Emily lives in the old centre, close to the canal piers where the tour boats tie up. She has noticed that a day on the water tires people in an odd way: they come back cold, stiff from sitting and restless all at once. Nuru is the format she enjoys most, and she brings what it needs herself so the room asks for no preparation. Romanian and English are her working languages. At twenty-five she is composed, warm once the ice breaks, and exact about her limits. If the boat comes back later than planned, write in the thread before she sets out and ask whether the hour can move back on the same evening. The gel is warmed in hot water and spread slowly, and at the end she shows you how to rinse it off in the shower without fuss. Ninety minutes leaves the session itself unhurried once the set-up is counted.

Emily decides which bookings she takes and may decline any of them; she sets the limits for what a session includes, says what they are, and may end a visit at any point, as the terms set out.