When Matthew gave her the gift certificate, Jan looked at it with skepticism. A day at the spa? It was something she would just never do, something too "Yuppy" for her. But Matthew insisted that she would love it, and he wanted her to use it. He had even set up the appointment for Monday, her day off.
Jan spent most of the morning doing her errands, all the things she didn't have time to do during the work week. Then she went into their bedroom, arranging her pillow nest and pulling up the quilt, settling down to nap. She reached for Matthew's pillow, holding it against her body, his scent floating around her, and fell asleep.
She woke with a start. It took her a minute to remember what day it was, what time it was. She then remembered the damn appointment at the spa and thought about cancelling. But it was only a few hours away and she feared that Matthew would lose all the money he had paid. Then she thought how happy he was to have given her this gift, and she decided to suffer through it. She supposed there was something worse than being pampered for hours by someone being paid to be nice to you.
She showered quickly, trying to wake up. She wasn't sure of the etiquette of massage parlors, but felt it would not be necessary to be well-dressed for the appointment. She dressed in lacy red panties and a matching bra, then a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and denim shorts. She slipped into her beloved flip flops and pulled her hair into a pony tail. Grabbing her gift certificate, she headed out the door.
Her certificate was for a facial, plus a hand and foot massage, complete with hot paraffin soaks. Arriving at the establishment, it was just as she expected. New Age music filled the air, the strong scent of incense was heady. She expected a character with long, flowing robes to approach her as she stood in the lobby. A water fountain trickled in the corner, the lighting was dim, the mood hushed. She took a seat on the bamboo furniture and waited to be greeted. When the office door swung open, she was surprised to see a tiny blond woman coming toward her. Nothing ethereal about her. She was pretty, maybe in her early thirties, and very energetic. She wore the smallest of shorts, just barely covering her butt cheeks and a tight, tiny shirt. Her nipples poked against the fabric, Jan was sure that she wasn't wearing a bra. Her long pony tail bobbed as she talked, waving her tanned fingers as she explained the afternoon schedule to Jan. She then led Jan to a room, and told her to remove her outer clothing, leaving on her undies, just lowering the bra straps. The massage table was covered with a crisp white sheet. There was a large pillow roll under the sheet near the base and another white sheet was folded across the bottom of the table. Jan was instructed to get comfortable, bringing the pillow roll beneath her knees and cover up to her chest with the extra sheet.
Harp music was being piped into the room, relaxing Jan. She stripped to her red lingerie and climbed onto the table, getting situated as instructed. There was a small, perfect pillow for her head and she felt totally cradled in softness. The door opened and Roxanne, the therapist, entered. Immediately, she began working on Jan's face. She spread one liquid after another, softly massaging her skin. Roxanne's fingers flew over her cheeks and chin, her eyes and forehead. She had the lightest touch, yet Jan felt her skin tingle from the invigorating massage. The scents mingled in her nostrils, sweet, tart, tangy. She could feel coolness, then heat, then tingling peppermint. All the while, those fingers moved with precision and skill. Jan was nearly asleep, in that middle place where her mind just ran free. She imagined those fingers touching her forever, touching her intimately. She could feel her inner pink throbbing at the sensations. She found herself imagining the little blond woman touching her nipples, her tummy, her damp pussy. She imagined those flying fingers on her nipples, teasing them into hardness, making them ache. Or those fingers dancing on her clit, which was beginning to throb. Hmmmm, she was truly enjoying this part of the massage. Maybe Yuppies knew what they were doing!
Finally, she felt the fingers slowing. Roxanne was explaining that this was the final step as she applied a mask to Jan's face. The pack was heavy, musky-smelling. She could feel it tightening on her face almost immediately. Then Roxanne placed icy cold packs on Jan's eyes. They were so incredibly cold that Jan considered asking her to remove them, sure that the cold was too intense. She wrapped Jan's face in a warm towel, patting it in place. Jan felt the eye packs lose some of the iciness and began to enjoy the sensations passing through her. Cold, hot, heavy, light, and always, darkness. So incredibly dark. Jan felt herself sinking into the sensuous world of sensation, where there is no sight, just enjoyment.
Roxanne whispered that she would be right back and Jan heard the heavy door open and close. She felt herself drifting off, lulled by the music and the soft aroma of the facial mask. Hearing the door open again, she was disappointed. She was so afraid that the massage was over and she would have to move to the next phase. She waited for Roxanne to say something, to tell her what to expect next, but no one spoke.
Instead, she felt the sheet being lowered to her waist. Her pretty, lacy bra fastened with two clasps between her breasts. She felt fingers there, unhooking her bra and pulling it apart. It fell from her body, and the fragrant air was nearly tangible on her skin. The flying fingers began to massage her breasts. Starting at the outer edges, she felt the lotion being stroked into her skin, quickly and lightly. Her nipples began to ache, hardening and tightening, longing to be touched. But the fingers did not touch them. They massaged and stroked and painted all the rest of her full breasts, deliberately avoiding the tight brown crowns.
