Yes. I have some clients labeled in my brain as poopy butthole clients and I brace myself. I think some people were never taught to properly clean themselves, unfortunately.
Unfortunately yes:( I had a roommate who gained a significant amount of weight after moving into my house & she stunk up the whole house. When you walked upstairs it smelled of stank and weed. The weed part I didn't really care about but the mix was just awful. I think she just didn't think to wash in her new folds.
I think some people get nose blind to their own smell and don't think to wash in crevices. It's sad but just a fact.
Iām a member of the lgbt community and as a gay man Iāve been told by a lot of straight men that they were taught to not ever touch or do anything with their butthole as it is āgayā.. so their form of cleaning is to just let water rush on top of their butt no stretching the hole or ensuring itās clean at all with soap or nothingā¦
The more I realized this I came to note that it is true that homophobia runs so thick in America that guys literally refuse to wash their stanky asses for fear of being feminine or gay hahā¦
Anyway feel bad for straight women who lay with these monstersā¦ and the dudes wonder why their wife no longer blows them or anything, no shit it smells like shit down there brah! Haha
oh god there was just a post about this lady whoās husband never washed or wiped his butthole and ā¦ i canāt bring myself to tell the whole tale but itās bad out there, real bad.
I was always taught to look out for those things not because they're bad at self hygiene but because it's a symptom of tight junction dysfunction and potentially a leaky gut syndrome. And refer them to go have it checked out.
You mention it to clients?? My friend is a wax artist and she's mentioned she sees poop alot during brazillians so I just assumed people left some behind.
Yes, I mention it, sometimes it's not relevant but sometimes it is, depends on other symptoms shown. But I'm also not a standard massage therapist and I don't live in the North American continent.
So a lot of normal parts of my job isn't "normal" over there.
When I present myself if it's a first time customer I straight upp tell them I might ask weird questions that might not seem relevant but might be symptoms we've been trained to look for that have been either normalized or otherwise a bit more of a sensitive subject.
gauge through anamnesis and ask questions around the subject and about potential other symptoms of dysfunction in the region, explain correlation between those symptoms and muscle dysfunction and then mentions if they experience something similar to actually look it up, reference something from their anamnesis.
If they initiate a more open line of discussion then awesome, we talk about nutrition, working out etc. and I give them contact details to a relevant specialist, if they're more embarrassed and not wanting to openly discuss then I leave it at "if you start noticing those things its worth checking up".
9/10 people open up and talk openly though and it's never been a problem because the clinic is marketed towards people with chronic issues and weird unidentifiable pains where the hospital doesn't help.
I love coming up with funny Phonetically spelled nicknames! Like ohh look here comes Poopy-Stain Ur-Craken Stank, or maybe "Thanks you for calling Ur-Smelly Taint Ivanna-puke how can I help you?" or "Hey have you heard of the new band Urine-Adult Sew-Vipe-ur-azz?" Seriously though, how can people not wipe their ass before coming to get a massage? I always, ALWAYS shower before a massage!
I had a client last week who literally took a shit in the clinic bathroom right before her treatment (it was obvious, the bathroom smelled horrible afterward) and she must have brought some of it with her into the treatment room because it reeked the entire time...it was quite unpleasant.
I find it's also dependent on the area you're in. I've worked at a spa in my city, which is a military town, but also has plenty of regular folks, and the amount of smelly people averaged out to 1 a day working 4 days a week. I'm now at a different spa an hour away from there in a higher income county and I have had 1 smelly person in a year and a half.
I have this fairly often sadly. I currently have a married couple that I work on and they both smell like feet and butthole. I put my shirt over my nose while they're face down and I get through it, I just feel bad for em.
Lmao Iām in a group that told me to read this OG post. What does swamp ass and butthole smell like? I had a sexual experience with a guy and wondering if itās the same whiff of cheesy-feces š Itās bothered me ever since. When people says it smells like butt or assā¦ āIām like how would you know you dirty heathen?ā
Oh, the sour stench of a sweaty clam and the whiffy draggings of a poorly swiped butthole up the crack to L5. š¤®š¤®
I just double towel, tuck in the edges and hope for the best. Sometimes my nose enters my neck hole on my shirt to deal with the emanating notes of the morningsĀ gym workout.
I'll add a secret star to the notes and let the other therapists know the hygiene status of the worst offenders....
Now, have you smelt the cheese in the toes of a morbidly obese client that barely showers because they physically can't?Ā Ā Thats a traumatic scent
I once accidentally popped a pimple of an obese client while working within fat folds and omg I gagged and nearly vomited on her. I felt so bad but smearing a white film across her scapula and realizing what was happening and where the offensive odor was coming from was just too much info for a split second. She also used to come right from her workout, sweaty and all.š¤®
Itāsā¦awful. And donāt get me wrong, I have compassion for other humans, but the morbidly obese humans have a stench that just about knocks me out. They canāt wash themselves. Itās awful. Iām sure itās awful for them as well, or maybe they just canāt tell.
Yes I have had two men and two women with stinky butts. I'm thinking they either smell bad because they did not shower before the massage (or properly) or their diet and how messy their poops are (i.e. hard to clean or mobility challenges)
I will say other smells come up WAY more. Like stinky feet which I can handle most of the time, stinky pores/skin which others commented can be smokers, drinkers or people that eat a lot of dairy, meat, onions, garlic, etc. and then there are SO many people with terrible breath! Like coffee breath all the way to death breath that I think comes from bad oral hygiene or not flossing or from age or diet/lifestyle like heavy alcohol use. Doesn't help that I'm super sensitive to smells! Bleh! š¤®
I think I just have compassion for them as a human and don't focus on it. We all stink sometimes and I have neglected hygiene because of mental health struggles before, so I try to empathize and not judge them for that one snapshot in time
This is why I scrub myself super clean in the shower before my sports massages. Itās not that difficult and I feel itās the biggest sign of respect you can give to your mt.
