If you fly in first or business class, it’s normal to receive a hot towel, either one or multiple times per flight. However, sometimes I just can’t wrap my head around how people choose to use them.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in hot towel autonomy, and I’m not judging. I just want to understand the logic, similar to how I’d love to understand the thought process of people who swerve through Miami rush hour traffic in their Dodge Chargers, only to not actually get ahead of those people who aren’t driving like idiots. I digress…
In this post:
The practice of hot towels in airline premium cabins
It’s common for airlines to offer premium cabin travelers hot towels (or sometimes even cold towels) throughout the service. Sometimes they’re offered upon boarding, sometimes they’re offered before the meal, sometimes they’re offered after the meal, sometimes they’re offered upon waking up, sometimes they’re just thrown at you throughout the flight with no rhyme or reason, etc.
Presumably the intent with hot towels is similar to the Japanese tradition of oshibori (where you’ll often find towels offered in restaurants, hotels, etc.), which are meant to cleanse and refresh your hands, and they act as a gesture of hospitality and comfort.
Personally, I use the airplane hot towels in one of two ways:
- I sometimes use them to wipe my hands, though honestly, I often don’t, since they dry out my skin (and I try to moisturize my hands every so often, since dry air on planes often chaps my skin, especially when I’m flying a lot)
- Alternatively, I use them to just wipe down the area around my seat, since often aircraft seating isn’t cleaned very well; while these wipes aren’t antibacterial, at least they help with getting any sort of obviously sticky things off the area around the seat
For those curious about the logistics of how airplane hot towels are prepared, airlines generally have these towels arranged in trays, and then they’re either heated, or hot water is poured over them (from the airplane’s water tanks). Some airlines will put a mild scent into the towels as well, be it a lemon or rose scent. And nowadays some airlines even have individually packaged towels.
Why do people wipe their faces with hot towels?
I think among many travelers, there’s confusion about what you’re actually supposed to do with hot towels on airplanes. For example, the below video has been viewed close to 90 million times on Instagram, and I think it sums up the confusion that some people feel (I’m not sure how many views were for the person/thigh vs. the hot towel, but I’m focused on the hot towel here, okay?).
Here’s the thing I can never make sense of — why do so many passengers immediately use the hot towel to just start wiping their face? There seems to be a bit of a gender divide here, and in my experience, it’s more common for men to do that than woman.
I’m not even coming at this from an etiquette perspective, and suggesting it’s inappropriate, or something (after all, we wear pajamas on planes, so therefore we can do whatever we want). I just don’t understand the logic?
Let me start by acknowledging that before I met Ford (well over a decade ago), I’m not sure I was familiar with the concept of skincare or washing your face (or the importance of sunscreen, for that matter). But he’s super militant about it, and it has rubbed off on me, so I use a cleanser, moisturizer, etc. Okay, maybe I don’t use it quite as often as he thinks I do (I probably average once a day rather than the twice a day he assumes), but still, at least I’m in a routine.
So anyway, let me come at this from both a skincare and non-skincare routine perspective…
If you do have a skincare routine, you wouldn’t just wipe your face with a hot towel, since it would take off whatever moisturizer you put on your face. For that matter, you’d probably want to clean your face with a cleanser, rather than just rubbing a rough towel across it.
Meanwhile if you don’t have a skincare routine, I also don’t understand what wiping your face with a hot towel accomplishes? The air in an aircraft cabin is really dry, and simply running a hot towel across your face will dry out your skin even more, no? Like, your skin produces natural oil that’s good for you, especially in a worse air environment, so wiping out those oils and drying up your skin seems counterproductive to me…?
Air in aircraft cabins is actually pretty clean, so it’s not like you need to wipe down your face as if you’ve somehow been in a sandstorm, or something.
Like I said, everyone should do what they want, and I have no issues with however anyone wants to use their hot towels. I’d just love to understand the logic, out of my own curiosity. Is there some explanation I’m missing? Do people just do it instinctively because they see other people do it, without thinking much of it?
After watching so many people run hot towels across their faces five times on a flight, I’m just genuinely curious to understand what I’m missing, so please teach me!
Bottom line
It’s common for airlines to hand out hot towels in premium cabins, and it’s fascinating to see the different approaches that people take with them. To me, it seems logical to use them to clean your hands, if that’s something that works for you.
However, there’s such a common trend whereby people just constantly wipe down their face with the hot towels, and I just don’t get what that’s supposed to accomplish? Is it about cleaning skin? Is it about “refreshing” skin (by drying it out)? Is there something else I’m missing?
Anyone have any airplane hot towel insights?
I have just committed the heinous crime of refreshing my face by using the hot towel. Twice on the same flight. I am sure the International Crimal Court is about to serve a warrant for my arrest.
