The narrator and his friends are on a business trip to a hot spring resort, and the narrator is excited to be going. He tells his friend that he has been working at an inn for ten years, and he was able to save money by going there. The narrator says that the inn is "kind of a well--kept secret hot spring" . The men are led into the front room, and women are led back into the back room. He is worried that they are staying in a creepy inn, but he says that he is fine. He wants to go for a bath, but the hallway is dark and the water is too hot. He asks the waiter to wash his back for him. The waiter says he is going to wash the men's back for them, and they are grateful. They eat dinner, and then they go to the bathroom.