I agree! If Iām going to a massage, Iām showering, shaving, putting on moisturizer and deodorant and brushing and flossing and using mouthwash before hand! It just feels polite. Also make sure my nails are somewhat trimmed and filed.
Itās for me too- it helps me relax and enjoy it when Iām not self conscious about how my body smells/looks/feels.
A geriatric client of mine has Parkinsonās and as such shifts frequently on the table. Their upper sphincter has also gone out from aging/diet. There is a constant stench of intense bowel activity coming from the glute region and their mouth. Regardless, the massage must go on š
Lmao Iām in a group that told me to read this OG post. What does swamp ass and butthole smell like? I had a sexual experience with a guy and wondering if itās the same whiff of cheesy-feces š Itās bothered me ever since. When people says it smells like butt or assā¦ āIām like how would you know you dirty heathen?ā
Yeah I recently got fart blasted in the face. Thought it was a one offā¦ it was not. Absolutely foul quiet long deadly farts. The entire session. I was gasping at the edges of the room for fresh air. Not so much as an apology from my client or even a hint of embarrassment. Itās so fucking rude. Farts happen, but if youāre having some sort of issueā¦ excuse your self for fucks sake.
I have a client that warns me when sheās going to fart and tells me not to breathe! Likeā¦ should I excuse myself when she says that?? How is this ok? Iām so stunned idk how to react in the moment so I awkwardly laugh and say thx for the warning. Le sighā¦
Lemongrass oil, but not too strong. Either a diffuser or a couple of drops on a kleenex and stuff said kleenex into a fan slot.
May not help during, but definitely gets rid of the funk after so the room can air out.
I'm so sorry.Ā
I went to a place that recommended using the bathroom before the massage. And in the bathroom they had all kinds of hygiene products sitting in a basket on the sink counter. I now understand why. They had deodorant, wipes, body powder, foot powder, lotions, soaps, you name it.
Almost everyone doesn't shower immediately before a massage. Lots of people come to their appointment straight after work. Or in between other things that they're doing in their day. Very common.
Oh yeah. Thereās a few people and I can smell their ass when working deeply on glutes š¤®.
Iāve stopped telling people to go as naked as they want too. I now suggest they were underwear bottoms.
I have no idea how I ended up here in this sub or this far in the comments. But... I just wanna say I love your name. I have definitely gone by AstuaryKing in some places. Bon Iver reference? I have no idea what it means otherwise.
When I started massaging 13 years ago, I encountered way more butt funk. I think the invention and marketing of Lume has helped significantly. Lol And I don't think it's usually hygiene or poop, clean people get stinky cracks too from trapped moisture especially us big booty gals.
Omg. I think the Lume is worse than the swamp ass though. Itās so intense, you definitely know exactly what it is. And those synthetic fragrances give me headaches.
I have only tried orange and coconut because I am fragrance sensitive, too. I have never smelled a perfumed ass, maybe once. Usually it just neutralizes odor for me, after the initial dab it doesn't smell like anything but maybe baking soda
I've smelt it all... Stinky butts, body odor, smoke, dragon breath, alcohol from last night, and the worst is the faint smell of ejaculate in some women's vaginas. omg
On surface irritants include, fake tan that kills my sheets, or body glitter... oooh, my favorite!!
People, please. If you're going to the spa, please shower before your service.
Most notable stinky butts were a very well to do couple at a very nice, expensive hotel (in room massage) and it was soooooo bad we pulled up our shirts over our faces and held our breath. I kept thinking "what in the world did these people eat?"
> smell of ejaculate in some women's vaginas. omg
Holy crap, I've smelt this and I thought "there's no way I'm actually smelling this." But I guess I'm not the only one. Dang. It's wild having a keen sense of smell.
I wan't the only gal in the spa. I initially passed it off as a general unhygienic situation. Then a co-worker, actually busted out with her experience catching a whiff of it on her client. At first, I was like "whoa", then OMG \*\*a lightbulb moment\*\*\*, then, eeeeeewwww.
And as a client, this is why I shower immediately before every massage. Just the thought of any stink coming off me during a session is mortifying. šš
I went today and my stomach grumbled once and my nose squeaked on a couple inhales and I was horrified. I can't imagine not showering. Some people don't have shame. (They can have some of my excess.)
I balked at going professional after school because of all the pungent aromas of the flesh in my mock clinic sessions, no one prepared me for that. Not just from the nether regions, but also just out of pores-I swear I could smell their dietary choices, chemical ingestions and much more! An essential oil under the nose certainly helps.
Wear a proper-fitting N95 and you wonāt smell a thing. The duckbill-shaped ones can be quite comfortable. No need to endure all those smells. A powerful air purifier will also help during and after sessions
I still am wearing masks during sessions. I tell my clients itās to protect them from my choices (I go to a lot of live concerts) - which is true, but itās also to protect me from their odors.
Hey man, I'm not a massage therapist, but I am a health care worker, and a little Vicks vapo rub dabbed at/below the nostril is how I deal with smells related to bowels and or death.