Wait.... The amenity kit has a nice moisturiser, it is stocked in the lavatory as well, and I have packed a very nice Sekisui product in my carry on. Maybe there are mitigating circumstances and I have not...
I have just committed the heinous crime of refreshing my face by using the hot towel. Twice on the same flight. I am sure the International Crimal Court is about to serve a warrant for my arrest.
Wait.... The amenity kit has a nice moisturiser, it is stocked in the lavatory as well, and I have packed a very nice Sekisui product in my carry on. Maybe there are mitigating circumstances and I have not caused the end of civilisation as we know it.
Warning: Some irony may have been included in this post.
Not everyone has your skin type.
Mine is very oily. Which in turn means my face cab get sticky and collect who knows what. Like pollen. And I have bad allergies. I hate public restrooms that only offer a 'blow dryer' for your hands as I need a moist towel to wipe my face. It's my habit and getting that 'grease' off my face is what makes me fell refreshed.
Not everyone here travels to blog about it. You might leave home leisurely and get to the airport 6h early as you need to add lounge reviews etc. or finish an article in the lounge. So, you can take care of whatever skin care routine you want on the ground.
When I travel after a day of meetings, get in an Uber, wrestling my way through security, walking to the lounge (fast so I...
Not everyone here travels to blog about it. You might leave home leisurely and get to the airport 6h early as you need to add lounge reviews etc. or finish an article in the lounge. So, you can take care of whatever skin care routine you want on the ground.
When I travel after a day of meetings, get in an Uber, wrestling my way through security, walking to the lounge (fast so I can at least have one drink before boarding starts or go to another one if there is a long line of people waiting), waiting to board (I'm not preboarding with the ability to take pictures of a totally empty plane), .... so I'm sweaty/ grimy/ ... and wiping my face followed by my hands is highly appreciated.
Marc, please be assured that when you pay for a flight abroad a world class airline, in an F or J cabin, one can afford to do all of the indulgences of which you post.
What? Getting to the airport 6h early to do lounge hopping and reviewing?
Well, I fly across the pond on paid F/J tickets and have better things to do with my time than to waste it at an airport.
BTW cut that snotty attitude "be assured when you PAY"....
I’m a guy and I usually use the hot towel on my face and then hands. I know it’s just intended for hands, but:
- It’s refreshing
- It makes my face feel better after sweat and oil on my face from going through security and then navigating the gate lice to board
- The side of the towel that wasn’t on my face is then quickly used on my hands.
Plus...
I’m a guy and I usually use the hot towel on my face and then hands. I know it’s just intended for hands, but:
- It’s refreshing
- It makes my face feel better after sweat and oil on my face from going through security and then navigating the gate lice to board
- The side of the towel that wasn’t on my face is then quickly used on my hands.
Plus after a hot towel on the face, directing that air nozzle on my head feels very nice. I’m more perplexed by people who use it to wipe everything down and THEN wipe their hands with it. It’s like you’re putting all the grime that wasn’t cleaned onto your hands.
Waht do you do, 747-400, to get sweaty and greasy from a day of traveling? Just curious!
I’m sorry but there was no bidet in the lav.
I guess the hot towels should come with instructions.
Use to wipe the soles my bare feet. Lol...
As others have commented, wiping my face; feels good after a day of traveling to depart for a TATL
I actually found the way you use it for cleaning seats are…
I don't understand the purpose of this article, seriously
It's just a bit of fun, dude.
Ben, certainly knows how to stir up the natives with mediocrity.
Thank you Ben, one is looking forward to your next flight review.
Mediocrity = More money (for Ben)
…. and a lower standard of conversation so that the proletariat can understand and join in perhaps John?
Giving real lizardman confused by human practices vibe here Ben!
Exactly what other people said. After a day of travel, through the airport in the end it is just cleaning your skin, relaxing and feeling a bot refreshed.
A lot of luxury hotels and lodges also great you with hot or cold towels and looking at the towel after the use, you wander how grey the towel gets so it does clean your face.
Oh and btw, using moisturizer is for healthy people a...
Exactly what other people said. After a day of travel, through the airport in the end it is just cleaning your skin, relaxing and feeling a bot refreshed.
A lot of luxury hotels and lodges also great you with hot or cold towels and looking at the towel after the use, you wander how grey the towel gets so it does clean your face.
Oh and btw, using moisturizer is for healthy people a good way to waste a lot of money to put chemicals into your face and those are designed(!) so that your skin reduces the natural production of liquids and you get addi to them.
Funny as it sounds, clean water is still the best way for a fast cleaning.
For those who prefer to use a moisturiser, you might be interested to learn that there is an App which will rate the product accordingly. Many everyday trusted products are perhaps not as good for you as you might have been led believe.
