After a mad day at work, my only wish was to sit on my sofa in front of the screen with a warm cup of coffee.
I turned my head to the right - no cafes, no open places. To the other side, nothing but darkness and shut, silent windows and doors.
It was too late for the grocery store. There was no coffee at home. I started walking, wandering through the evening streets, gazing, craving.
Then I saw it. A spark of hope on the other side of the street. It's a cafe. Coming closer, touching the door handle, the place is closed. Another illusion and no coffee. But I became curious.
Peeking inside wasn't easy since the windows weren't transparent. From what I managed to see; this place was worth visiting.
Beautiful special wood bar, friendly vintage chairs, I wonder what they serve here. I should come back earlier tomorrow and have some nice breakfast. Sounds like an excellent plan for a day-off. The evening ended with a cold beer from my fridge.
I returned in the morning and was surprised. Oh, my lord, I recognize that smell, It’s a dental clinic! Not a restaurant, nor a cafe, not even a bakery. What was I thinking?
I've already opened the front door, my eyes met with those of the lady at the reception. It’s too late to run away.
“Umm... I'm sorry... I wanted to schedule an appointment with the dentist, please? Sometimes, I feel this numb in my gums, you know? Especially after cold beer, like yesterday”... I stepped into the snug waiting room.
Black air ducts attached to the ceiling, wood and iron armchairs. Kind of an industrial style, I think. “Nice, isn't it?” A calm, welcoming woman's voice greeted me. “Please, take a seat. Would you like some coffee?”
This place is incredible!
“Thank you. I was just passing by, and I saw from the outside the beautiful interior...”
“And you thought it was a restaurant... You are not the first one to mistake it for a restaurant or a cafe. It's this design that makes people feel that way…”
The receptionist was calm and friendly. At least I wasn't the only weirdo to take this place for a cafe.
“We tried to create a relaxing atmosphere to reduce our patients' anxiety when coming to the dentist. Do you want me to show you around?” I was curious; the dental lady was charming. I desperately needed coffee. I was trapped.
“In the beginning, the whole clinic consisted of only one patient room, and now we have three. There was an apartment adjacent to the clinic, so we used it to create more working space.” She was proudly revealing the renovation process as we walked on.
“See this brick wall? There’s a little secret here. It's not real bricks, but rather wallpaper. We also have it in the treatment rooms. It generates the feeling of street art, something informal, less threatening” ...
“You're lucky, this treatment room is not occupied at the moment. Take a look at it”. We entered and I got hit by that smell again... But the chairs, these stereotypically spine-chilling chairs that make you want to die, here they were... a beautiful green! Not hospital white, not horrifying black. Light green, as a running shirt, green as... Dutch grass.
Refreshing graffiti on the patient-facing wall, what a eureka! “It's a wallpaper, too,” the dental lady clarified. “Industrial style”, I added.
“And our uniform is green, too, to suit the design. Lovely, isn't it?” I hadn’t noticed that her shirt was actually a part of her working attire.
We got back to the reception. My coffee, finally, was waiting on the desk. Despite being produced in a dental clinic, it was great.
“I would like to schedule an immediate appointment, please. I think I need a root canal treatment”, I exclaimed. “It cannot be postponed” I said laughing.
“Sure”, she smiled softly with perfect teeth. “Let me check this out on our agenda. Take a seat, I'll be right back with you”.
Not bad for a day off. I took another sip of my coffee. Judging by the high level of the design here, I can only assume the treatment's degree is the same. I was lucky to seek coffee yesterday, ending with a scheduled dentist appointment in this beautiful relaxed clinic.