A long, hot bath is the prefect antidote to the strains and stresses of the office.
It's an opportunity to unwind, lying horizontal in a steaming tub, daydreaming of fame, fortune and, well, at least a pay rise from your boss.
But what if the tub is pint-sized and you can barely get an ankle wet? So long, fantasy.
Unless you head for the hills of Taipei, where giant-sized hot spring pools and baths offer picturesque surroundings of serene mountains and lush, green scenery.
There you can daydream without fear of the water going cold. The health-giving sulfurous waters in Taipei's suburban spas offering toasty, year-round 20?C temperatures are best, and the most enjoyable places to chill or warm, out.
Nestled in the hills on the outskirts of the capital and often cloaked in mist, the sulfurous springs of Beitou can be easily reached by car or train.
But Taiwanese and overseas visitors have been relative newcomers to the hot spring craze.
While the Japanese have long extolled the pleasures of soaking naked in piping hot natural spring water with friends, its appreciation and popularity in Taiwan was until recently restricted to Japanese tourists and elderly pensioners who needed to soothe arthritis.
Now an admiration for all things Japanese and a direct subway train link to the Xin Beitou station, near the hot spring resorts, have sparked a renaissance for the 100-year-old hot springs industry in Beitou.
"Hot spring hopping" has become a trendy diversion for Taiwanese 20-somethings and families seeking group activity.
These developments have been a boon for Beitou, which was known for its dilapidated spas with hokey decor.
Now, a brand new resort industry has sprung up virtually overnight to replace the old one, thanks to a government development initiative.
Facilities today feature modern architecture, 24-hour spa and gourmet food service, pristine private marble tubs and grotto-like communal baths.
All this at prices much lower than those found anywhere in Japan or Europe.
The Japanese first popularized hot springs in the area in 1896, soon after establishing colonial rule over Taiwan.
Beitou was chosen as it is the seat of intense geothermal activity: it is the terminus of a 24km-long, 3km-wide fault line that runs to the ocean.
Hundreds of hot springs bubbling along the fault are the result of underground volcanic activity that heats and pressurizes groundwater, which later comes into contact with minerals.
Enthusiasts say that the mineral content of the water, some of which is said to be mildly radioactive, although not enough to turn you a glowing green, has medicinal powers that can treat anything from rheumatism and acne to dermatitis.
While its therapeutic effects are debatable, its relaxing qualities are not.
Nothing beats ending a long day sampling the overly stimulating amusements of Taipei with a soak in a steamy, bubbling pool.
Beitou's hot springs are unique as they are the only truly sulfurous ones in the country -- better known as the stinky ones. It's an unmistakable rotten egg smell that can be slightly offputting at first.
But after that, just about everyone adjusts to it.
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