Scent-free (perfume, cologne) gyms

stanmann571

Packerjohn wrote: »

Relser wrote: »

No. If people are coming right from work there's supposed to stop and shower off before going to the gym? No one is allowed to put lotion on after a shower? If there is a particular person who put on an excessive amount of perfume/cologne, then talk to the gym manager about it.

We'll let the French prostitute come in after work smelling like perfume. For the rest of the world, the smell has long dissipated. If not, think how strong it was at 8 AM. Their co-workers would have killed them

If you're next to me(within 3 meters) and I can tell you've used fragrance today, Meh.

If you're on the other side of the gym(more than 10 meters away) and I have trouble breathing because of the quantity of fragrance you've used within the last 10 minutes, that's a foul... and That's foul.

And yes, both males(axe) and females(chanel) are offenders

Oh, and if you're using Patchouli and you're over 25, you ought to know that Raid uses Patchouli to disguise the smell of their ant and Wasp sprays.

canadianlbs

two thoughts not directly related to the qusetion but they seem to be part of what's being discussed.

1. there's a difference between not liking a smell and being physically affected by it.
2. there's a difference between a rule and an awareness-raising type thing.

i guess my own processing is: if places do make a rule then they should enforce it, damn it. but that's just because i get generally irritated with anyone who says things and won't follow through.

on the other hand, i'm a hypocrite because my gyms have a clear rule that 'footwear' must be worn at all times, yet i peel my shoes off to do deadlifts and overhead press if i don't have my flat soles with me.

and on the third hand, if i do get approached and told to shoe up or go home, i accept it as fair. i know there's a rule, i know it's a rule, and i know that i'm breaking it when i am breaking it. they have the right to enforce, and the whole thing is on me.

so i guess my thoughts come down to something like that. if a gym posts a rule and it is clearly a rule, then people who break it should know it's on them.

MsHarryWinston

Perfume free gym actually makes sense to me, but lots of places are fragrance-free zones where I am so it seems normal to me. Scent allergies are HARSH. Just unbelievably painful. So I can see a gym posting notices to “please respect the other patrons and not use exessive scented products” or something like that.

Not to ban it completely, but to say, “Hey, we’re all here for dem gainz so let’s respect each other in this way as well, k thanx.” Lol

And then because we are all grownups we try to be a bit more mindful of those around us thanks to the gentle reminder.

sgt1372

FWIW, I am extremely scent sensitive.

Too much perfume or fragrance in the air will give me a massive headache. I can't even enter an area w/a strong fragrance in the air.

I have often stepped into a store to find the smell so overwhelming that I have to immediately turn around and walk out. Same applies to elevators that I have to exit if anyone w/a strong scent gets on.

Being seated at the theater or a concert is a bigger problem for me because I have an assigned seat and can't move away. At the movies, I can just move to another seat.

Some women wear perfume so strong that I can still smell it after they have walked a block past me on the street. LOL! I could be a human bloodhound and track them from blocks away, if I didn't find the odor so physically unpleasant.

That said, I have never had a problem with anyone - male or female - wearing a strong fragrance in the gym. Actually, I don't recall it ever being an issue in any gym I've been in over the past 40 yrs. Maybe it's because I don't hang out near the cardio machines where most of the women gravitate but if there were a strong scent anywhere in the gym I would have noticed it.

Not saying it doesn't happen or that a rule against it in gyms wouldn't be beneficial. It would be just as useful (from an odor perspective) as the rules against smoking in any confined public spaces.

No one really wants to smell or breathe in anyone else's odors in a confined public space, whether they originate from perfume, smoke or plain old BO.

ryenday

Love my fitness center:

Motorsheen

Most everything should be outlawed, most everywhere.

And remember, don't trust a friend....... report them!

stephanieluvspb

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

Axe body spray needs to be banned from society in general, not just the gym.

mygrl4meee

I just left YMCA for a different gym.. YMCA locker rooms were more spaced out and I didn't think twice about using my body spray after my shower.. My new gym seems to have smaller areas so out of respect for others I quit using the body spray.