The App is called Yuka, available from the App Store.
Never were hot towels meant to be used to wipe down surfaces. Is this an only USA thing?
Make Hot Towels Great Again!
No, it is not. Neither is cleaning the bottom of your shoe with a face and hand towel. Article should have been about inappropriate use of hand/face towel as a cleaning rag.
I always take mine to the lavatory and use it to wipe my ass.
One suspects Nasty, that is the nearest a hot towel will ever get to your brain cell, yes? …. :-)
I am surprised you did not mention about the origin of the hot water
I use it on my face to wipe-off oily skin.
And it feels good too.
First why do you care what other people are doing. You’re right that in formal settings oshibori is hands only. Poor etiquette and the towel should be folded inward but if you’re on an American airline wipe whatever you want.
Don’t take this the wrong way Ben. But most straight men don’t wear moisturizer lol. It’s barely a challenge to remember to put on sunscreen when stepping outside.
It’s madness not wearing sunscreen every day. If you put that on, you don’t need a moisturiser.
I'm straight and I do. After a shave and a hot shower moisturizer my skin is dry.
Also, it sounds counterintuitive, but moisturizer is good for oily skin.
I'm straight and I do. After a shave and a hot shower my skin is dry.
Also, it sounds counterintuitive, but moisturizer is good for oily skin.
Before there were travel bloggers, there were travel writers, like John Bynum Miles who wrote for the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal of December 6, 1957 (almost the 16th anniversary of Pearl Harbor).
“Today at Hong Kong we boarded Japan Air Lines' DC-6B Pacific Courier, complete with background music, bound for Tokyo; and we must say the ensuing ride was a thoroughly delightful experience. No sooner had we made the spectacular takeoff from Kowloon Airport, than...
Before there were travel bloggers, there were travel writers, like John Bynum Miles who wrote for the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal of December 6, 1957 (almost the 16th anniversary of Pearl Harbor).
“Today at Hong Kong we boarded Japan Air Lines' DC-6B Pacific Courier, complete with background music, bound for Tokyo; and we must say the ensuing ride was a thoroughly delightful experience. No sooner had we made the spectacular takeoff from Kowloon Airport, than the smartly tailored Japanese hostesses donned exquisitely brocaded kimonos and gracefully swished through the aisle dispensing little, hot towels called "oshiboris," to refresh our face and hands, and attractive "happi coats," a sort of three quarter length kimono, to wear in flight."
A brief exploration of online clippings at newspapers.com, from the time that you could learn everything from the daily press, indicates that this airline practice might have originated (well before 1960) with JAL, and that the technical term that US "stewardesses" learned for it in 1967 is oshibori. Which even has its own Wikipedia page. And Google AI explains,
>Oshibori are small, damp towels, typically made of terry cloth, that are served to guests...
A brief exploration of online clippings at newspapers.com, from the time that you could learn everything from the daily press, indicates that this airline practice might have originated (well before 1960) with JAL, and that the technical term that US "stewardesses" learned for it in 1967 is oshibori. Which even has its own Wikipedia page. And Google AI explains,
>Oshibori are small, damp towels, typically made of terry cloth, that are served to guests to clean their hands before a meal or for refreshment. Originating in Japan, they can be served either warm in colder months or chilled in the summer and are a traditional symbol of hospitality, respect, and cleanliness. The practice is common in Japanese restaurants, and the term comes from the Japanese word "shiboru," meaning "to wring".<
Agreed! I am Japanese-American and my parents always used the Oshibori to wipe their face and neck. I do the same. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Like the other comments, I refresh my hands and face. BUT, while I’m waiting for the towel to be collected, I put it (rolled or folded) on my nose and breath in through my nose to get some added moisture. It makes a difference with the dry air - even if for only a few minutes.
So all the 'warm-towel-on-your-face-is-bad-for-your-skin' posters have apparently never taken a hot shower in their whole lives??
Clearly logic is not their friend. More to the point - It's. Just. A. Warm. Towel. Not an acid bath on your face! Get a grip, gurls.
Clearly logic is not their friend.
More to the point -.
Oil is not soluble in water.
That's why we use soap.
So all the 'warm-towel-on-your-face-is-bad-for-your-skin' posters have apparently never used soap in their whole lives??
Get a grip, gurls. The earth is not flat.
You guys was your face in the shower? I do it by the sink, it never even occured to me to just point the showerhead at my face, lol. I'm even very conscious about not getting water in my face when washing my hair.
Duh... using the towel to refresh , on your face is the whole point. Then I wipe my hands and finally the tray table. Not all airlines are the same (the size of towel and what they put on them). US airlines just dump some hot water (many times, not that well) from the coffee pot.... Better airlines provide hot towels multiple times during the trip.