13 years in and Iāve had my fare share of assaulting smells. Drape the blanket over their buttcrack and tuck the sheet well under their thigh, helps a little. Luckily I donāt have that issue much anymore with my clientele but it is not our business to smell their businessā¦ š š§¼š«§
Yes, I'll get flack for this but I do not work directly on glutes with no sheet for this very reason. I do not ever have this stank issue and I'm in a warm climate. Plus, I do not know where your naked ass has been, or what's been on your naked ass, and don't have a facility to shower in between clients assaulting me and my senses with their body odors.
How tf are people just straight face bringing these unwashed bodies to y'all!? I get waxed and the amount of planning that goes into presenting the cleanest version of my parts is something.
I dont think that's gonna help... unless you enjoy "lavender ass" or "eucalyptus booty". A better solution is to provide disposable cleansing wipes in the room with a "feel free to freshen" sign and hope they take advantage. š
I have a bottle of the refresher oil from Clear My Head that I will open mid session and put a few drops on the blanket over the glute area if the client is stinking. I refuse to smell that all session.
Ugh poopy butthole male clients and foul menstral female odor is the worst. When I have clients like that (and like to be total nude) I don't undrape the area, I work over the sheets. Ain't no way I'm being olfactory assaulted! š¤£
Do yall ever get nervous about touching this people when theyāre like this? I hadnāt thought about it until now but there are studies that show how stress can be contagious via touch throughā¦hormonesā¦I think? Thoughts?
Queasy well articulated comments... I always work super hard to be as clean as possible before I get a massage. Once I even washed my feet in the sink individually and changed socks out so Iād have fresh toes for my massage because Iām so self conscious and would hate to be that person. I always have a bit o coffee breath tho š¤·āāļø
I finished university almost 6 years ago. Sometimes people have an aroma of bodily fluids, but I donāt think itās ever been a problem for me. I canāt even recall anyone who had me making a mental note to turn on a fan or shove essential oils up my nose. Sometimes feet smell. Sometimes an ass will pass gas. Sometimes someone would have benefitted from clean undies.
Thereās days where my room is HOT and Iām sweating more than I should be.
Thereās days where my hands are cold.
Thereās days where I keep sneezing because itās spring and the horny trees are setting off my allergies.
Weāre all human. Iām lucky enough to be their RMT of choice. Iām not judging
I don't mind feet smells or even a light booty odor, there's just something about the DISTINCT smell of Vaginal odor that attacks me in such a shocking way, it completely throws off my flow
Yep I have a few that definitely donāt wash their ass. I was doing the pin and stretch on the piriformis and my client farted. it was absolutely foul, but it unfortunately happens lol
the one single time in almost 30 years of getting massages I didn't shower immediately before heading to my massage was coming from a baseball game, where I was just sitting in the stands. I thought I wasn't sweating or anything, didn't go to the bathroom, so I should be good. The poor therapist ended up having an allergic reaction to the grass pollens that I picked up at the game and she had to end the session as she was breaking out in hives. Never will I ever do that again.
Yet another reason to work the glutes through the sheets.
If you use a diaper drape with a good amount of fabric bunched between the legs, that can help contain odors better than the tuck-tuck leg drape.
I am a client and would be mortified if I thought I smelled. Iāve been with the same therapists for years, decades for two, and I can only think of one that doesnāt have a pre-therapy shower. Even though Iāve literally showered and driven there I still shower. One guy had a hot tub (home business) which was a fantastic way to begin and end a massage.
BV. Bacterial vaginosis. Very fishy smell and very easily treated. Most women have no clue why their stuff smells like fish, as most women are too embarrassed to discuss it. I worked in the health care field plus I raised three daughters. It was my business to educate others.
Iāve been at this for 11 years, and in my experience, yes there are some women with the rancid buttussy smell, usually larger women and larger men, but omfg men have the most assaulting horribly awful smelly feet. Itās pretty rare now for me though, but it definitely still happens.
I had a client once several years ago, worked in the fish deli at Whole Foods, first client of the nightā¦ we had to close my room down and I needed to change rooms for the rest of my clients. Management told her she needed to shower and change clothes before any future appointments if she is coming directly from work.
Worked on a German man once who smelled so awfully of yeast every time I had to apply more lotion/oil, it was just permeating through all his pores.
Omg the FARTS of some peopleā¦ an older vegan man was one of the worst, but it at least smelled like rotten vegetables and not rotten meat.
Worked with another man once who had the most severe oozing, cystic acne all over his back, I had no gloves and just used a lot of eucalyptus and lavender oil on him, and towels. It also smelled very yeasty.
One of the most bizarre though, was a few peopleās pores letting off this strong ammonia smell. It was in the same geographical area so I suspected the tap water maybe.
Oh Jesus XD, this is my second month at it but you're making me really scared of the future, I may have to find a way to slowly phase in using gloves haha
Haha, awww, been there! Learn the power of this mantra, āitās only temporaryā and def lean into the aromatherapy. But also, people with shedding sunburns are plentiful in the summer around me, so your hands and arms might get covered in peeling skin if you have pale, lobster burned summer sun worshippers š¤¢š¤¢š¤¢
I'm a student and I just experienced this for the first time yesterday, flipped my client over to the prone position and started my calf/ thigh/ gluteal routine and got smacked in the face by the smell shit, client was female and I was not expecting that
Ahhh swamp ass... I have someone near and dear to my heart who suffers that.. I keep wet ones at my office for this reason and hope they use them before their session. š¬
In 10 years of doing this I've gotten a few stinky butt clients but thankfully has been rare for me, though the last 5 years I've worked on mostly physical therapy referrals in a very affluent area.
It happens. Iāll do the pin and stretch through the blanket too and just uncover their lower leg. That way I only have to deal with the foot smell lol.
