Hot Towel from Hell

[Craven Morasian]

In the last couple of years it seems that 'germs' and their sources have been the subject matter of a TV special or two I have seen. You know the type.............shows that enlighten us to the facts that many of our daily activities put us in contact with numerous forms of nasty bacteria. Maybe it's E coli that you might get from that Tuna sandwich you bought yesterday that was made by the guy that 'forgot' to wash his hands after wiping his bottom after his last bowel movement. (lovely!)
Or touching the pole in the subway or using a pay phone, etc. I can tell you I am now much more aware of things and I want to see that guy at Mr. Sub wash his hands or put those gloves on after handling money from the customer before me. Watching that Tuna sandwich episode will do that to you.

Which brings me to the Hot Towel scenario that we have all faced after getting a massage.
Are we really to believe that (insert your fave MPA's name here) just brought us a nice new fresh hot towel to clean Mr. Stubby? (that's a lot of laundry in a busy place)
Or is that the same one she's used 29 times over the last 3 days and just runs it under the tap when required to heat it up? Anybody other than me ever ponder this stuff?

Craven "No Hot Towel, Thanks" Morasian.

 

[2sexxxy]

Craven get a life, this hobby is not for you stick with tic tack toe.

 

[Craven Morasian]

Another witty insightful comment from the 2sexxxy one.
Enjoy the week-old hot towel when you have your massage tonight.
(I'm sure the guy before you won't mind)

Craven Morasian.

 

[hambone]

Hot towels will carry more bacteria than cold towels. Simply because the hot water used in the towel carries that bacteria. Ever wonder why an operating room in a hospital is kept so damn cold? Bacteria don't proliferate in the cold.

H.

 

[Craven Morasian]

I agree on the HFH and IT thing, Sheik................I just wish the hundreds (and counting) of other MP's had the same standards. You can only eat Filet Mignon so much. Every once in a while I feel like a hamburger. LOL

Craven.

 

[hambone]

A bleached towel carries no bacteria regardless of whether it is hot or cold. Operating rooms are kept cold so the surgeon doesnt sweat. You do know what an autoclave is dont you? It heats things up to sterilize them.

My point was that the hot water is the source of the bacteria. And yes the extreme heat in an Autoclave will sterilize instruments, but the hot water from a tap will not. In fact the hot water provides an excellent environment in which the bacteria will proliferate. I suppose the surgeon not sweating may be a secondary reason to keep operating rooms cold but it is not the primary reason.

H.

 

[Monte Cristo]

Oshibori!

MP's ought to use the oshibori steamers found in Japanese restaurants! Much hotter than the water out of a tap and it isn't much of an investment in light of the volume of business that they do!

Although, it may be a little too hot to handle

--------------------------------------------------
The news of my death has been grossly exagerated...

 

[rr_bill]

The MP or MPA is the problem, NOT the towels!

If pathogens are on the towel they did not come from the water, but from a previous client.

My point was that the hot water is the source of the bacteria. ........................... H.

What? - Hot water as the source of infection? Not so.

Essentially all city water supplies are almost sterile [other than in Ontario of course ]. Hot water from the tap is the same water that comes from the cold water tap except that it is heated before reaching the "hot" tap. Where then, did those nasty bacteria come from?

And yes the extreme heat in an Autoclave will sterilize instruments, but the hot water from a tap will not. In fact the hot water provides an excellent environment in which the bacteria will proliferate. .......................... H.

Hot water from the tap is generally too warm to serve as a friendly environment for pathogens, [which prefer to breed @ body temperature (37C) to multiply], but not hot enough to destroy them. The steam autoclave used to sterilize instruments, solutions etc, operates at 15 #/sq. in. @ approx. 248F maintained for 20-30 minutes. This is the same temp and pressure used in sterilizing canned food (vegetables and meats etc.).

More important is that in general, (and this is dependant on the strain of bacteria and the temperature of the medium), reproduction will occur in approx. one half hour i.e. one bacterium will become two and in one hour two will become four and on and on.

So my point is, that in a two minute clean-up [I'd say that is quite generous] the little buggers haven't had time to do their thing.

A clean sterile towel {and javex does a very efficient job of destroying pathogens} wetted with warm water will still be essentially sterile. and is therefore not a health hazard as you suggest.