Hot towel to the face because it's refreshing, like a brief steam treatment. I'm usually sweaty or greasy on a long travel day (especially in hot climates, where you never quite cool down), so it helps with that.
And it's much gentler than soap or a face cleanser (which will dehydrate like you describe). Good quality ones like JAL uses are typically not "rough towels" either...
If somebody was wearing layers of product or...
Hot towel to the face because it's refreshing, like a brief steam treatment. I'm usually sweaty or greasy on a long travel day (especially in hot climates, where you never quite cool down), so it helps with that.
And it's much gentler than soap or a face cleanser (which will dehydrate like you describe). Good quality ones like JAL uses are typically not "rough towels" either...
If somebody was wearing layers of product or carefully applied makeup, then of course not... No insult to Ford, Ben, but you might want to look at what's in the products he's encouraging you to use. Much like sunscreen, many of them are more of a "capitalism wins" than "you win" (check them against EWG's SkinDeep database). You might end up wanting to wipe them off with your next hot towel ;-)
Hello again omarsidd.
To add to your education and to avoid “Spalling” of one’s skin cells, with or without the hot towel treatment, one might like to download to your iPhone and use the Yuka App. This helps to determine if your skin moisturiser is “Capitalism wins" or "You win". Checking a products Bar Code in store before purchasing can confirm which are “You win” as opposed to the “Capitalist wins”.
Just a thought old bean …. :-)
First, I don’t like when the hot towel is almost dry - not an uncommon occurrence.
First, wipe face and maybe back of neck, then hands, then surfaces like tray table, screen.
Done.
Most men don't wear moisturizer. I wipe my face with the hot towel just because it feels good
A couple of comments…
Regarding skincare, maybe have a chat to a chemist to understand how it works, what it does and doesn’t do and whether or not you want it to stay on your skin between applications.
I travel a lot, and as it happens, many of my trips are to warm destinations, and often involve a hectic taxi ride to the airport, running around and often being driven to the plane...
A couple of comments…
Regarding skincare, maybe have a chat to a chemist to understand how it works, what it does and doesn’t do and whether or not you want it to stay on your skin between applications.
I travel a lot, and as it happens, many of my trips are to warm destinations, and often involve a hectic taxi ride to the airport, running around and often being driven to the plane on a bus. Long story short - 8 times out of 10 by the time I take. Y seat I feel sweaty, grimey and overall gross. A warm towel is the best way to feel a bit more human, short of an emirate shower in the clouds.
The hot towels are traditionally for your hands before a meal. But before I do that, they feel so good to press to my face for the moisture and warmth.
Hot towels and Japanese customs reminds me of my first trip to Japan when I was 24. Went with a college buddy of mine whose parents (Americans) lived in Tokyo. His dad took us around to experience the country: sushi, the oshibori, the Shinkansen (bullet train), sleeping on the tatami floor and among others a "hotsy bath" as he called it. Shall I continue, and is this appropriate for a travel blog? Oh, well, I...
Hot towels and Japanese customs reminds me of my first trip to Japan when I was 24. Went with a college buddy of mine whose parents (Americans) lived in Tokyo. His dad took us around to experience the country: sushi, the oshibori, the Shinkansen (bullet train), sleeping on the tatami floor and among others a "hotsy bath" as he called it. Shall I continue, and is this appropriate for a travel blog? Oh, well, I did fly to Tokyo so here is "the rest of the story." HT to Paul Harvey. When we came out of the bath his dad asked, "did she wash your...private parts"? Sure did, and it was great. He said, "she just handed me the towel and said "dozo" (please, do it yourself) and that's what happens when you get old so enjoy it now." Nice knowing you all, but will probably get removed by Ben.
It is just pleasant… slow news today?
Have you ever tried putting a hot towel on your face?
If not, this whole discussion is kind of pointless.
Just give the tingling experience a try — then you won’t need to write a post about it.
Ben, do you not sweat? Regardless of time of year, I'm generally sweaty by the time I board a flight. Wiping your face/neck with a hot towel is the closest you're going to come to a shower without being able to shower. I can't sleep if I'm sweaty and sticky, so this helps me fall asleep on the flight. Alternatively, it's never once crossed my mind to wipe my seat down with a hot towel.
Its baffling that you wonder why passengers wipe their faces with a hot towel. There's a calming factor and a refreshing one. Geez you raise some peculiar topics here. And why do, supposedly, fewer women wipe their faces with it, think about smudging their make up ... they'll end up looking like bette davis is who's afraid of baby Jane.
I really could do without the whole hot towel thing altogether. When they hand it to you, often it is scalding and I’m surprised people don’t burn themselves. I would rather that AA, for example, would take the 5 cents per person per flight it spends on towel procurement, storage, and distribution and instead invest it in upgrading its catering to something that has been approved for human consumption.