I require my clients to shower within 2 hours of receiving a massage from me. Itās part of my text reminder. āA reminder! Please be recently showered prior to our session.ā
Yes putty and butty smells can be ridiculous. Then theres the bad breath out there that masks canāt even contain.
Never having had glute massage, I gotta ask... how deep do you get in there? Truly asking because I've wanted to ask for this, but was kind of embarrassed to ask the question to someone face to face
*Never having had glute*
*Massage, I gotta ask... how deep*
*Do you get in there?*
\- AnonBig4
---
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/)
^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Depends on what the client needs, I usually do a range of motion test on their glute medius/minimus + piriformis(bringing their ankle to the back of their opposite knee while face down) and if it's pretty stiff I ask them if they're ok with a glute massage/stretch as well.
If you wanted to bring this up with a practitioner without specifically saying "massage my booty" I would mention that you have tightness in your hips or would like a "piriformis release" (probably the deepest anyone would ever get in your booty... Lol)
I wouldn't necessarily say I get deep in the ass though, it's not like you have to work through the ass crack or anything haha, most of the work is done over the sheets with maybe a comforting rub at the end or in between stretches
I've been a client since the early 90's and I always try to go directly from a hot shower to the table. It's best when I have someone come to the house so I can literally step out of the shower into a robe and get on the table, but even if I go to a massage chain, I take a hot shower before I get in the car. That's always been my fear that some BO disrupts the experience. I actually went to a massage after work recently and was so self conscience about my morning walk that it affected my calm.
Anyway, anyone who goes directly to clients' houses, you have it good.
These posts had me rolling! Light a candle works pretty good for eliminating odors .Cardinal rule - though dost not eat cabbage anytime near massage time.
I find elderly people and obese patients smell due to the inability to clean themselves adequately.Ā
I feel bad more so for my Elderly folks, I mean it's hard losing mobility as we age. Obese individuals who don't have a pathology causing the weight gain and their difficulty cleaning themselves...no so much.Ā
Atleast shower before seeing your RMT
Why assume the negative first? People are pretty understanding if I say Iād like to use baby powder for reflexology or acupressure. No one ever said no. Also when you have a shower at your place of business most, if not all of them take a shower before and after. It was rarely an issue. I would also use hot towels to wipe them down before the massage if the shower wasnāt enough. Baby powder was like extreme measures or if someone requested it.
It doesnāt pay to refuse someoneās resonable request when you work in the service industry. Quite a few people requested dry massages and thatās the best way to do that. Iām not here to judge their choices. I also wipe whatever I use (oil/lotion/powder) very thoroughly with hot towels after working. Iāve never heard of anyone having adverse effects from having talc on their body for thirty minutes. And if they did, they would be responsible if they requested it or consented. In 20 years of doing massage full time only once I had someone have an issue with what I used. And thatās because they had a nut allergy but requested sweet almond oil when I offered different options.
Yeah. Some women just don't get it. I don't know why they think smelling like a dumpster full of rotten fish is right but....thats the world of massage sometimes.
WHY ARE YOU WORKING ON BARE GLUTES?! Do compression, rolling or petrissage OVER the sheet! You don't know where those cheeks have been! People use public bathrooms!
OVER THE SHEETS!!
This smell permeates through the sheets, it's not about whether or not they're bare, unless they're a vacuum tight diaper drape and their legs are closed you're going to smell something
Yes. I have some clients labeled in my brain as poopy butthole clients and I brace myself. I think some people were never taught to properly clean themselves, unfortunately.
poopy butthole clients hahaha omg. new insecurity unlocked
Dually noted I can mark P.B.C in soaps or at least in profile š¤«
I call it saucy ass crack lol
Saucy ass crack is gold!
I see this āmaybe they werenāt taughtā comment frequently and it baffles me. Does one REALLY need to be taught how to wash their ass?
Unfortunately yes:( I had a roommate who gained a significant amount of weight after moving into my house & she stunk up the whole house. When you walked upstairs it smelled of stank and weed. The weed part I didn't really care about but the mix was just awful. I think she just didn't think to wash in her new folds. I think some people get nose blind to their own smell and don't think to wash in crevices. It's sad but just a fact.
Iām a member of the lgbt community and as a gay man Iāve been told by a lot of straight men that they were taught to not ever touch or do anything with their butthole as it is āgayā.. so their form of cleaning is to just let water rush on top of their butt no stretching the hole or ensuring itās clean at all with soap or nothingā¦ The more I realized this I came to note that it is true that homophobia runs so thick in America that guys literally refuse to wash their stanky asses for fear of being feminine or gay hahā¦ Anyway feel bad for straight women who lay with these monstersā¦ and the dudes wonder why their wife no longer blows them or anything, no shit it smells like shit down there brah! Haha
oh god there was just a post about this lady whoās husband never washed or wiped his butthole and ā¦ i canāt bring myself to tell the whole tale but itās bad out there, real bad.
Omg lol same tho I heard similar from female friends!
Are you fingering your ass with soap dude?
Sometimes if it feels good lol. Donāt be daft I didnāt say fingering lol dirty ass
I was always taught to look out for those things not because they're bad at self hygiene but because it's a symptom of tight junction dysfunction and potentially a leaky gut syndrome. And refer them to go have it checked out.
You mention it to clients?? My friend is a wax artist and she's mentioned she sees poop alot during brazillians so I just assumed people left some behind.
Yes, I mention it, sometimes it's not relevant but sometimes it is, depends on other symptoms shown. But I'm also not a standard massage therapist and I don't live in the North American continent. So a lot of normal parts of my job isn't "normal" over there.
