Page 56 of Ahelno
“Now, which spa would be the best for humans?” Leo asked.
“Come, the one on the east side of town is closest to the spaceport and is most used to offworlder clientele.”
“Excellent!” Leo said. “Let’s go!”
It was a short walk to the spa. At first, I was walking on the outer edge of the sidewalk, but Dakleth and Leo quickly flanked me and tucked me between them as a Ptexari male approached. Dakleth’s crest rose, and he rattled his wings as he hissed at the newcomer, who slunk back to the other side of the road.
“Impressive,” Leo said.
“Yes,” Dakleth replied smugly.
I rolled my eyes.
In short order, we made it to the spa. “Your Highness!” the shop owner greeted us with delight. “And the famous Lumanelas! Greetings and blessings upon your houses. You honor me with your presence,” she exclaimed.
Leo grinned broadly at the proprietress. “We were wondering what types of services you offered,” he inquired.
“Of course!” she said. “You can scan your wrist here for a full menu of options. The bathing pool and massage roomsare our most popular options. And we have experienced hair cutters as well!”
That was a surprise. The Ptexari didn’t have hair, of course, so I didn’t expect to find anyone who could cut hair here. I trimmed my ends on occasion, but I did a pretty crappy job. It would be nice to have a real haircut. I saw that they even had hair removal services available. Hell, yes! I was starting to look like a yeti in certain places.
We each booked our services, and an attendant took us back to our respective service rooms. I wanted the hair removal first. I went into the room, and a Ptexari woman greeted me and instructed me to remove my clothes and lie down on the table.
“Which hair do you wish to remove?” she asked.
I pointed out my underarms, leg hair, and bikini area. She got to work with a handheld machine. I asked how it worked, and then felt a jolt as she zapped my underarm. This was not the waxing I expected. “What was that?” I asked.
“It is the laser. It permanently removes the hair, but it can be a bit jarring. Lie still, please,” she said matter-of-factly as she did another section.
Permanent removal? This was golden. In about half an hour, she had completed the areas I asked, and even removed a few nipple hairs and hair under my navel. Worth. Every. Penny.
She invited me to rinse off and enjoy the baths before my massage and haircut. I asked for my clothes back, and she blinked. “Clients generally enter the baths nude,” she said.
“Is it females only?” I asked.
“No, but this is commonplace here,” she replied. Hell no, I was not getting into a pool naked with a bunch of men. Ihad enough trouble keeping them from harassing me on the street when I was fully clothed. “I think I’ll skip the pool,” I said.
“Your companions are the only other clients here at this time, if you would like to change your mind,” she said.
“Thank you, but human females do not bathe nude with males,” I said.
She looked at my body. “You are a very attractive female, and your body is very different. Ptexari males and females look the same except for the genitalia, which are generally kept sheathed, so mixed bathing is not an issue for us. We could probably manufacture a garment for you from the replicator if you wait a few moments.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
She left me in the room to myself, no robe or anything. Wow, people really just walked around naked here? I wasn’t ashamed of my body. I was a dancer in great shape, and I had to change costumes in front of males all the time in shows behind the stage. I wore leotards for ballet and theater shows, but something about parading naked in front of Leo and Dakleth just didn’t sit well with me.
The attendant came back with, I swear to God, a black bandeau bikini. “This is the most common female swimming costume for females with mammaries, according to our replicator database,” she said.
Well, that was a surprise. I would have preferred something with straps, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Thank you, this is perfect,” I said as I slipped it on.
I followed her to the pools and saw Dakleth and Leo already inside. As I climbed in, I realized both were naked. “What are you wearing?” Dakleth asked.
“It’s a swimsuit. Not appropriate for me to walk around naked,” I said.
Leo guffawed. “I never even thought to ask. They said I had to come in naked, and I just shrugged and said ‘ok’.”
“Such a guy answer.” I laughed. I sat down fully on the bench, and the water came up to my chin. “Oh my God, this feels amazing,” I said. The water was so warm. Not quite as warm as a hot tub, but pretty close.