I was instructed years ago in my distant youth that wiping ones face with a hot towel was trashy at best. I therefore have never used on my face and that would be particularly unsanitary after using on your germ filled hands.
With you on the last part, which is why I use it on my face (and neck) first and only then on my fingers and hands.
After hours of travel, airports, and recycled cabin air, my skin feels coated in a mix of grime, oil, and sweat. That’s why the hot towel is one of my favorite parts of a long-haul flight — it’s not just a nice gesture, it’s reset for my face.
I use it to wipe away the day and freshen up before settling into the meal and the rest of the flight. When airlines go the extra...
After hours of travel, airports, and recycled cabin air, my skin feels coated in a mix of grime, oil, and sweat. That’s why the hot towel is one of my favorite parts of a long-haul flight — it’s not just a nice gesture, it’s reset for my face.
I use it to wipe away the day and freshen up before settling into the meal and the rest of the flight. When airlines go the extra mile with a facial spritz, it’s even better — like United’s TheraFace, Virgin Atlantic’s mist, or Qatar’s hydrating spray in the lavatory. Instant refresh. Love it!
When I don’t get a hot towel at breakfast service, I keep facial wipes handy to do the same. It’s a small ritual that makes a long flight feel human again.
After waking up from sleep on a plane, a hot towel is the left way to refresh my face.
The left way ? Interesting
Who the f::k cares
Maybe you should pen an article on modivations of ass wiping
Always front to back.
I didn't realize there was actually any question about it. Of course I use it to wipe my face and sometimes the back of my neck, as well as my hands. It is refreshing whether hot or cold ( in hot climes) and helps me settle in, or wake up for breakfast on a long haul. Now I guess I need to worry about someone sneaking a video of me wiping my face with a towel to post on TikTok.
I always thought it was like an oshibori at a Japanese meal: for cleaning your hands off before eating... the seem to bring them around right before the meal service.
you were raised correctly
Also it seems he's got an Onlyfans channel, whatever next!
I personally never use the hot towel on my hands or my face because my skin gets very uncomfortably dry afterwards. It may have to do with my skin type, and Ben may have the same skin type as me. Because otherwise, I never understood why people put the towel on their face either. I assume it is because they don't have the same reaction to it as I do.
I usually let it cool down a bit, wipe my face and back of my neck, then clean my hands with it, and then wipe down any greasy touch points
Is it really his thigh what ppl might be looking at? (I digress...)
Pre-flight, no lounge: wipe dirt off my face, then hands, and it helps me relax into my seat
Mid flight, especially after napping: quick wipe of the face in case there's some... ummm... drool or whatever random unsightly thing (you never know!)
Towards end of flight: boredom, need to fidget with something at that point
We wipe our faces with them because it feels good. 99% of men in the world don’t have a skincare routine!
Facts...that's why you have 30 year olds looking 50!
What I do not understand is why you care? For someone who goes on and on about wanting privacy in premium cabin travel, I am not sure why you are writing (again) about what someone else does with their hot towel.
I come here for travel news and reviews, not skincare advice.
What I do when I see pieces that don't interest me, is, like, I don't open them. Then, after I don't open them, I don't read them, and then I don't comment, because I know that particular item isn't up my alley. And then I don't have to tell Ben what I don't like, because neither he, nor anyone, cares about my opinion of the content of his blog, that he writes and publishes, and that we all read for the low low price of free. Just spitballing here.
@TravelinPenis
It's called expressing an opinion. Just like what you do, you idiot.
I like to tell Ben what I don't like to read, because when he posts crap about people misbehaving in airports and airplanes and then posts something with a credit card referral that interests me, then I can go to another blog that doesn't post trash to actually sign up for the card.
I, for one, have extremely oily skin. I have ZERO need for moisturizer. I have to use acne control products even at 53. Depending on when the hot towel is offered (nothing on DL, sometimes AA, can't remember about UA) - my face may be very oily and it's nice to get all that off (for the maybe 1 hour that it lasts).
This seems like a hot button issue that has been answered by plenty of readers, but I second their opinion that after getting through the airport and getting situated on the plane, sometimes a nice hot towel on the face just feels like perfection.
For me it's just a pleasant thing to do. Most of the time I use them on my hands but sometimes I feel like giving my face a bit of moisture too. There's no grand reason behind it, I just feel like it :)
Sitting in condor business class waiting to take off from CPT and just had the hot towel on my face, so this made me laugh. I don’t rub my face, but I place it over my face as the heat feels good. It’s then a reminder to put some face moisturizer on my face, which I try and do a few times a flight anyway.
I love wiping my face, especially if this is my second flight of the day.
