Don't pee on a jellyfish sting: there's no evidence it helps, and urine may make it hurt more. Instead, rinse the sting with seawater, pick off any tentacles with tweezers or a gloved hand, and soak it in hot water to ease the pain.
Peeing on a sting is a folk remedy, and it may make the pain worse.1 A jellyfish's tentacles are lined with tiny stinging cells, and the ones left on your skin after a sting can still fire.2 Urine may set them off and make the pain worse.1
Once you're out of the water, rinse the sting with plenty of seawater.3 Skip fresh water from a bottle or a shower, since that can also trigger leftover cells.2 Then pick off any tentacles with tweezers, or protect your hand with a heavy glove or a towel.4 Don't rub, scrape or press on the sting, because pressing too hard can also make the cells release their venom.5
For the pain, soak the sting in water as hot as you can comfortably stand without burning, around 104 to 113°F, for about 20 minutes.25 If you can't get hot water, an ice pack can take the edge off a mild sting.2 Skip vinegar unless you know which jellyfish stung you, since while it can help with some tropical species, it can also make stings from species in cooler US waters worse.23
Most jellyfish stings affect only the skin they touch.2 You'll usually see a red line, which may be raised, where the tentacle brushed you, and the burning or itching can last from several hours to several days.5 See a doctor if the sting is in the mouth, in or near an eye, on the genitals, or over a large area of skin.4 Call 911 right away for trouble breathing, wheezing, hives or welts elsewhere on the body, or chest pain.4
If you're not sure what to do, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.4
Sources
- [1] National Capital Poison Center (poison.org). Is it safe to drink your urine? — Poison Control (National Capital Poison Center). Accessed September 30, 2026. https://www.poison.org/articles/urine
- [2] CDC (Yellow Book). Poisonings, Envenomations, and Toxic Exposures During Travel — CDC Yellow Book. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/environmental-hazards-risks/poisonings-envenomations-and-toxic-exposures-during-travel.html
- [3] International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). 2025 International Consensus on CPR and ECC Science With Treatment Recommendations — First Aid chapter (ILCOR First Aid Task Force), full chapter PDF. 2025. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://www.ilcor.org/uploads/FA-2025-COSTR-Full-Chapter.pdf
- [4] National Capital Poison Center (poison.org). Jellyfish: A pain at the beach — Poison Control (National Capital Poison Center). Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.poison.org/articles/jellyfish-a-pain-at-the-beach
- [5] StatPearls Publishing / NCBI Bookshelf. Cnidaria Toxicity — StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf). Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538170/
About the author
Dr. Colin Little
MD, FAWM, Chief Medical Officer, GOES Health
- Board Certified Emergency Physician
- Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM)
- Wilderness Medicine Fellowship, University of Utah
- Emergency Medicine Residency and Chief Resident, Stanford / Kaiser
- Doctor of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix