Spain's beach showers could be drying up for good... and not everyone minds

This water saving measure introduced with drought restrictions may become the new normal for Spain

Playa del Cable, Marbella

All the recent rain may have relieved the drought problems across much of Spain, but the ever-increasing regularity and severity of water shortages are forcing authorities to reconsider whether some uses of precious tap water are really essential after all.

If you’ve spent time on the beach in Andalucía or Cataluña lately, you might’ve noticed something missing – those familiar seaside showers. That’s because not too long ago, the regions were in full-on drought emergency mode.

In 2022, several coastal towns along the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz began limiting shower use during peak summer months. By 2023, restrictions had expanded further, with many municipalities – including popular destinations like Málaga, Torremolinos, and Almuñécar – either reducing shower operating hours or turning them off altogether.

The driest period came in early 2024, when the regional government declared a severe drought situation in several provinces. This led to a full suspension of public beach showers in some areas, alongside broader water-saving measures such as limits on pool refills and garden watering.

While initially met with some resistance from holidaymakers and locals alike, the move has gradually gained acceptance. Officials argue that the savings – often thousands of litres of drinking water per day – far outweigh the inconvenience.

Back in February last year, water reserves in Cataluña dipped below the 100 hm³ threshold due to the severe lack of rain, prompting the regional government to declare a state of emergency.

In practice that meant that public fountains were switched off, swimming pools (both public and private) faced heavy restrictions, hosepipes were banned, and yes – beach showers were turned off.

Locals and visitors alike had to get used to heading home salty and sandy after a day on the coast. And while beachgoers in areas like the Costa Brava might have grumbled at first, many have now got used to it. Some even say they didn’t miss the showers much at all.

This shift in attitude hasn’t gone unnoticed. The organisation behind prestigious Blue Flag awards in Spain, the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac), has floated the idea of scrapping beach showers nationwide. Their logic is that if people can manage without them during droughts, maybe they’re not essential after all. Plus, it’s a straightforward way to save water.

It’s already happening in places like Sanxenxo, a coastal hotspot in Galicia’s Pontevedra province. There, the local council removed all beach showers and encouraged people to rinse off at home instead. The result is thousands of litres of drinking water saved, and hardly a complaint from sunseekers.

Although there’s no national mandate (yet), plenty of councils across Spain, especially in the east and south where many Brits live or holiday, are considering making the change permanent. Not just to cut water use, but to hold onto their Blue Flag status, which is increasingly tied to sustainable practices. Indeed, Sanxenxo received 19 Blue Flags this year, more than any other municipality in Spain.

So if you’re heading to the beach this summer in spots like Alicante, Murcia or Málaga, don’t be surprised if you have to shake the sand out of your shoes the old-fashioned way... at home!