This story is part of our 'Funny Spa Stories' series, featuring tales from luxury hotel guests which were sent in for our travel writing competition.
Photo by Swami Stream.
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Some years ago, I travelled on business to a small town in India. The hotel was quaint, but in the mid-budget range so I didn’t expect many luxuries to be on offer. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the hotel had an outdoor swimming pool and even offered spa services. As I had a couple of hours spare before dinner, I decided to pamper myself with a spa treatment.
The pool attendant offered me some fresh towels and directed me to a changing room nearby. In his half-English, he gestured to a nearby door indicating that I would find the steam, sauna and spa there.
As a single female traveller, I am always a little cautious so I decided to check it out first before I disrobed. On opening the door, I was taken aback to find myself in the gym. A couple of interested chaps stopped their exercises to see what I was doing there. I quickly stepped through the door on the other side of the room and found myself outside the sauna room.
I peered through the door, and to my horror, found that the small room was filled with five men in their towels. When I enquired with a passing staff member, he told me that a “women’s only” session was reserved for the morning, but that I could use it now if I wanted to. I quickly ran back to my room, thanking my lucky stars that I hadn’t decided to change into my towel before I went on my spa seeking journey. If I had, I’m sure that the conservative little town would have had something to talk about for years to come.
