Insistence of shoes at gyms a scam?

Forthright wrote: Well just about all gyms are going to spray a disinfectant in their shoes when they are returned. And from working in a gym about 99% of rental shoes are worn with socks. 

Fair enough. I thought it was more like 50% of climbing gyms but I am happy to be corrected. Nevertheless I would be extremely wary of trusting my health to the judgment of gym staff who I suspect are mostly on hourly wages and not necessarily having basic science knowledge (education is not one of their job qualifications, I presume, and I don't mean any offence).

Here's one example of a gym employee who posted before you: Grandpa: "There is, it's Kiwi brand: kiwicare.com/en-au/products… We use it in the gym where I work and it works well. And the main reason for wearing shoes is injury prevention, then hygiene." S/He is confusing deodorant with disinfectant and believes it works well! And even if they were using a strong disinfectant I doubt they would be able to spray it deep into the shoe's front end which is where all the nasty things happen. Every other poster has his or her own notions so in the end it just appears to be a whole lot of unchallenged opinions versus science.

As for socks, I agree, they would mitigate spread of infections. I will trust your figures that 99% of rental shoes are worn with socks since i have no idea about this. Back where I live the figure is closer to 1%.  

Edit: another gym employee; Logan: "I've been a gym employee for a while and I also strongly hate barefoot climbing. My solution was to always tell people or parents of children that you can wear street shoes if you don't want to purchase rentals."

Two words: Henry Barber

Lone Ranger wrote:
4. You'll get hurt by climbing barefoot

Unless you're only climbing on huge jugs, I think a lot of people would jam their toes and get injured if they didn't wear shoes. It sounds like a liability for gyms to let people climb barefoot. I get your points, but I don't get how it's not obvious to you why gyms would require patrons to wear shoes.

Cpn Dunsel wrote:

Yes. Facts and knowledge outweigh cultural idiocy and ignorance for me.

Climbing gyms are businesses, and a business's purpose is to make money.  Since there are probably only 1 or 2 people at any given gym that have the desire to climb barefoot, and there are probably 100+ people that don't want to touch a hold that someone just put their sweaty toes on, the business, functioning in its own best interest, is probably going to make a rule saying that everyone has to wear shoes, so that they only run the risk of losing 2 paying customers over 100+.  

I don't care what science says, i still don't like your bare feet.

SW Marlatt wrote: Two words: Henry Barber

That’s not fair, because anyone who has been climbing for only a few years would pay to suck on Hot Henry’s magical toes.