Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel put their handprints into the cement outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. From the June 27, 1953 Los Angeles Times, used under a Creative Commons license.

The next time you feel like Marilyn Monroe or Humphrey Bogart’s are looming over you as you put your hands into their prints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, remind yourself that the sensation may actually be a virus or other bug (or, more likely, that annoying short guy who dresses up like Chucky asking for a tip).

Alas, according to CNN.com’s Stephanie Chen, the Chinese Theatre is among the world’s germiest tourist stops:

What do George Clooney, Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe have in common?

All three of them are celebrated stars with their hand prints molded into the concrete of the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for millions of people to touch.

The sidewalk is littered with 246 celebrity hand and footprints that draw in 4.5 million visitors a year, many of whom put their own hands and feet on them. The site began as an accident in 1927 when Norma Talmadge, a famous actress 1920s, stepped into wet cement. Creator and owner of the theater, Sid Grauman, decided to make the hand and footprints a tradition.

“The stars are selected based on the longevity of their career,” said Levi Tinker, a tour guide at the Grauman Theatre. “Stars who will be around 10 to 20 years from now are picked so people know who they are.”

For germ-conscious travelers, Tinker says the concrete is mopped daily and pressure washed once a week.

On the bright side, a little hand sanitizer may keep visitors safe from the plague… unlike visitors to the herpes and mono inducing attractions also included in the article: the Blarney Stone in Ireland and the lipstick speckled tomb of Oscar Wilde in Paris.

And if you’re wondering, Sid Grauman died of a heart attack in 1950, not a virus.

photo by Zampano!!! used under a Creative Commons license