old Navy to wear around the hotel (I hate walking barefoot). I suppose one could wear them in the shower if there are sanitary concerns.

https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=460171002&vid=1&pcid=55147&cid=55147&nav=meganav%3AWomen%3AShoes+%26+Accessories%3AShoes#pdp-page-content

I wear water socks when doing water exercise at the Y. I suppose they could be used as 'shower shoes' also. However, I do wear them on the airplane on my way to Europe or UK. I find them much more comfortable than shoes, especially during the night when I'm try to get some sleep, and are great for during the night trips to toilet because of their rubber soles. I wash them in the tub with shampoo at my first hotel when I arrive. I buy them from Amazon.

I use flip flops for showering at the exercise club. I also bring them on camping trips or anywhere else where there might be communal showers. I don't bring them for other travel unless I feel like they'd come in handy for short term situations--beach, in a hotel, for a quick errand, etc.

I’ve never brought them or felt like I wished I had some with me.

I would never stay in a hotel where shower shoes were considered a necessity. Ewww.

For warm weather trips, I throw a pair of cheap flip flops in my checked bag. Yeah , checked bag- go ahead and judge me, LOL. I wear them in our hotel room instead of going bare foot, as I do at home. If the trip is during cooler times of the year i either wear my slip on shoes in the room, or disposable slippers if provided by the hotel.

I had never heard of them until recently regarding a discussion elsewhere about slippery showers. That coincided with our own recent stay at the Schiphol Hilton which had the most slippery tile floor in the large shower that I have ever encountered and no grab bars or rubber mat.

I wear flip flops when in the room, including while showering. Can't image always wearing shoes in the room, or walking with socks or bare feet on the floor, ick.

I am about to leave for Europe this evening on a hiking trip - starting in the Pyrenees and then moving onto the Alta Via 2 (not the AV2 in the Dolomites - this is the Gran Paradiso AV2). The rifugios we are staying in all ask you to bring a sleeping bag liner and shower shoes. Since I have to carry this for 10 days on my back, I bought a very light weight pair of Crocs flip flops to serve the need. My assumption is that this is for sanitary and safety reasons.

I only wear flip flops in the shower when I visit Yellowstone and have booked into one of the cabins that has shared bath accommodations. I'm not going to stay in a place where standing in the showers is iffy due to hygiene. I supposed if I did find myself in one I'd just put down a hand towel in the shower and carefully stand on that.

Shower shoes remind me of shared "bathroom down the hall" days, the KOA campground shower house, and the Paradise Inn (Rainier) hall shower rooms. I never owned shower shoes, but for the situations above, those cheap rubber flip-flops did the trick. Oh, and when at the spa in France, I used the disposable claquettes (see cheap flip-flops) they provided. Nowadays, I pack a pair of Birkenstock sandals for the room.

I hesitated posting this question but so happy I did. When my friend replied she was shocked that I didn’t wear shower shoes when traveling it was starting to make me feel like a dirty bird. Thank you all for your replies! I have always traveled with a pair of Croc flip flops to use as my room shoes aka slippers. When staying in hotel my biggest issue with the shower is how slippery some are. We sometimes put a hand towel down in the shower to stand on because it is just too slippery. When using our 5th wheel trailer at the beach and using the shower house we always wear cheap flip flops in the shower. Being the overly neurotic person I am I have been googling shower shoes and their reviews. Starting to think that maybe a quick drying shower shoe might work as my room shoes and can wear in the shower to avoid falls. Again thank you all so much!

jacq, my first thought was I haven't felt the need for shower shoes since junior high PE class. Yet, you make a great point. On our trip last year to Europe in lovely clean hotels, I felt a heightened sense of using caution to not slip and fall. At one hotel, I was standing (tub/shower combo with slippery finish ) and not even moving yet my weight shifted ever so much and I nearly slipped. Fortunately I have good core strength and self corrected without over correcting. Reality scared me, because it happened so quickly. I wear flip flops year round at home and take them when traveling, but don't think they'd be at all safe in the shower. If you come up with a nonslip shower shoe, please post!

Clearly you asked a great question! I guess I am in the very small minority here, I have always traveled with an old pair of Havaiana flip flops. I change into them for hotel rooms once in for the day, wear into the bathroom and shower (also semi- helpful for traction) and to go to breakfast or the lobby.
They pack flat and dry quickly- The FitKicks I also have do not.
Happy travels for you and your feet!

KD I am looking at the COZYAREA Shower Shoes Quick Dry Non-Slip Bathroom Slippers (Amazon). Asked my friend and that is what she wears also. My main concern is the slipping ( we are ages soon to be 75 and soon to be 80). I guess the sanitary advantage might be a plus also but it has never really concerned me in hotels that I would stay at. Going to order these and try using them on our upcoming RS tour in October. Will leave the Croc flip flops at home to honor the RS pack light theme……Happy and Safe Travels to you all!

Not to be gross, but some of us pick up plantar warts very easily. Walking on tile or on a porcelain or plastic tub isn't worth the risk.

Simple flip flops, if necessary.

I usually don't pack any, but I am considering bringing some for my upcoming trip to Romania/Budapest, as I plan to visit some of the thermal baths and they would be handy to have.

Thanks for the question and discussion!

I hadn’t thought of wearing shower shoes and the thought of hotel hygiene making this a necessity would have me re-thinking my lodging choice with many others above! However, I have become concerned with slipping in the bath or shower in recent years. Now I have the answer!

I’ll consider my beach “water shoes” for upcoming trips - even those with no beach itinerary!

My partner and I have never really felt the need for shower shoes in the places we've stayed. Luckily our feet have never been prone to picking up anything undesirable.