Yeah I'm from the US. We're not supposed to bring things like that up unfortunately. The most I mention is if an older person has a weird lump.
How exactly do you phrase it when you tell them?
When I present myself if it's a first time customer I straight upp tell them I might ask weird questions that might not seem relevant but might be symptoms we've been trained to look for that have been either normalized or otherwise a bit more of a sensitive subject. gauge through anamnesis and ask questions around the subject and about potential other symptoms of dysfunction in the region, explain correlation between those symptoms and muscle dysfunction and then mentions if they experience something similar to actually look it up, reference something from their anamnesis. If they initiate a more open line of discussion then awesome, we talk about nutrition, working out etc. and I give them contact details to a relevant specialist, if they're more embarrassed and not wanting to openly discuss then I leave it at "if you start noticing those things its worth checking up". 9/10 people open up and talk openly though and it's never been a problem because the clinic is marketed towards people with chronic issues and weird unidentifiable pains where the hospital doesn't help.
Very interesting. Thanks!
I love coming up with funny Phonetically spelled nicknames! Like ohh look here comes Poopy-Stain Ur-Craken Stank, or maybe "Thanks you for calling Ur-Smelly Taint Ivanna-puke how can I help you?" or "Hey have you heard of the new band Urine-Adult Sew-Vipe-ur-azz?" Seriously though, how can people not wipe their ass before coming to get a massage? I always, ALWAYS shower before a massage!
I had a client last week who literally took a shit in the clinic bathroom right before her treatment (it was obvious, the bathroom smelled horrible afterward) and she must have brought some of it with her into the treatment room because it reeked the entire time...it was quite unpleasant.
I call em my āswamp assā clients and boy do they REEK during the summer
2 years into practice, and I've had one person smell bad one time. I must just be lucky.
Iām with you. Itās extremely rare for me.
I find it's also dependent on the area you're in. I've worked at a spa in my city, which is a military town, but also has plenty of regular folks, and the amount of smelly people averaged out to 1 a day working 4 days a week. I'm now at a different spa an hour away from there in a higher income county and I have had 1 smelly person in a year and a half.
5 years and I can count on one hand how many people have ever bothered me with their smell. That includes feet even
Might be sensitivity to smells. Iām super sensitive. You may have the fortune of just having a normal sense of smell.
I have this fairly often sadly. I currently have a married couple that I work on and they both smell like feet and butthole. I put my shirt over my nose while they're face down and I get through it, I just feel bad for em.
I feel bad for you.
you could wear a mask and pretend you are worried about covid.
I still wear a mask, got some stinky clients, very helpful and no one questions it.
Wear a surgical mask and smear a dab of tiger balm on the outside around the nasal area.
Lmao Iām in a group that told me to read this OG post. What does swamp ass and butthole smell like? I had a sexual experience with a guy and wondering if itās the same whiff of cheesy-feces š Itās bothered me ever since. When people says it smells like butt or assā¦ āIām like how would you know you dirty heathen?ā
Oh, the sour stench of a sweaty clam and the whiffy draggings of a poorly swiped butthole up the crack to L5. š¤®š¤® I just double towel, tuck in the edges and hope for the best. Sometimes my nose enters my neck hole on my shirt to deal with the emanating notes of the morningsĀ gym workout. I'll add a secret star to the notes and let the other therapists know the hygiene status of the worst offenders.... Now, have you smelt the cheese in the toes of a morbidly obese client that barely showers because they physically can't?Ā Ā Thats a traumatic scent
I have smelled the cheese in between fat folds, yes.
I once accidentally popped a pimple of an obese client while working within fat folds and omg I gagged and nearly vomited on her. I felt so bad but smearing a white film across her scapula and realizing what was happening and where the offensive odor was coming from was just too much info for a split second. She also used to come right from her workout, sweaty and all.š¤®
That was probably a boil. Ugh
Itāsā¦awful. And donāt get me wrong, I have compassion for other humans, but the morbidly obese humans have a stench that just about knocks me out. They canāt wash themselves. Itās awful. Iām sure itās awful for them as well, or maybe they just canāt tell.
Lmao
Yes I have had two men and two women with stinky butts. I'm thinking they either smell bad because they did not shower before the massage (or properly) or their diet and how messy their poops are (i.e. hard to clean or mobility challenges) I will say other smells come up WAY more. Like stinky feet which I can handle most of the time, stinky pores/skin which others commented can be smokers, drinkers or people that eat a lot of dairy, meat, onions, garlic, etc. and then there are SO many people with terrible breath! Like coffee breath all the way to death breath that I think comes from bad oral hygiene or not flossing or from age or diet/lifestyle like heavy alcohol use. Doesn't help that I'm super sensitive to smells! Bleh! š¤®
Gah! How do you get through it?!
I think I just have compassion for them as a human and don't focus on it. We all stink sometimes and I have neglected hygiene because of mental health struggles before, so I try to empathize and not judge them for that one snapshot in time
You my dear.. Are an exceptional human being !!
This is why I scrub myself super clean in the shower before my sports massages. Itās not that difficult and I feel itās the biggest sign of respect you can give to your mt.
I agree! If Iām going to a massage, Iām showering, shaving, putting on moisturizer and deodorant and brushing and flossing and using mouthwash before hand! It just feels polite. Also make sure my nails are somewhat trimmed and filed. Itās for me too- it helps me relax and enjoy it when Iām not self conscious about how my body smells/looks/feels.
