Wow, what a pleasant surprise.

The Glendale Hilton has an acceptable outdoor pool, work out center, and a real sauna.  Quite a pleasant surprise to stumble upon a sauna in Los Angeles.   The sauna is electric, of course, and has a few token rocks tossed upon the electric coils, but there is a unique treat to this sauna.

As I sat quietly and presumably alone for my first round, I started hearing a curious chirping noise.  I thought maybe my weight on the sauna bench had created some sort of weird electrical squeak, so I moved a bit.  The noise stopped, then resumed a minute or so later.  Sure enough, a cricket had worked its way into the sauna and most likely realized that this climate is worth staying around.

The soft chirping noise was anything but an annoyance.  As I closed my eyes and relaxed further, I was treated to an authentic audible slice of nature.  Dreaming of being at my cabin by the lake or perhaps in a steamy jungle in the Philippines.

Thank you Mr. Cricket for an unexpected assistance to my sauna escape.