I love wiping my 阴茎
All kinds of benefits from splashing cold water on your face, or wiping it with a cold towel. Wakes you up and stimulates circulation. Hot towel doesn't work as well, I sometimes do it anyway, or use the towel while hot to clean my hands and then dab my forehead with it when it's no longer warm. That skincare stuff is a gay thing, some straight guys seem to have picked it up lately from online influencers working for free samples.
Cuz it feels nice? What would be the point of wiping your hands with them? Would I do that instead of washing my hands? No. I guess the hot towel might make sense after eating (like a fancy wet wipe) but it usually comes well before
"What would be the point of wiping your hands with them?"
To have clean hands.
You'd be better served going to the lav and washing them with soap if that were the goal.
Ben, wise up. They are for wiping your feet after using the aircraft restroom when barefooted.
Jack gets it once again.
Is this the same Jack as over at DoC?
Haha, I think it’s more than just thighs.
My skin is naturally really oily and I’m constantly wanting to take a shower for that reason. Airports generally are quite stuffy too. I don’t mind them warm, but air flow is a must for me. Without air, I just sweat like crazy. It’s really quite annoying. So the towel on the face is a welcome relief for me tho I don’t always do it. I...
Haha, I think it’s more than just thighs.
My skin is naturally really oily and I’m constantly wanting to take a shower for that reason. Airports generally are quite stuffy too. I don’t mind them warm, but air flow is a must for me. Without air, I just sweat like crazy. It’s really quite annoying. So the towel on the face is a welcome relief for me tho I don’t always do it. I probably should invest in travel size cleansers and face/general moisturizers tho since my hands do suffer from dry skin from surgical operations as a child. Plus you bring a good point it’s a good idea to cleanse and moisturize together. I’m unlikely to sweat badly once I’m on the plane since I’m not running around. Tho I do travel with a portable fan since planes can be so inconsistent with temp and airflow. I do carry moisturizers with me for my hands.
So at the end of the day everyone is different and I guess some people do the face thing since it’s kinda like going to a spa, getting a bit of refreshment before a long flight.
lol bruh has a very specific posting strategy from the rest of his x account
Discount magic mike on x is definitely the funniest part of this post haha
Men are used to hot towels at the barber. They are usually applied to the face before a shave. That may be why you see more men then women using one on their face then just hands.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone wipe down the parts of the seat around them though. :-)
My girlfriend tends to use the hot towels for her hands, whereas I tend to use the hot towels to wipe my
I usually wipe my face, then hands (or sometimes the reverse order, I don't pay that much attention to it). I find it refreshing after rushing through the airport to get on a flight. My skincare regimen is pretty good - but in terms of moisturizer, it's probably already been on your face for a couple of hours anyway before you use a hot towel.
You don't want those germs on your hands to get on your face and in your eyes that can cause pimples, styes or even eye infections, so try to use it on your face first.
I take it to the bathroom and wipe my privates with it. Warms it nicely for the flight and relaxes me.
Often times I’ve had a quick walk from gate-to-gate, dragging a carry-on that’s at capacity and a heavy laptop bag, to make a connection. I use the towel to wipe the sweat from my face and as a gateway to relaxing into the flight, feeling refreshed and calm, just like after an evening shower.
I also don't understand what this accomplishes and I notice that airline review influencers are extremely proud of wiping their faces with hot towels and featuring it in every single one of their videos multiple times. The reason I personally don't use hot towels on my face on an airplane is because the water on them is from the plane's water tanks which is far from clean water. Even after washing my hands in the lavatory I use a hand sanitizer afterwds.
I love putting that on my face for a little steam. It feels great. I think it's supposed to be used in whatever way that makes you feel good. Don't worry about what others do/say/think.
I once sat next to a guy on an old AF 330 who proceeded to thoroughly clean his feet with his hot towel. Then I had the pleasure of sitting next to his bare feet from Chicago to Paris. Disgusting.
Yeah, the hot towels are an odd, unnecessary custom.
Also, Ben, you mentioned yet another reason why I'm happy to be out of SoFla... (not saying the drivers in NYC are better, just, up here, I'm usually not the one driving.)
By the way, wild how there've been practically no hurricanes so far this season. What is up with that!?
@1990 - Don't jinx us. There's a potential hurricane in the Carribbean right now, and it is too early to tell if it may impact South Florida. But yes, it is quite wild that there was no hurricane impact in FL this year (so far).
Oh, I might be jinxing myself... Hurricane Sandy formed October 22, 2012, and hit NYC area on October 29... there's a tropical storm Melissa south of Haiti right now, but she appears to be staying in the Greater Antilles... for now.
What confuses me more than the varied ways people use hot towels on airplanes is why people find it necessary to record themselves on airplanes.
