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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Peregrine2976 on 2026-01-04 05:43:29+00:00.
Learn from my mistake:
Apparently hot water increases skin permeability, and epsom salt adds a mild osmotic effect to your skin, temporarily weakening the protective barrier of your skin.
Also relevant: the menthol and methyl salicylate in Bengay (and, I presume, other "icy hot" muscle creams) "heat" your skin by activating cold receptors and pain/heat receptors, respectively. Receptors that, as a result of your relaxing bath, are now much more readily exposed.
The end result of this is that if you then apply Bengay (or, assumedly, any other icy-hot muscle cream), immediately after your epsom salt bath, it burns like a motherfucker. To the point that I was genuinely groaning in pain out loud while I frantically Googled to figure out what was happening and how to make it stop right now please.
The good news is that the intense searing pain only lasts for a few minutes before you adjust. Or, that was the case with me, anyway.
TL;DR -- applying an icy-hot muscle cream directly after a hot epsom salt bath is really, really painful. Don't do it.