A woman who claims there is a "terrible" smell of body odour in her gym has sparked a debate on a popular online forum after asking if she should raise the issue with the staff. On Mumsnet, the woman explained that she had mentioned the smell "loudly" in a gym class before, but it had got to the point where it was making her feel "physically ill."
This caused a debate on the post, with many users thinking that the hygiene issues should be addressed as they knew this type of stench could make people "heave", with one former gym employee stating that the smell could be "eyewateringly bad at times." Some users, however, thought the smell of body odour was to be expected at a gym.
On the 'am I being unreasonable thread', the woman asked if she should address the issue at her gym. She said: "I go to my workout classes a few times a week, and I’m guessing since the weather has been getting warmer(?) people are sweating more." You can get more topics for debate and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: Woman who wants two dishwashers sparks furious debate and some think she's a genius
She added: "The issue is that there is frequently a TERRIBLE smell of BO in my classes to the point that I cannot concentrate and feel physically ill. I’m talking BO so strong I am constantly checking myself to make sure it’s not me - it literally PERMEATES the entire room and invades your personal space!
"I think it is coming from certain men since they often work out in t-shirts and hoodies and I’ve been told that kind of smell actually stems from sweating in unwashed clothing?
"AIBU [am I being unreasonable] to ask the gym staff to say something to the class about hygiene? I’ve mentioned loudly that it smells before but I obviously can’t single anyone out. I don’t understand how people can walk around like that and/or how their friends or partners don’t tell them that they stink?"
Many Mumsnet users related to the woman's situation. One commenter said: "YANBU [you are not being unreasonable] the sort of BO [body odor] you're talking about is a stench upon general stenchiness. I know sweat smells a bit, and to a degree, you expect it a bit in the gym - but the nauseating kind is beyond gross and it would make me feel sick too. When I smell it in the supermarkets it makes me heave, must be 10 times worse in the gym. How these people have no self-awareness is beyond me.
Another user who used to work in a gym added: "YANBU [you are not being unreasonable] I've worked in gyms before and I know the smell that you are referring to. It goes beyond the normal working out hard and sweating smell and is usually caused by people not wearing any deodorant or re-wearing unwashed gym clothes, or in the worst case scenarios a combination of both.
"The smell that comes from some of these people overwhelms the entire room and can be eyewateringly bad at times. They generally need to be quietly taken aside and kindly spoken to by a member of staff."
Others said the smell of body odor would bother them too. One user said: "I wouldn’t be able to handle this. Strong BO is up there with the smell of vomit and stale urine for me. I can handle the smell of shit more than BO and urine. The stinker needs telling. It’s selfish, lazy and unnecessary.
Another suggested: "I'd mention the ventilation in the room rather than the smell, and ask if it's working properly as it's affecting your ability to enjoy the class."
While some users said that this was to be expected at a gym. One user said: "Yeah that would annoy me too! But it's a gym not a tea party so really it should be expected not accepted though."
One commenter added: "It's a gym. People sweat when working out. Sweat sometimes smells. What do you expect the gym to do? Insist everybody showers before and after classes? Make it policy that people need to be wearing freshly laundered clothing to enter gym? Run around febreezing everyone every five minutes?"
Do you think the woman is being unreasonable for wanting to raise the issue of BO in her gym? Let us know in the comments below.
Read next:
- 'My mother-in-law owes us £12,000 and I refuse to give her more money'
- 'School run parents park in my drive then complain when I ask them to move - I might block them in next'
- Man won’t marry pregnant girlfriend to ‘protect’ his money
- 'My sister is living in a house we both inherited - can I ask her to move out?'
- Woman’s house and car covered in bird poo as neighbour won’t stop feeding pigeons
