Derrick looked over the papers, then wrinkled his nose and just signed the last page. Nobody read this stuff anyway. He found a locker room and stripped, slipping on the silk robe. It felt amazing, though he was a little self-conscious about being naked underneath. He was just fastening the robe when another boy about his age came in, wearing a similar robe. The kid was sorta homely, coarse-featured with a lower face that protruded out and teeth that looked too big. He was freckled, and had moderate acne. The boy also had pale blue eyes that were large and oddly unfocused looking - Derrick had the impression he was not too smart.
The newcomer grinned. "Hi! I'm Randy. Gonna get a facial, too?"
Derrick nodded. "Uh, yeah. Guess it must be popular."
Randy nodded enthusiastically. "It must be special! I was supposed to get a sports massage, but the girl just came over and told me to get a facial first. Said I needed it way more than the sports massage."
Geeze, that was insulting of the girl, even if it was true. Not that clearing up the acne would help all that much. Derrick shrugged and headed out to the spa area. There were two lounge chairs close together, though he thought there had been only one before. A table behind the chairs held a bin of steaming towels, bowls of ointments and creams, leaves, and other items. There was also a pair of what looked to be solid gold masks, identical and smooth, with just the basic features.
A young woman entered and told them to be seated. Derrick found that the chair was very comfortable and lay back. Almost immediately she began wrapping his head in hot towels. The damp heat was startling at first, but then relaxing. Randy gasped as he got the same treatment. The towels were replaced several times as they cooled, and Derrick started to get a little sleepy.
"I am going to apply special herbs and salves now. They are very mild and will not burn your eyes. Please do not wipe it away - your vision may blur, but it will not hurt and is very important to the process."
Derrick was not happy about getting anything in his eyes, but he did not want to sound like a wimp. As it turned out, the salves were warm and felt good, and though he was startled when she smeared some over his eyes and he had to blink rapidly to see anything at all, he found that there was no irritation. After covering his face with salve, she pressed leaves over his skin. There was a short wait while he assumed she repeated the process on Randy. He was surprised that the salve seemed to get warmer, rather than cooling.
"Now I will use the masks to draw forth your faces. You will feel heat. Do not be alarmed."
Derrick was puzzled by the use of the masks, but reasoned that the metal somehow sealed in steam or something. He blinked, vision still blurred as she lowered the mask over his face and pressed it lightly. He gasped as the metal seemed to suck up against his face! For a second or two, it felt like the metal had flowed into his mouth and nose and around his ears, and the heat was suddenly very intense. He jerked his hands up to pull the mask away, but the woman beat him to it. "Please, be still." He felt the mask pull away with a hard suction. Beside him, Randy gasps and shouted something muffled by the mask, but the woman admonished him as well, and Derrick heard another sucking sound. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, resisting the urge to feel his skin. The woman held up the mask for him to see. Derrick stared in amazement. Somehow, the mask had assumed his features! It looked like his face exactly, down tot he last details, eyes opened and lips parted to reveal teeth. No wonder it had pulled so hard! But how...?
"One last step." She showed him another mask, obviously Randy's. The coarse features and event he acne were exactly duplicated on the mask. Then she turned it so it faced out and pressed it over Derrick's face! He gasped and sat up as heat flashed through his head, the mask sucked tight against his face again. It not only flowed into his mouth, but seemed to yank at his teeth, his jaw, his skull. He was dimly aware of Randy crying out next to him. Derrick grabbed at the mask, tugging frantically. After just a moment, it came free and he gasped in a breath. He turned in time to see Randy yank the mask that had Derrick's face on it free. Derrick blinked, his vision still a little blurred, but clearing rapidly. Then his eyes widened. Randy's face matched the mask - he looked just like Derrick!
But then he turned the mask in his hands over and saw the homely face that had been Randy's. He reached up with one hand and felt the protruding face, the big teeth, and the jutting brow.
"Excellent!" The woman handed each of them a mirror. Derrick grabbed his and stared at Randy's face, complete tot he expressionless, dull blue eyes and acne. The woman tousled his hair. "It will take a few more minutes for details to settle in, like hair and voice, and maybe an hour for intelligence to adjust. But you can both go on your way. The changes are permanent, of course."
"Now, one last step. I am switching the masks