diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestLogger.java b/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestLogger.java
index 7268a449981..ad8204be2bb 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestLogger.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RequestLogger.java
@@ -53,12 +53,11 @@ final class RequestLogger {
     /**
      * Logs a request that yielded a response
      */
-    static void logResponse(Log logger, String message, HttpUriRequest request, HttpHost host, HttpResponse httpResponse) {
+    static void logResponse(Log logger, HttpUriRequest request, HttpHost host, HttpResponse httpResponse) {
         if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
-            logger.debug(message + " [" + request.getMethod() + " " + host + request.getRequestLine().getUri() +
-                    "] [" + httpResponse.getStatusLine() + "]");
+            logger.debug("request [" + request.getMethod() + " " + host + request.getRequestLine().getUri() +
+                    "] returned [" + httpResponse.getStatusLine() + "]");
         }
-
         if (tracer.isTraceEnabled()) {
             String requestLine;
             try {
@@ -81,8 +80,8 @@ final class RequestLogger {
     /**
      * Logs a request that failed
      */
-    static void logFailedRequest(Log logger, String message, HttpUriRequest request, HttpHost host, IOException e) {
-        logger.debug(message + " [" + request.getMethod() + " " + host + request.getRequestLine().getUri() + "]", e);
+    static void logFailedRequest(Log logger, HttpUriRequest request, HttpHost host, IOException e) {
+        logger.debug("request [" + request.getMethod() + " " + host + request.getRequestLine().getUri() + "] failed", e);
         if (logger.isTraceEnabled()) {
             String traceRequest;
             try {
diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RestClient.java b/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RestClient.java
index b2bd6030681..2d1c50af3cb 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RestClient.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/client/RestClient.java
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public final class RestClient implements Closeable {
             try {
                 httpResponse = client.execute(host, request);
             } catch(IOException e) {
-                RequestLogger.logFailedRequest(logger, "request failed", request, host, e);
+                RequestLogger.logFailedRequest(logger, request, host, e);
                 onFailure(host);
                 lastSeenException = addSuppressedException(lastSeenException, e);
                 continue;
@@ -168,11 +168,11 @@ public final class RestClient implements Closeable {
             Response response = new Response(request.getRequestLine(), host, httpResponse);
             int statusCode = response.getStatusLine().getStatusCode();
             if (statusCode < 300 || (request.getMethod().equals(HttpHead.METHOD_NAME) && statusCode == 404) ) {
-                RequestLogger.logResponse(logger, "request succeeded", request, host, httpResponse);
+                RequestLogger.logResponse(logger, request, host, httpResponse);
                 onSuccess(host);
                 return response;
             }
-            RequestLogger.logResponse(logger, "request failed", request, host, httpResponse);
+            RequestLogger.logResponse(logger, request, host, httpResponse);
             String responseBody;
             try {
                 if (response.getEntity() == null) {