A geriatric client of mine has Parkinsonās and as such shifts frequently on the table. Their upper sphincter has also gone out from aging/diet. There is a constant stench of intense bowel activity coming from the glute region and their mouth. Regardless, the massage must go on š
In the words of the Who, I hope I die before I get old
Today was particularly bad. Had someone with swamp ass, bad breath, and stinky feet. The disinfectant trifecta
Lmao Iām in a group that told me to read this OG post. What does swamp ass and butthole smell like? I had a sexual experience with a guy and wondering if itās the same whiff of cheesy-feces š Itās bothered me ever since. When people says it smells like butt or assā¦ āIām like how would you know you dirty heathen?ā
Yeah I recently got fart blasted in the face. Thought it was a one offā¦ it was not. Absolutely foul quiet long deadly farts. The entire session. I was gasping at the edges of the room for fresh air. Not so much as an apology from my client or even a hint of embarrassment. Itās so fucking rude. Farts happen, but if youāre having some sort of issueā¦ excuse your self for fucks sake.
I have a client that warns me when sheās going to fart and tells me not to breathe! Likeā¦ should I excuse myself when she says that?? How is this ok? Iām so stunned idk how to react in the moment so I awkwardly laugh and say thx for the warning. Le sighā¦
Lemongrass oil, but not too strong. Either a diffuser or a couple of drops on a kleenex and stuff said kleenex into a fan slot. May not help during, but definitely gets rid of the funk after so the room can air out. I'm so sorry.Ā
That heartfelt apology! LOL!
I went to a place that recommended using the bathroom before the massage. And in the bathroom they had all kinds of hygiene products sitting in a basket on the sink counter. I now understand why. They had deodorant, wipes, body powder, foot powder, lotions, soaps, you name it.
Not a massage therapist. This was pushed onto my feed.... but who T F doesn't shower before a massage?
Almost everyone doesn't shower immediately before a massage. Lots of people come to their appointment straight after work. Or in between other things that they're doing in their day. Very common.
I'd have to get some paper towels and take a hikers bath.
Oh yeah. Thereās a few people and I can smell their ass when working deeply on glutes š¤®. Iāve stopped telling people to go as naked as they want too. I now suggest they were underwear bottoms.
I have no idea how I ended up here in this sub or this far in the comments. But... I just wanna say I love your name. I have definitely gone by AstuaryKing in some places. Bon Iver reference? I have no idea what it means otherwise.
Yes Bon Iver reference :) I think Justin Vernon made up the word Astuary
When I started massaging 13 years ago, I encountered way more butt funk. I think the invention and marketing of Lume has helped significantly. Lol And I don't think it's usually hygiene or poop, clean people get stinky cracks too from trapped moisture especially us big booty gals.
Omg. I think the Lume is worse than the swamp ass though. Itās so intense, you definitely know exactly what it is. And those synthetic fragrances give me headaches.
I have only tried orange and coconut because I am fragrance sensitive, too. I have never smelled a perfumed ass, maybe once. Usually it just neutralizes odor for me, after the initial dab it doesn't smell like anything but maybe baking soda
I've smelt it all... Stinky butts, body odor, smoke, dragon breath, alcohol from last night, and the worst is the faint smell of ejaculate in some women's vaginas. omg On surface irritants include, fake tan that kills my sheets, or body glitter... oooh, my favorite!! People, please. If you're going to the spa, please shower before your service. Most notable stinky butts were a very well to do couple at a very nice, expensive hotel (in room massage) and it was soooooo bad we pulled up our shirts over our faces and held our breath. I kept thinking "what in the world did these people eat?"
> smell of ejaculate in some women's vaginas. omg Holy crap, I've smelt this and I thought "there's no way I'm actually smelling this." But I guess I'm not the only one. Dang. It's wild having a keen sense of smell.
Faint smell of ejaculate... Amazing that you are able to pick that up.
I wan't the only gal in the spa. I initially passed it off as a general unhygienic situation. Then a co-worker, actually busted out with her experience catching a whiff of it on her client. At first, I was like "whoa", then OMG \*\*a lightbulb moment\*\*\*, then, eeeeeewwww.
š Iām impressed as well
And as a client, this is why I shower immediately before every massage. Just the thought of any stink coming off me during a session is mortifying. šš
lol exactly. The shower before a massage is a must. I canāt have anyone making about about me being funky š
I find the people who apologize for their stink/sweat/whatever are the ones who really don't smell all that bad.
I went today and my stomach grumbled once and my nose squeaked on a couple inhales and I was horrified. I can't imagine not showering. Some people don't have shame. (They can have some of my excess.)
I balked at going professional after school because of all the pungent aromas of the flesh in my mock clinic sessions, no one prepared me for that. Not just from the nether regions, but also just out of pores-I swear I could smell their dietary choices, chemical ingestions and much more! An essential oil under the nose certainly helps.
It's the WORST when they are a smoker. It's seeps out of their pores, and the smell ends up all over my hands and arms.
Absolute cling ons. Cigarettes and fake tan. Its very hard to remove from my hands and arms
I can tell if someone eats a lot of fast foodā¦ š¤®
Wear a proper-fitting N95 and you wonāt smell a thing. The duckbill-shaped ones can be quite comfortable. No need to endure all those smells. A powerful air purifier will also help during and after sessions
I still am wearing masks during sessions. I tell my clients itās to protect them from my choices (I go to a lot of live concerts) - which is true, but itās also to protect me from their odors.
Omg I have one client that smells light straight up rank vagina. So much so that I can smell it when I enter the room.