Any hazard to health would be from unsanitary practices of the MPA or the MP in not assuring clean [sterile] towels are always used.

Monte Cristo - I can remeber my first barber shop shave when your face was wrapped with a hot towel and left for what seemed like 15 minutes. The towels were so hot the barber could scarcely handle them, I thought my face would blister and peel. God help us if our willy was to be wrapped in a towel out of an oshibori steamer! Yikes! Ouch!

 

[Craven Morasian]

Re: The MP or MPA is the problem, NOT the towels!

A clean sterile towel {and javex does a very efficient job of destroying pathogens} wetted with warm water will still be essentially sterile. and is therefore not a health hazard as you suggest.
Any hazard to health would be from unsanitary practices of the MPA or the MP in not assuring clean [sterile] towels are always used.
[/B]

That is exactly the point I was trying to make rr_bill. Some of these MPA's are showing a total lack of concern for our health with this disgusting practise. I have received more than a few PM's from guys that told me they have never even thought of this before but now that they have will be passing on the hot towel from now on. (except at HFH, BP and IT that is.........right Sheik?)
What this means of course is that our pal 2sexxxy will now have a large selection of well-used hot towels just waiting to be applied to his flaccid member. Maybe if he is real lucky they will still be hot from the client before him and she won't even need to run it under the water.
Gotta run..........I've got some Tic Tac Toe to be played.

Craven.

 

[2sexxxy]

Craven unlike your poor **s I only go to good places. Dont find it nessary to look for bargains. You get what you pay for.

P.S Tic tac toe requires some skill so I suggest you play something more easy say Jenga.

 

[Craven Morasian]

2funnny

It's not a question of bargains 2sexxxy..........it's a matter of health and hygiene.
Something perhaps you should consider while you are getting wiped down next time.
Oh yeah, I forgot...........you only go to the good places. LOL
But it's always nice to see your pearls of wisdom and yet more evidence of your razor-sharp wit.
Keep coming back!

Craven.

 

[2sexxxy]

Thanks for the complement craven I think you like my pearls of.............. forget it. Should you not be at the parade.

 

[Craven Morasian]

Actually 2sexxxy my parade was on March 17. I was the one dressed in green.
But rest assured I will be tuned in to CITY TV this Sunday watching for you at your parade. Are you going to be on the Blue Boy float representing Woody's again this year? Those leather short-shorts were really working for you last year and I thought the harness was just divine. Give my regards to Jack Layton and Kyle Rae.
Have fun and don't forget your sun-block.

Craven.

 

[hambone]

Well rr_bill and Sheik, I respect your opinions and admit to not being an expert but this is my reason for my post.

I have had occasion to be tutored by medical doctors and as part of that education was informed that hot water from a tap does carry bacteria.... my only evidence.

As far as the cold operating rooms... again, as you suggested Sheik, I asked the doctors and was told it was to provide an environment that would be inhospitable to bacteria.

H.

 

[BigBlack]

BigBlack Don't Play That..

After BigBlack spews he goes to the shower and soaps it all off. No needs to worry about this or that. The hot towel has been offered but BigBlack don't play that game. Don't enjoy the feelin' of fried meatballs.

 

[rr_bill]

I have had occasion to be tutored by medical doctors and as part of that education was informed that hot water from a tap does carry bacteria.... my only evidence.H.

H;
You'll recall that I mentioned that tap water in almost any area which treats their water with chlorine is almost sterile. What your mentors told you may very well have been correct, but the import of that would depend on the context in which the statement was made.

It is highly unlikely that there would be any pathogens in tapwater and any pathogens that were in the water would be of a kind that would be highly unlikely to cause any concern particularly should they be in contact with your skin, whether that contact is in the bath or shower at home, or in a warm towel used in a MP clean-up. The MP would be using the same water on the towel that you'd be washing in, and also drinking at home.

There may be an extremely low number of bacteria, algae etc. present in tapwater but, except in the case of Walkerton, enough would have been destroyed by the chlorine treatment to make the risk of harm almost negligible. I am not aware of the number of bacteria that are currently allowable in a domestic water sample today but it is extremely low.

I'd not be concerned about the water supply! Do worry though about the way the MP and the MPA practice sanitation.