Naked Men and Helen Hunt

I took a break from setting up the house and went to the local spa called Ten Thousand Waves, a gem of serenity, hot tubs, massages and an authentic Japanese koi pond. Upon arrival you are given a kimono, flip flops, an unlimited supply of towels and are told which pools require bathing suits and which ones are bathing-suit optional.

I put on my suit and decided to try the communal (coed) pool first. Who knows, maybe I would meet someone? As I slipped into the hot water I made eye contact with a man in the pool. Then I looked a little lower and saw that he wasn’t wearing a bathing suit. In fact, I was the only woman in the area and all the men were naked. Another man was sunbathing on a lounge chair wrapped in a towel. I knew what was under that towel, and it wasn’t a bathing suit! I felt like I had walked into the men’s restroom at a baseball game. As I was contemplating where to look and how to make a fast exit, another uninhibited man who must not have looked in the mirror lately slipped into the water. My desire to get out of there was more pressing than my need to be cool, so out I went.

I decided to try the women’s pool next. There was one other woman in there intently reading a book. I couldn’t help but notice that she looked exactly like Helen Hunt. I’m usually not good at identifying celebrities, but she has a distinctive look, and I was sure that it was her. She never looked up from her book or I would have said hi. As I was taking a peek out of the corner of my eye, there was an announcement, “Helen, your massage is in five minutes.” She got out of the pool and left. Aha, I was right! At that point, the pool became more crowded with naked women, and in the spirit of living out west, I took off my suit and flung it on the side of the pool. It was very freeing, and no one cared! After a massage and sauna to sweat out toxins, I had a exquisite dinner of Japanese tapas, and drove home amidst lightening in the black summer sky. What a day! Couldn’t wait to tell you about it.