VUA21

I would be happy with a deodorant/antiperspirant requirement! Seriously

beaglady

stanmann571 wrote: »

Oh, and if you're using Patchouli and you're over 25, you ought to know that Raid uses Patchouli to disguise the smell of their ant and Wasp sprays.

A few weeks ago, we had 6 or 7 apple trees blooming. I kept smelling Raid, and realized it was the apple blossoms. Baby powder scent is actually a patchouli/rose blend. I wish Raid smelled like patchouli.

Lounmoun

PrimalForLife wrote: »

Should your local gym try enforce a scent-free (perfume, cologne) gym environment? If 'yes', how should they deal with offenders?

I think a gym can have a written policy asking people avoid perfume or cologne with an explanation of why when they join.
In terms of enforcing I think they would have to go on complaints and say to the person privately that their use of scented products is against the gym policy and is bothering others and again explain why it is suggested people avoid wearing perfumed products there. If someone continues to ignore a policy I imagine they could treat it like breaking other gym policies.

comptonelizabeth

Packerjohn wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

NorthCascades wrote: »

Who wears perfume to the gym? You're just going to sweat.

People who come straight from work or somewhere else where they wear perfume.

If someone has been at work for several hours or all day and the perfume is still that strong must work as a French prostitute.

Why only a French one?

Fuzzipeg

As someone with chemical sensitivities brought on by anything from laundry detergent residues to plants and perfume. These strong smells make me and others like me nauseous, bring on headaches and much more. Many never leave their homes. I agree it is not good to be next to someone with BO, the happily accepted smells so many enjoy give me an instant urge to vomit its so disorientating. I no longer go to concerts, enclosed public places and the like, life is not as enjoyable as it once was.

I attended a physio hydrotherapy session, getting past the chlorine is another story, returning to the changing area, two persons had let off their sprays and filled the unventilated air. I had been feeling confident till this point, tentatively considering public aqua-aerobics, I can't go to a public pool.


I would like to introduce everyone to the website, please don't be offended, "Think Before You Stink". It gives a much more effective explanation than I of the effects and alternatives to heavily perfumed products, Please pay them a visit. Thank you, from me and all the others with chronic health condidions

teremka

How exactly would that be enforced?

The same way "no shirt, no shoes, no service" is enforced. If you are wearing fragrance, you are asked to leave. Plain and simple.

Further to enforcement, education can go a long way. So can culture. If fragrance-free awareness becomes part of the culture, there's far less need to enforce. For example, if all of the staff refrain from wearing fragrance, if the soaps provided at the gym are fragrance-free, if part of the terms and conditions upon signing include mention of fragrance-free, if the staff actually mention the policy verbally when members are signing up, etc, then it becomes part of the culture. A couple of signs on the wall that only a fraction of people see are useless.

Who wears perfume to the gym?

It's not only about adding perfume. Laundry detergents, air fresheners, soaps, shampoos, conditioners.... contain fragrance and they emit VOCs that affect 1 in 3 people. So, many, many people arrive to the gym wearing fragrance.

This is a disability accessibility issue in Canada and the US. In Canada, it has already been determined that those with environmental illness and fragrance sensitivity have a disability and are protected under the human rights agreement. This means that a facility like a gym actually has a "duty to accommodate" the same way that wheelchair ramps are an accessibility accommodation.

It's not a matter of opinion or debate. It's a human rights issue. Those of us who can't breathe and lose the use of our muscles when we're around fragrance have a right to work out at the gym the same way that abled people do.

So, a resounding YES. Gyms should enforce a fragrance-free policy. And are actually required to. Whether or not they do is another issue. Most don't.

Should it then also be deodorant-free?

Deodorant doesn't need to contain fragrance. There are effective deodorants that don't contain fragrance.

Those of you using words like "offensive" and "personal freedom" lack the understanding that this is not about personal preference. It's not the same as putting up with music you don't like. Fragrances cause bodily harm to those with asthma, COPD, and chemical sensitivities. For me personally, my limbs become paralyzed, so I obviously can't work out. It's a disability, not a personal preference. It's not offensive, it's harmful.

Someone's personal freedom is overruled by disability accommodation the same way that it would be nice to park closer to a store, but those with mobility issues have priority. My ability to breathe and walk properly is more important than someone else's personal expression to smell like a lemon.