X Trim Studios
Another day, another run. I decided to follow my usual route again, down the main road, and close to Swiss Cottage station. After a quick burst of running, I cooled down by walking along a side road, that I had almost missed, if not for a fascinating building I saw along the path. At first glance, the building seemed quite familiar, and I was not able to put my finger on where I had seen it before. The mystery gave me a bit of adrenaline, and I rushed towards the structure.
It was evident I had approached the building from the back, since I only saw large garbage cans, drainage pipes, and exhaust pipes. I looked to both my left and right, trying to figure out the best way to get a better look at the building, and hopefully, find its purpose, as well as unraveling the reason why it looked so familiar. I decided to take my chances with turning right, and I rounded the two corners, before I came face to face with a massive sign saying "X Trim Studios - 18+ Only".
"AH! A gym!", I thought to myself. But even as I tried to fit this jigsaw piece into the puzzle, I knew that it wasn't exactly the final part of the bigger picture. I still had a gnawing feeling that this building, and perhaps what was inside, was something I have been accustomed to seeing. But I still was not too sure what it was. So, seeing as I was 18, I decided to take my chance, and I walked inside.
The smell inside suffocated me instantaneously. I was a stranger to gyms (as anyone could tell looking at my physique), but I was able to handle the smell of sweat pretty well, since I myself profusely sweat whenever my heartbeat rises over 60 bpm. But this smell was a more primitive form of sweat. It was of a rawer kind, which one gets after a crazy night with their significant other (not that I would know, of course).
And it was this smell that allowed me to finally solve the mystery. It is often said that smell invokes the most powerful memories. For me, it invoked a memory of something I had not experienced, but I had seen countless times on the screen. X Trim Studios was not a gymnasium. Rather, it was an adult movie set. I was standing just inside the building when this realisation came to me, and I was thankful of it. With a quick turn around, I went out the way I entered, and ran back home, with a new purpose on mind.
It was evident I had approached the building from the back, since I only saw large garbage cans, drainage pipes, and exhaust pipes. I looked to both my left and right, trying to figure out the best way to get a better look at the building, and hopefully, find its purpose, as well as unraveling the reason why it looked so familiar. I decided to take my chances with turning right, and I rounded the two corners, before I came face to face with a massive sign saying "X Trim Studios - 18+ Only".
"AH! A gym!", I thought to myself. But even as I tried to fit this jigsaw piece into the puzzle, I knew that it wasn't exactly the final part of the bigger picture. I still had a gnawing feeling that this building, and perhaps what was inside, was something I have been accustomed to seeing. But I still was not too sure what it was. So, seeing as I was 18, I decided to take my chance, and I walked inside.
The smell inside suffocated me instantaneously. I was a stranger to gyms (as anyone could tell looking at my physique), but I was able to handle the smell of sweat pretty well, since I myself profusely sweat whenever my heartbeat rises over 60 bpm. But this smell was a more primitive form of sweat. It was of a rawer kind, which one gets after a crazy night with their significant other (not that I would know, of course).
And it was this smell that allowed me to finally solve the mystery. It is often said that smell invokes the most powerful memories. For me, it invoked a memory of something I had not experienced, but I had seen countless times on the screen. X Trim Studios was not a gymnasium. Rather, it was an adult movie set. I was standing just inside the building when this realisation came to me, and I was thankful of it. With a quick turn around, I went out the way I entered, and ran back home, with a new purpose on mind.
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