A hot towel on your face after you just woke up from a nap on an airplane is so refreshing and wakes me up. Why do spas place hot towels on your face? It feels nice!
Me thinks Jinxed_K below is gonna have big problems with your technique, sir.
I use a hot towel on my face on long haul flights to wake up when I'm feeling sleepy. It feels great 9 hours into a flight when they bring them just before the final meal service. And then, like all good gay men, I reapply my moisturizer.
It's one thing if you see it on planes, but it's another if you see people wiping their faces in Japan with oshibori lol.
I've always treated them as oshibori no matter which airline provides them and only use them for my hands before meals. If they're disposable paper oshibori then I may use them to wipe spills or a surface, but even those I tend to just limit their use for my hands.
Oshibori on faces... those uncultured swine!
I carry around a little towelkerchief(?) I got for like 500y at the local family mart for my face. Keep a couple in your travel suitcase, toss it in the wash on laundry day.
My authority on this subject was the Peruvian gentleman I was sitting next to and quietly copying on my first business class flight from IAH-LIM on United (back when the 767s had F) in 2014.
Wash your palms, then each individual finger, then the top of your hand. Then proceed to gently wash your face, and if you're bald like me, wash your head as well.
Seems to have worked for me ever since.
I’m also a face-wiper. I always put it on my head while its hot, and it feels extremely refreshing, to feel the hot towel, as it becomes a cold towel in 5-10 seconds. Then rub it gently through my face, afterwards I clean my hands with it, then the surfaces around.
Do you wipe elsewhere, too, or more of a 'bidget' fan?
"Do you wipe elsewhere, too, or more of a 'bidget' fan?"
And the scrotum or vagina. What about the scrotum or vagina?
Also, the direction of the wipe is important. Like, front to back, only.
I've always thought that the reason for hot towels is to: cleanse and refresh. Thus, I use them to wipe my face (which is often dirty/sweaty from the airport preflight scrum) and to wipe my hands. They're soft and usually smell nice and doing this is very relaxing and refreshing. I honestly do NOT understand using these towels to clean around your seat as there are disposable wipes available for this purpose.
Omg, a rambling article that consumed so much air & could have got the point much sooner.
Hot/cold towels i thought was a asian cultural thing to ‘refresh’ you for the flight & ‘clense’ you for your f&b service. I clense my hands with them & pat the back of my neck & forehead (if sweaty) to stimulate my glands so i feel more alive.
I agree putting them on your face can...
Omg, a rambling article that consumed so much air & could have got the point much sooner.
Hot/cold towels i thought was a asian cultural thing to ‘refresh’ you for the flight & ‘clense’ you for your f&b service. I clense my hands with them & pat the back of my neck & forehead (if sweaty) to stimulate my glands so i feel more alive.
I agree putting them on your face can create issues with sensitive skin if it contains alcohol/anti bacterial (drying) & other chemicals in the solution. I normally have x’y face moisteriser on so the last thing i want to do for a flight is wipe it all off & dehydrate.
Omg, a rambling comment that consumed so much air & could have got the the point much sooner.
Sometimes I'll wipe my face with it, if I feel grimy/sweaty from a prior flight or from rushing through the terminal. Otherwise just my hands.
On arrival i most certainly use the towel on my face and then use a moisturising cream. Otherwise i use the towels just to freshen up my hands.
Last week i saw someone wipe their whole face and even clean the insides of their ears with the warm towel! Each to their own.
The question seems to boil down to: is it an oshibori or not? If it is, then wiping down your seat area with it is equally as inappropriate as is wiping your face.
Very much enjoying the comments, and I appreciate the insights. Let me say this -- if you've had a super long travel day, or if you were running through the airport and were sweating, I totally get the logic.
My question is more specific to just the average person who does this multiple times on flights, who is just starting their day, who isn't sweating, etc. Like, we're not all in a constant state of chaos at airports and on airplanes.
You've nailed my perspective here - I have a totally "adaptable" strategy to the use of the hot towel, depending on length of flight, time of day (start vs. end), and the number of towel services per flight. If it's the start of my day and I'm straight to the airport, oshibori for hands only. If it's a 14h flight US-Australia, hands for first service and face for the pre-arrival. Each to their own, I guess?
Actually, that's a fair point. I have sometimes wondered why I'm wiping my face when I don't need to.
Same answer Ben. I wipe my face with a hot towel because it feels good
Ew. On most airlines, the water for hot towels comes from the tank on the plane, which is rife with bacteria. (That's why there is usually an indicator in the lavatories that the water should not be consumed, not withstanding the little paper cups in there.). For the Japanese and some other airlines, the towels are packaged moist and heated, rather than hydrated from the hot water tap.
