Mud Baths

The mud baths are the central area for lizardfolk gossip and relaxation.

Overview

The mud pits have five rooms and are laid out in a deliberate order: welcome room, mud room, rinse/trim room, exfoliation room, hot rock room, and the steak room, which connects back to the welcome room. The rooms both individually and collectively form an egg shape. Everything in the room brings attention back to the crocodile deity Semuanya and the egg cycle. Carved out mud murals line the wall, depicting Semuanya in various positions of preening, and self-care. Each room has a statue of Semuanya in her traditional pose where candles and offerings are made.

Use

Lizardfolk tend to visit the mud pits at least once a month, as the process helps with molting skin, heat regulation, and basic hygiene. Lizardfolk who do not stay on top of this care leave scratch marks behind on buildings, drop molting skin flecks while they are walking, and can start developing a musty stale smell. These individuals are bluntly told by those around them to go soak mud.

Process

Visitors undress themselves before progressing to cleaner and cleaner rooms. Each visitor has one lizardfolk that is responsible for them in each room. For an extra fee you can have the same lizardfolk follow you through the entire process. Lizardfolk place little importance on gender relations and will pair a visitor with the next available worker, regardless of gender. Requesting someone else is to cast suspicion and doubt on the ability of the lizardfolk you are assigned.
In the first room, the exfoliating mud room, lizardfolk lay down in an individual muddy wallow pit to hydrate and begin the relaxing thermoregulation process. There are 12 wallow pits in the room. After spending 30 minutes in the wallow, patrons are lead to the next room - the rinse pits. Here patrons lounge in a pit of clear water while their escort sharpens and trips their nails, cleans their teeth, and removes any loose or damaged scales. Once finished, the escort releases exfoliating fish that munch on the patrons molting skin fragments loosened by the previous two rooms.
The patron is lead to a room filled with large heated stones. Here they are encouraged to relax and meditate upon the blessings of Semuanya. The heated rocks raise the body temperature of the lizardfolk, allowing them to reach a state of nirvana. This raised temperature can be dangerous for long periods, so it is the escorts duty to carefully monitor their patron during this time. After a brief transition period, the patrons are lead to the final room where they receive a pound of dried jerky, meat type unidentified. This jumpstarts the patron's metabolism, which typically slows down in response to the body temperature changes. Each patron has their own built-in alcove along the wall where they can eat without being surrounded by other patrons. When they have finished eating, the patrons make their way back to the entrance area where they grab their things and leave an offering at Semuanya's statue before leaving.

Type

Bathhouse