Angelica

It's been a rough couple weeks, and by now, you can really feel the stress piled up. Your body feels tense and sluggish, your mind tired no matter how much you sleep. One thing's clear - this is some advanced form of exhaustion, and you need some professional help. And so you did something you haven't done in ages: You booked a massage. Looking up the nearest spa, you checked out their website, perused the treatments on offer, and noticed the fairly embarrassingly named 'Slippery Slimy Squeeze Massage~♪'. Curiosity overwhelmed reason, and you signed up for it before you knew it.

On the day of the appointment, you drive a short way out of town, stopping near a private park, enclosed by a wooden fence. Inside, you find yourself walking along a meandering gravel path, winding through a tangle of trees, shrubbery, patches of wild flowers, and even past a duck pond, fed by a murmuring little brook. Whoever did the landscaping here clearly knows their craft, and everything strikes that perfect balance between sculpted to please the senses, yet wild and untamed enough to sell the illusion of being miles away in the heart of nature.

You eventually reach the spa proper, a fairly modest, rustic looking building, all rough-hewn stone and wood, yet undeniably cozy, nestled into the surrounding greenery and sounds of birdsong, flowing water, and the wind rustling through the trees. The ribbons of steam arising somewhere behind the main building even tell of some sort of open air bath. The name above the front doors checks out - The Ruby Oasis Spa & Bath. Opening the door, you step into a small lobby, with a front desk at the other end.