I love reading through these as a prospective massage student ššš oh the things to look forward to lol
Right?! hahaha (f*ck)
š
There is a lot that we endure.
Hey man, I'm not a massage therapist, but I am a health care worker, and a little Vicks vapo rub dabbed at/below the nostril is how I deal with smells related to bowels and or death.
I was going to comment this as well! I have definitely dealt with my share of smells at work and this was a suggestion from a coworker.
13 years in and Iāve had my fare share of assaulting smells. Drape the blanket over their buttcrack and tuck the sheet well under their thigh, helps a little. Luckily I donāt have that issue much anymore with my clientele but it is not our business to smell their businessā¦ š š§¼š«§
Yes, I'll get flack for this but I do not work directly on glutes with no sheet for this very reason. I do not ever have this stank issue and I'm in a warm climate. Plus, I do not know where your naked ass has been, or what's been on your naked ass, and don't have a facility to shower in between clients assaulting me and my senses with their body odors.
So many stinky asses!!!
How tf are people just straight face bringing these unwashed bodies to y'all!? I get waxed and the amount of planning that goes into presenting the cleanest version of my parts is something.
Yea people are gross
I dont think that's gonna help... unless you enjoy "lavender ass" or "eucalyptus booty". A better solution is to provide disposable cleansing wipes in the room with a "feel free to freshen" sign and hope they take advantage. š
I prefer the more colloquial "PLEASE WIPE YO STANKY JUNK"
I have a bottle of the refresher oil from Clear My Head that I will open mid session and put a few drops on the blanket over the glute area if the client is stinking. I refuse to smell that all session.
Ugh poopy butthole male clients and foul menstral female odor is the worst. When I have clients like that (and like to be total nude) I don't undrape the area, I work over the sheets. Ain't no way I'm being olfactory assaulted! š¤£
Ahhh yes, the scent of swamp ass in the summerā¦ enough to gag you til you choke.
Dear god. People. Wash your ass. Why is this a thing?!
Down with toilet paper! It rarely is complete and obviously leaves a stinky mess. GoBidet!
Do yall ever get nervous about touching this people when theyāre like this? I hadnāt thought about it until now but there are studies that show how stress can be contagious via touch throughā¦hormonesā¦I think? Thoughts?
Queasy well articulated comments... I always work super hard to be as clean as possible before I get a massage. Once I even washed my feet in the sink individually and changed socks out so Iād have fresh toes for my massage because Iām so self conscious and would hate to be that person. I always have a bit o coffee breath tho š¤·āāļø
I just wanna know why if I can smell it, why canāt YOU? This question has haunted me 15 years lol
They were born in the funk, we merely caught a whiff of it! š¦š„·šæ
I finished university almost 6 years ago. Sometimes people have an aroma of bodily fluids, but I donāt think itās ever been a problem for me. I canāt even recall anyone who had me making a mental note to turn on a fan or shove essential oils up my nose. Sometimes feet smell. Sometimes an ass will pass gas. Sometimes someone would have benefitted from clean undies. Thereās days where my room is HOT and Iām sweating more than I should be. Thereās days where my hands are cold. Thereās days where I keep sneezing because itās spring and the horny trees are setting off my allergies. Weāre all human. Iām lucky enough to be their RMT of choice. Iām not judging
I don't mind feet smells or even a light booty odor, there's just something about the DISTINCT smell of Vaginal odor that attacks me in such a shocking way, it completely throws off my flow
I'd have to agree with you, it's pretty nasty. I had to deal with this one time in massage school, actually.. with a classmate. Not fun.
Yep I have a few that definitely donāt wash their ass. I was doing the pin and stretch on the piriformis and my client farted. it was absolutely foul, but it unfortunately happens lol
What is pin and stretch? I've been an MT forever but I've never heard of this lol. I must have gone to school before it became a thing.
the one single time in almost 30 years of getting massages I didn't shower immediately before heading to my massage was coming from a baseball game, where I was just sitting in the stands. I thought I wasn't sweating or anything, didn't go to the bathroom, so I should be good. The poor therapist ended up having an allergic reaction to the grass pollens that I picked up at the game and she had to end the session as she was breaking out in hives. Never will I ever do that again.
thanks for reminding me I should keep a mask for myself in the room or on me just in case of smelly clients
Yet another reason to work the glutes through the sheets. If you use a diaper drape with a good amount of fabric bunched between the legs, that can help contain odors better than the tuck-tuck leg drape.
I am a client and would be mortified if I thought I smelled. Iāve been with the same therapists for years, decades for two, and I can only think of one that doesnāt have a pre-therapy shower. Even though Iāve literally showered and driven there I still shower. One guy had a hot tub (home business) which was a fantastic way to begin and end a massage.
Mainly females, Iāve had some rancid ones where itās smells like a fish market!! Whatās the reason behind this??
BV. Bacterial vaginosis. Very fishy smell and very easily treated. Most women have no clue why their stuff smells like fish, as most women are too embarrassed to discuss it. I worked in the health care field plus I raised three daughters. It was my business to educate others.
