I saw an article on Summer Lake Hot Springs where it described the healing waters as magical, so I booked a weekend getaway with my wife. After arriving, I noticed the sign which stated that clothing was optional. The rather attractive young lady checking us in said most people during the day wear their bathing suits, but at night most bathers don’t.
Knowing when to shut up is the key to a happy marriage
I probably would have had a great romantic weekend with my wife, if I had not asked the hostess “do you ever go in at night? I thought it was an innocent enough question but I immediately felt the sharp pain of an elbow in my side. After an hour of silence and having to unload the car myself my wife finally started talking to me again. It wasn’t like, honey I love you thanks for taking me on the trip, it was more like I’m stuck with you for the weekend don’t piss me off again. From a guy’s perspective I called that progress! So we decided it was time to head down for a soak in the springs.
The sign saying clothing optional was no joke
The bathing area was a large community pool located in the bath house. We saw about 15 people without clothes, there were people of every age, sex and size. It was literally no big deal at all for anyone we saw coming and going but I found it awkward. Not wanting to be the odd ones we found a changing room and proceeded to change out of our suits. But after disrobing, I looked at myself in front of a full size mirror and I had some concerns. My wife somehow managed to keep her gorgeous features, but I think I lost mine when my main diet returned to pizza and nachos about 10 years ago. I stood for a minute looking in the mirror in disbelief at how I had totally let myself go. Taking an even closer look by turning sideways didn’t help my confidence either. I gazed over at my wife and I noticed she was watching me as I pranced around, moving back and forth looking intently in the mirror. I was confident if I could just hold my breath and suck it in long enough I could make this work!
I hate it when reality sinks in
I then turned to ask my wife if we were really going to go “all natural” and I noticed she was already undressed wrapped in a towel and ready to head out to the hot springs. I looked in the mirror one last time and revisited my concerns silently in my mind, my wife didn’t say a thing, but she did laugh a little when our eyes met. I said, “Instead of laughing, how about giving me a few words of encouragement?” She turned to me and said, “Well at least we all know your eyesight is still perfect!” Considering the mood I’d put her in when we first arrived and what she could have said at that moment, I considered myself lucky and just quietly slipped into the pool.
Greg Rosen is a Father, Husband, Realtor and humorist writer for several major newspapers. Questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].