But slipping should really be a consideration especially for those of us who are older. We had the most slippery bathtub/shower ever in Prague and my husband took a slide that injured his knee and ribs on the side. Fortunately there were no broken bones. We asked the desk for some help and they sent up a rubber mat and and champagne. That wouldn't heal the bruises but was certainly thoughtful. We've learned to think ahead a throw a towel down if the floor is in question. It took some time for him to heal and sadly that time was spent on tour.

Hotel tub/showers in Europe are very often very slippery. Several times I asked at the desk for a shower mat and they did have them so I was able to get one. Getting hurt on a trip would be awful.

We stay in a lot of quaint hotels stateside that often have shared, European style bathrooms and the shower shoes are great - peace of mind about things like athlete's foot, safer on tiles, and they're great for popping on to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Regular flip flops work but their foam aoften absorbs water and the shower shoes are made to dry very quickly.

I have Archies flip flops. They take up little space and don’t absorb water. I wear them in the shower at the fitness club and then wear them home

Update on shower shoes. Took a little trip to Cambria, California with the new shower shoes. Decided three nights in a hotel with shower shoes as room shoes and shower shoes would be a good test run for our upcoming tour. As shower shoes A+. As room shoes aka slippers after my showers C-. Feet continued to be or feel wet even after attempting to dry the shower shoes off. Will pack both shower shoes and Croc flip flops on upcoming tour.

Flip flops are a relatively inexpensive slipper to take and discard at the end of a trip. Great for poolside, sometimes icky carpets, shower and just an extra pair of shoes (sometimes your other shoes might be wet. Great in an emergency or a down the hall bathroom situation.

Posted by jacq OP

When staying in hotel my biggest issue with the
shower is how slippery some are. We sometimes put a hand towel down in
the shower to stand on because it is just too slippery.

This. I used to stand on a washcloth in the shower because of slippery tubs.

Then I bought a pair of shower shoes like this. Shower shoes And yes, pepto-bismol pink.
They work great. Easy to slip off to wash your foot. Extremely lightweight.

But they are bulky and the top is stiff.

So I recently bought a foldable pair like this. Foldable Shower shoes
Haven't tried them yet. They are also extremely lightweight and the 2 together are the same thickness as the sole of one of the first type. I don't think they would be good for walking to the pool or on the beach though. Too flimsy. The bulkier, stiffer ones would be okay.

I also found that if you request a room with a low-step shower, the shower floor is not as slippery as a tub. I still use the shower shoes though, just to be safe.

If I wanted something suitable for also walking to the pool or beach, I would probably get some aqua-socks or shoes.

When staying in hotel my biggest issue with the shower is how slippery some are. We sometimes put a hand towel down in the shower to stand on because it is just too slippery.

This since I nearly cracked my head open in a shower in London. Helps immensely.

I’m packing for theRS South Italy tour this October. Bringing my plastic Birks! On recent travels I’ve started packing my EVA Arizona Birkenstock sandals. They weigh very little and I stuff them with socks etc great for showers and comfy to wear out too.
Here’s a link
https://www.zappos.com/product/8184196/color/1035363

SHOWER SHOES UPDATE 9-12-25
After packing and repacking several times for our upcoming RS tour (10-14-25j. The C- shower shoes will be staying home. The Croc flip-flop room shoes will become the shower shoes also. I have done a few test runs with them here at home in our slippery bathtub and they work just fine. Easy to dry off and they don’t absorb water. Yes I am a bit indecisive when it comes to packing for a RS tour. I try to keep the suitcase light yet pack everything I need. Seems I need lots! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I have carefully read all the replies and checked out the sites some of you have included in your reply. Thank you to each and every one of you for your thoughts, suggestions and experiences. Let’s keep on traveling with no slipping in the shower!

jacq, thanks for the update!!!

I bring cheap flip-flops from Old Navy to wear around the hotel (I hate walking barefoot). I suppose one could wear them in the shower if there are sanitary concerns.

Mary, thank you for the link! I clicked on it and found a cheap pair for $4.99, which dropped to $1.99 after applying my Gap points. And I was able to pick it up at the store! I just realized I didn't have any and I'm leaving tomorrow for Romania and Budapest, where I plan to indulge in some of the thermal baths there. I know you can rent shoes, but I'd prefer to have my own and then I can just leave them behind at the end. Score!!!

Let’s keep on traveling with no slipping in the shower!

Many years ago while traveling in Italy with my mom, who was 87 at the time, we stayed in a hotel that had a very slippery shower.

We used a hand towel on the shower floor but then I decided to ask the hotel staff if they had a nonslip mat available.
Lo and behold the woman at the front desk went to a back room and came out with these disposable non slip paper bath mats!
She even gave me a few extras just in case we needed them elsewhere.
I appreciated this very kind gesture, indeed!

I did a google search and the only Disposable nonslip bath mats I found are sold in cases of 500!

So… Do consider asking the hotel staff about these nonslip disposable mats 😉

To answer your question; I do not pack flip flops, unless I’m going to Hawaii! 🌴

BEWARE.…Flip flops don’t have the greatest of grip and I wouldn’t trust them on a slippery shower!

I actually slipped on my kitchen floor (while wearing flip flops) and injured one of my knees when someone accidentally spilled a bit of water on the floor!

What RS tour are you taking?

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

@Priscilla....I had not heard of these. Very interesting...and laughing at the 500 count box, lol!!

@Jacq - have fun on your tour! I am glad you are ahead of the curve on packing. It's so much easier to make decisions on things when you are not pressed for time!

@jacq I feel so much better now that I am already packing and organizing for my Oct. 22nd departure for a RS Villages of Italy tour! The shower shoes are a great idea, now I have one more thing to shop for before I am ready! I can no longer wear flip-flops, so I appreciate the alternative suggestions. Safe travels everyone!