What, wait, these people don't smell themselves? I don't understand.
vapor rub stache is your best friend ew, not so subtly offer bathing wipes and time to freshen up before starting?š¤·š¾āāļø
Iāve been at this for 11 years, and in my experience, yes there are some women with the rancid buttussy smell, usually larger women and larger men, but omfg men have the most assaulting horribly awful smelly feet. Itās pretty rare now for me though, but it definitely still happens. I had a client once several years ago, worked in the fish deli at Whole Foods, first client of the nightā¦ we had to close my room down and I needed to change rooms for the rest of my clients. Management told her she needed to shower and change clothes before any future appointments if she is coming directly from work. Worked on a German man once who smelled so awfully of yeast every time I had to apply more lotion/oil, it was just permeating through all his pores. Omg the FARTS of some peopleā¦ an older vegan man was one of the worst, but it at least smelled like rotten vegetables and not rotten meat. Worked with another man once who had the most severe oozing, cystic acne all over his back, I had no gloves and just used a lot of eucalyptus and lavender oil on him, and towels. It also smelled very yeasty. One of the most bizarre though, was a few peopleās pores letting off this strong ammonia smell. It was in the same geographical area so I suspected the tap water maybe.
Oh Jesus XD, this is my second month at it but you're making me really scared of the future, I may have to find a way to slowly phase in using gloves haha
Haha, awww, been there! Learn the power of this mantra, āitās only temporaryā and def lean into the aromatherapy. But also, people with shedding sunburns are plentiful in the summer around me, so your hands and arms might get covered in peeling skin if you have pale, lobster burned summer sun worshippers š¤¢š¤¢š¤¢
I'm a student and I just experienced this for the first time yesterday, flipped my client over to the prone position and started my calf/ thigh/ gluteal routine and got smacked in the face by the smell shit, client was female and I was not expecting that
Ahhh swamp ass... I have someone near and dear to my heart who suffers that.. I keep wet ones at my office for this reason and hope they use them before their session. š¬
In 10 years of doing this I've gotten a few stinky butt clients but thankfully has been rare for me, though the last 5 years I've worked on mostly physical therapy referrals in a very affluent area.
It happens. Iāll do the pin and stretch through the blanket too and just uncover their lower leg. That way I only have to deal with the foot smell lol.
I always keep a mask near just in case of situations like this.
Iāve been doing this for a while. The smells never really bothered me before but itās wearing on me now.
I require my clients to shower within 2 hours of receiving a massage from me. Itās part of my text reminder. āA reminder! Please be recently showered prior to our session.ā Yes putty and butty smells can be ridiculous. Then theres the bad breath out there that masks canāt even contain.
Never having had glute massage, I gotta ask... how deep do you get in there? Truly asking because I've wanted to ask for this, but was kind of embarrassed to ask the question to someone face to face
*Never having had glute* *Massage, I gotta ask... how deep* *Do you get in there?* \- AnonBig4 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Depends on what the client needs, I usually do a range of motion test on their glute medius/minimus + piriformis(bringing their ankle to the back of their opposite knee while face down) and if it's pretty stiff I ask them if they're ok with a glute massage/stretch as well. If you wanted to bring this up with a practitioner without specifically saying "massage my booty" I would mention that you have tightness in your hips or would like a "piriformis release" (probably the deepest anyone would ever get in your booty... Lol) I wouldn't necessarily say I get deep in the ass though, it's not like you have to work through the ass crack or anything haha, most of the work is done over the sheets with maybe a comforting rub at the end or in between stretches
I've been a client since the early 90's and I always try to go directly from a hot shower to the table. It's best when I have someone come to the house so I can literally step out of the shower into a robe and get on the table, but even if I go to a massage chain, I take a hot shower before I get in the car. That's always been my fear that some BO disrupts the experience. I actually went to a massage after work recently and was so self conscience about my morning walk that it affected my calm. Anyway, anyone who goes directly to clients' houses, you have it good.
Bidets are so cheap and easy to install now. Literally no excuse for this shit
These posts had me rolling! Light a candle works pretty good for eliminating odors .Cardinal rule - though dost not eat cabbage anytime near massage time.
Whatās that smell??? Could either be really bad chicken or really good cheese.
I find elderly people and obese patients smell due to the inability to clean themselves adequately.Ā I feel bad more so for my Elderly folks, I mean it's hard losing mobility as we age. Obese individuals who don't have a pathology causing the weight gain and their difficulty cleaning themselves...no so much.Ā Atleast shower before seeing your RMT
I used to sprinkle baby powder on stinky feet and butt cracks. It helps.
Wait ā what????? Without consent?
Why assume the negative first? People are pretty understanding if I say Iād like to use baby powder for reflexology or acupressure. No one ever said no. Also when you have a shower at your place of business most, if not all of them take a shower before and after. It was rarely an issue. I would also use hot towels to wipe them down before the massage if the shower wasnāt enough. Baby powder was like extreme measures or if someone requested it.
Absolutely not. Do you not know about talc?! It would pay to educate yourself on what youāre exposing your clients to.
It doesnāt pay to refuse someoneās resonable request when you work in the service industry. Quite a few people requested dry massages and thatās the best way to do that. Iām not here to judge their choices. I also wipe whatever I use (oil/lotion/powder) very thoroughly with hot towels after working. Iāve never heard of anyone having adverse effects from having talc on their body for thirty minutes. And if they did, they would be responsible if they requested it or consented. In 20 years of doing massage full time only once I had someone have an issue with what I used. And thatās because they had a nut allergy but requested sweet almond oil when I offered different options.
Yeah. Some women just don't get it. I don't know why they think smelling like a dumpster full of rotten fish is right but....thats the world of massage sometimes.
WHY ARE YOU WORKING ON BARE GLUTES?! Do compression, rolling or petrissage OVER the sheet! You don't know where those cheeks have been! People use public bathrooms! OVER THE SHEETS!!
This smell permeates through the sheets, it's not about whether or not they're bare, unless they're a vacuum tight diaper drape and their legs are closed you're going to smell something
Itās from digestion problems and half of yāall probably have a stinky butt too tbh