Lena & Quinn meet for a sauna
It was a quiet Wednesday morning in Fern River. A series of early spring thunderstorms had swept through, with the last blowing itself out overnight while the city slept. Morning sunshine drew a lush humidity up from the ground, and the day was shaping up to be unseasonably warm.
In the park opposite the Celandine, a lone jogger leaned against a date palm as he stretched. From the crown came a cacophony of birdsong as one group of parrots landed and another took flight. Swallows dove from the eaves of the hotel and returned with stems of grass for their nests. Up the street a woman swept the sidewalk around a patch of euphorbias she had planted a few years ago after prying up a square of cobblestones. Next door a few people stood outside Oso’s waiting to buy bread. Van’s laugh echoed off the buildings as he leaned out the Dutch door. Lena pedaled up the middle of the street and waved as she passed.
“Hey there handsome!”
Over the hill at the Wellness Center, a small group practiced qigong out front in the shade of a eucalyptus. Quinn sat on a low brick wall nearby writing in a notebook. She wore thin, flowy cotton pants and a down jacket over a low scoop-neck top. Her dark hair was tied up in a messy bun, with a strand trailing down her neck as she wrote. Sunlight came through the leaves and the smell of eucalyptus infused the air.
Lena rolled up and leaned her bike against the wall. The two women hugged and walked to the entrance.
“You look cute today, honey. That top is fabulous on you.”
The young man at the front desk, who was in the middle of his second week on the job, greeted them. Lena showed her membership card.
“You’re the first people in the spa today, so you have the place to yourselves,” he said, smiling at Quinn. “You’re Nora’s sister, right?”
“I am,” Quinn said, returning the smile. He was cute.
“I take it you two know your way around. Enjoy your soak.”
Lena led the way past the desk and through the waiting room beyond, with its big windows looking out to the enclosed patio and the soaking tub, which was glassy in the morning calm. A few people sat waiting for appointments, looking out the window at a hummingbird visiting a cluster of bright orange crane flowers. The two women slipped into the changing room.
“The new kid is cute,” Lena said, winking at Quinn.
She laughed. “I’m not on the prowl at the moment, but yes, cute.”
Lena shrugged off her denim jacket and unbuttoned her sage green poplin shirt, which she folded and tucked in a cubby. She was braless as usual, and Quinn admired the woman’s remarkably youthful breasts. She pulled her own shirt over her head and wriggled out of the long sleeves, then the snug bralette she wore underneath. She felt the familiar tingle of thrill at being topless with another woman. It felt warm and comfortable, and in a hard-to-explain way, just right. Lena took her towel and walked through to the showers. Nora turned to look at her reflection in the full-length mirror opposite the cubbies, enjoying the silhouette of her high-waisted pants with their wide billowing legs contrasted with her toplessness. She finished undressing and left for the showers herself.
The two women showered side by side as they quietly caught up on the previous week. Warm water rinsed the lather of soap off their bodies, filling the locker room with the scent of lavender and eucalyptus.
“Sauna first?” Lena asked as she swung the door open to the patio. A burst of cool air greeted their bare skin.
In the sauna, Quinn spread her towel on the upper bench and lay back with her eyes closed. “Mmm, I needed this today Lena, thanks for making it happen.”
Lena sat beside Quinn’s feet and leaned over to pour a ladle of water from a wooden pail onto the hot rocks. A cloud of steam filled the small room.
Back at the front desk, the young man glanced up from his work periodically toward the window looking out on the soaking tub. A few people continued to wait for appointments.
“I’m about ready for a soak,” said Quinn, sitting up on the bench and fixing her bun.
“I’ll join you in just a minute,” said Lena, legs crossed and eyes closed, perspiration beginning to form on her chest and shoulders.
Quinn left her towel behind and stepped out into the cool open air. The sun had risen over the wall of the courtyard and shone on the orange flowers in front of the big window. In the glare, all she could see was a reflection of the garden. She stretched her arms and took a slow, deep breath, enjoying the cool air on her hot skin.
