Review volume does not necessarily indicate high traffic. You could see a provider with 10 total reviews and still be #5 of the day.
Your dilemma is self imposed. Sometimes it is easier to forget about numbers and concern yourself more with your session or your hour.

OK, the popular assumption is that the more reviews (and the better they are) then the safer and better choice you are making. But doesn't there come a point where a large number of reviews means the more THAT THING has gone in THERE? And is that what one is looking for?
A dilemma, I know, but....

That's not the assumption at all. The assumption is that reviews by quality reviewers with a strong track record who you've come to trust over time are reliable. So, if a provider has 30 reviews and five of them are by reviewers you recognize and trust, you're golden. Lots of reviews, in and of itself, means nothing.

You might as well quit this hobby now if that's how you think. One cannot simultaneously be a hobbyist and a prude about a girl's purity.

We might as well think about how many individual pussies/asses/lips we've all plundered.  Uh oh, I got a stiffy now...

you're in the wrong hobby.

Take your point, but a provider with, say, 15 pages of reviews going back, say, 5 years (and they do exist, as you know), then surely there is an STD risk for a hobbyist or two or three or more. Yes, it's good to read about DATY and CIM, but am I the only one who feels that as terrific as that can be it is accompanied by risks? OK, a brand-new provider could also pass on something one would rather not have, and vice versa. But surely as the numbers increase, do too do the risks. And I really can't see how "review volume" is not indicative of high traffic. If Provider A has 123 reviews and Provider B has only 17 then what else but high traffic is the reason why?

The initial question on the thread concerned volume as a factor for determining the quality of a particular provider. Risks associated with high volume providers — that's a totally different question. Is it a legitimate question? Absolutely. There are plenty of hobbyists who limit their risks in any number of ways. Some only participate in activities that would be described as "safe sex," avoiding the exchange of any bodily fluids (no BBBJs, no kissing, no DATY, no rimming, etc.). Some only play in the R&T scene and are content with just an R&T. Still others just pay for covered BJs. And some pursue UTR low volume providers and/or non-pros in the hopes that the odds will be in their favor (plus the many other benefits of forming a long term relationship with an UTR provider).

So, there are plenty of ways to limit your risk, if that's your scene. Just know that it isn't everyone's scene. And, as you can see, there are many hobbyists who have confronted the risk/reward equation and decided in favor of at least some calculated risks. To each his own.

I can understand your post, though some here seem to be reacting a little too strongly.  Yes, the more reviews by reviewers with several reviews under their belts is a safe bet. However, you can't help but wonder when a provider has 8 pages of reviews if you are just one of many clients and if there really is something special. Its the nature of the business: good providers get more customer traffic, bad ones go out of business (I hope). Since we're all suiting up, previous visitors to the valley shouldn't concern us. This hobby is large part fantasy and that's how you have to approach it for the hour or so you've engaged the lady.

I saw a provider who was highly rated by many but I felt she sucked and rated her appropriately. Thus, large number of reviews don't always pan out. Sometimes I like to play with the new providers or UTR ones for precisely the concerns you stated.

Thnks for an interesting post!

Experienced providers with traffic indicates popularity. Popularity means (hopefully) no one walked away with anything at the very least and all is good. Don't you think in this very small world of hobbying word gets out fast and traffic ceases afterwards?
A newbie might be someone who has been around and reinvents themselves. Look at some of the CL ads of yesteryear, most have NO reviews. Would you want to take a trip to newark to test the waters? After all, no reviews must mean they are squeaky clean and virtuous.