Belle

It has been one of those weeks where everything seems to go just wrong. Colleagues falling ill at the most inopportune times, saddling you with more work, unreasonable customers, a veritable menagerie of small, niggling annoyances that mount and mount until they become unbearable, on top of everything else you shoulder every day. And now that Friday is finally through, you feel thoroughly drained, barely looking forward to the weekend, which you might well just sleep away entirely in your current state.

Enough is enough. You decided it's high time for a visit at the Ruby Oasis Spa & Bath, the small, specialized spa just a short drive out of town, nestled away in its own private pocket of nature. You scrolled through their current offers with leaden eyes, your gaze stopping at something called the 'Close Cuddly Comfort' course. The whimsical name is nothing new to you, apparently the spa's hallmark, but it sounded like just the thing you need, and so you booked the seemingly open-ended course. Well, why not, you could surely do with some thorough pampering.

And so you make your way through the small park surrounding the spa, along the winding gravel pathway, past the murmuring brook and small pond with its flock of ducks splashing around in the clear waters, to the entrance of the squat, rustic building. You open the heavy wooden door, and immediately the soothing aroma of scented oils, and the warmth of the nearby hot spring wash over you as you step into the small lobby, promising exactly the kind of relaxation you desperately need.