The young man glanced back to the window. There she was, the cute girl who had come in with her older friend. She stood completely naked just outside the sauna stretching her arms above her head, skin glowing with perspiration. He had seen her before around town with her sister, an old classmate of his, but never expected to see her naked on a Wednesday morning at work. As she moved to another standing stretch, he admired her body. Bare feet damp on the stone floor with toenails painted tangerine. Strong legs, thick thighs, beautifully curvy hips, a neat patch of pubic hair. Smooth curve of belly, softly slouched breasts capped with rose nipples. As she walked around the soaking tub to the steps, he saw her round butt jiggling with each step. She lowered herself down into the water and leaned back, facing the sauna. The young man was smitten. He noticed a woman in the waiting room look back down to her magazine.
Lena came out of the sauna a few minutes later and doused herself under the cold shower next to the door. She gracefully rounded the tub behind Quinn and waved toward the window with a knowing smile. The young man’s heart skipped a beat as he snapped back to work.
“It’s so nice having the place to ourselves,” Quinn said, raising her torso out of the water to rest her elbows on the coping. Water dripped from her breasts, and she got the familiar tingle of thrill when she saw Lena glance down at them.
“Isn’t it? I mean, I don’t mind the people-watching when it’s busy, but it’s nice just being here with you.”
Quinn smiled. She knew her friend enjoyed seeing naked bodies of all types. Lena would lean over to comment on them, respectfully, when they came to soak together on busy evenings. More than seeing other bodies, Quinn loved the feeling of hers being seen. The feeling of hanging her towel on a hook and walking across the patio without anything to cover her complete nudity. It was vulnerable and a little scary, but infused with that deep feeling of rightness. This was her, unadorned and unobstructed, free of the fussiness of style. Just a person in the company of other beautifully naked people — or as was the case today, the company of her beautifully naked friend.
“Well honey, I hate for this to be rushed, but I have to meet Carlos at 10. You’re more than welcome to stay for another round in the sauna.”
“I’ll come shower with you. I should stop by the co-op before my first client.”
The women stood and climbed out of the tub, streaming water onto the stone floor. Quinn grabbed their towels from the sauna and led the way into the locker room.
They showered together side by side, talking and laughing as they washed the saltwater from the tub off their bodies, filling the space again with the fresh scent of the soap. In the dressing room, Quinn dried herself and tossed her towel in the hamper, turning to sort out her clothes in the cubby. As she pulled the sleeves of her top right side out, she watched Lena step into her faded jeans and pull her shirt over her shoulders. When she had it buttoned up, Quinn secretly thrilled at still being entirely naked. She could feel the air against her skin as Lena moved, and she looked down to see that her nipples had stiffened — partly due to the air, but partly the excitement too. Lena watched as she pulled on her underwear and buttoned her pants. Still topless, Quinn retrieved her bralette from the cubby and pulled it over her head.
“That’s cute,” said Lena, admiring the bralette, and politely leaving Quinn’s nipples, which poked conspicuously through the cloth, unmentioned. “When I was a young woman I’d wear something like that around and call it a tank top.”
Quinn giggled. “I’m sure no one complained.” She reluctantly pulled her shirt on and checked herself in the mirror. Her nipples were still rather conspicuous. The thrill of spending the morning naked with Lena wouldn’t wear off until much later in the day. She pulled on her jacket and followed Lena out into the waiting room, where a woman reading in front of the window smiled as they passed.
“I hope you enjoyed your soak, ladies,” the young man at the desk said, catching Quinn’s eye as he set aside a folder of papers.
“Lovely as always,” Lena said. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back.”
Outside the Wellness Center, the two friends hugged and Lena rode off toward the river. Quinn sat back on the low wall under the eucalyptus and checked her appointment book. Another two hours before she saw her first client — plenty of time to duck home for a few minutes. As she stood and started walking, she felt the smooth nylon of her jacket rub deliciously against her nipples poking through the thin cotton. A tingle ran down through her, and she couldn’t wait to get home.