Isn't the oven hot enough to kill and potential bacteria and viruses? Something similar to cooking chicken, it's hot enough to kill any potential bacteria.
And I'll admit, I've used that water to brush my teeth and gargle and I'm still here. I'm sure countless people have and even done worse!
On some airlines (particularly US ones), the flight attendants just pour hot water on the towels and distribute them - no oven involved. The towels would need to be in a hot oven for a longer period of time to kill bacteria.
If the water is boiling, then it should be enough to kill any potential bacteria/viruses. If it were just warm, then probably not.
It's probably not something to be overly concerned about.
Sometimes I've been sweating because the airport AC isn't very good or carrying luggage and walking a long way made me sweat. I'm grateful for a hot towel to wipe the sweat off.
"Sometimes I've been sweating because the airport AC isn't very good..."
You're thinking of Singapore, specifically, aren't you? Because THEY ARE THE WORST WITH THIS. Aircon set to 27° Celsius isn't particularly cooling.
I use the hot towels to clean my hands and face; now that I think about it, I should freshen my face first before my hands! It reminds me of my typical shave service at my go-to barber shop.
And I hope since the pandemic, cleanliness and hygiene come right after safety with all touchpoint surfaces being disinfected.
I do enjoy the scent on CXs hot towels. I wonder what other carriers have a good...
I use the hot towels to clean my hands and face; now that I think about it, I should freshen my face first before my hands! It reminds me of my typical shave service at my go-to barber shop.
And I hope since the pandemic, cleanliness and hygiene come right after safety with all touchpoint surfaces being disinfected.
I do enjoy the scent on CXs hot towels. I wonder what other carriers have a good scent in their hot towels.
And just for the record, it's called an "oshibori" in Japan ;) And it's only used for your hands (at least in that part of the world)
Oh good lord, get a clue. It feels good.
because the cabin is dry, I usually put this towel over my face and sit back to relax and breathe in the steam, to humidify my nostrils. so every time there is a hot towel service, it's another opportunity for me to get some humidified air. they do this at men's spa and many massage places as a relaxation amenity
Like some others noted, it feels somewhat refreshing. If it is after a long day of travel or maybe after sleeping/trying to sleep on the plane. I for myself usually use the towel first for my face and my hands, then I wipe across tray table, IFE screen, armrest, etc.
Well I have greasy skin, so the goal is to dry it out more. Also, it feels nice to put a hot towel on your face.
Have you met fellow commenter 'ORD Is My Second Home' yet?
Yes I decided to rip him off.
Good on you! Let 'ORD_Is_My_Second_Home' have it. He's on the recent 'don't share airline ticket details online post' being a prick.
I mean, that level of snobbery from someone who lives in the Midwestern United States, by choice, is just unreasonable...
lol youre overthinking this way too much.
men sweaty. clean warm towel feel good on skin.
thats literally it man
This +1000
Yupp. Feels nice. Whats so hard to understand about it.
Give the pits a wipe too.
A man of culture!
Parallel to this, I don't understand hot towels on flights departing tropical countries. Cold towels would be much more appropriate.
I have oily skin, I use the hot towel on my face all the time .It also feels good too :)
Contrary to what you're hypothesizing, wiping my face IS skincare for me, at least on an overnight flight. I have a full day's worth of grime on my face and wiping it off with a hot towel is more pleasant than trying to wash my face in an airplane lav. It's not what I would do at home, but it beats not washing my face at all.
Yep -- this is the answer.
I did it once til I thought through what a cheap hot towel was really doing to my skin. I think people do it because of the herd mentality. They feel weird not doing it because it's what they see everyone around them doing. Same concept with how everyone immediately unbuckles upon landing and stands straight up.
Interesting. I use them to wipe my hands, *then* police my area. Now that I think about it, though, it would be great for a hot towel to put over my face when I'm going to sleep. Hmmmm. Anyway, I don't suffer from dry skin, so I'm very fortunate in that regard.
Wiping your face is the whole point of the hot towels. The idea is that you are sweaty and greasy from a long day of traveling, which you get to wipe off, and it refreshes you. D'uh. The reason women often don't do this is because they are wearing makeup and the towel would smudge it.
Really Ben? You don’t sweat? You don’t get food around your mouth ever? You leave your pre-departure beverage ring around the mouth as is?
You don’t wash your face until you have access to your moisturizers and sunscreen?
I do, and a hot towel is a soothing way yo do it. .
It’s a clean, hot towel. In the midst of traveling (getting to the airport, waiting for your flight, etc.) it’s a brief moment to refresh and breathe. Applying a hot towel to your face feels good for many people. Let us live, man. Let us live.
Forgot about the hot towels - let's talk about the HOT boy in the video!!!
*rich boy