Frequently Asked Questions > Why salt water pools have become so popular with pool owners > How do salt water pools make the water feel so much better?
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Surveys indicate that one of the most important reasons for the huge popularity of salt water pools is the way it makes the water feel to our skin and our eyes. Salt water pool owners rave about how much better the water feels, how it doesn’t burn their eyes or cause itchy feelings on their skin and even how much easier it is to brush and manage their hair after swimming in a salt water pool.
Why is the feeling of the water so noticeably different? To understand the reason, we need to understand a little bit about the moisture layer in our skin and eyes. The human body is actually a salty environment. If you have ever tasted teardrops or sweat, you probably know that they are salty tasting. Because our bodies are naturally salty (approximately 7,000 to 9,000 parts per million of salt in our different tissues), the closer the water we swim in is to that level of salt, the better our skin and eyes feel and the less water we will either absorb across our skin or lose across our skin.
Many people who have swam in the ocean may wonder how a salt water swimming pool can feel softer since swimming in the ocean usually made their skin very dry and itchy feeling and burned their eyes. The fact is that the concentration of salt in the ocean is about 10 times higher than that in a residential salt water swimming pool. This very high level of salt in the ocean actually draws water out of our skin and our eyes when they are exposed to it through a natural process called osmosis. In very simple terms, if the concentration of salt in the water around our bodies is higher than that inside our bodies, we will actually lose skin moisture to that saltier water. If however, the concentration of salt around our bodies is significantly lower (such as in a fresh water swimming pool), then our skin and eyes will actually absorb water causing our skin to feel tight and stretched, sometimes wrinkling it and cause our eyes to swell and sting and turn red. Therefore, the closer the salt level in a pool is to our bodies natural salt level, the better it feels to our skin and eyes and the better it actually is for maintaining the proper moisture balance in our skin and eyes. Salt water swimming pools are usually maintained between 3,000 and 5,000 parts per million of salt concentration. This level makes the skin and eyes feel better without making the water taste too salty.
To enhance this feeling even further, new salt water pool products like Pristiva actually contain additional additives which are known to work in conjunction with the unique, pristine grade of salt to make the skin feel even softer and smoother. The clear intent is to create the most comfortable water to spend the maximum amount of time in and after all, isn’t that why we buy swimming pools to begin with?