Ode to a Female Bathroom Valet

I'm from a small town in South Dakota you've probably never of. On my twentieth wedding anniversary, my darling husband, Jack, surprised me with a weekend in Vegas. Now, let me tell you, this was a big deal for me. I've lived in Armor, SD, population 782, my entire life. I was born here, went to school here and married my high school sweetheart here. All five of my kids were born here and three of them are still in school here. In spite of the size of Armor, I've led a very busy life. My husband and I run a dairy farm here in our scenic little town not too far from the Black Hills, which keeps us busy working from sun up to sun set, so when I felt the envelope Jack slipped under my pillow the night of our twentieth, I assumed I would find another anniversary card, one I had probably received before, seein' how Armor has one drugstore, next to our six-room hospital, and it's about the only place in town to purchase a greeting card.
Imagine my excitement when I opened the envelope to find two tickets on Frontier Airlines to Las Vegas. First thing in the morning, I Googled everything Vegas. What to wear, how was the weather, where to eat, what shows to see. I'm one of those planning types and since I don't get out of Armor too often, I wanted to be prepared.
Three weeks later, Jack and I were on our way to Huron Regional Airport, and neither one of us could contain ourselves. Jack made sure to book our flight at night so we could fly over the Strip while it was awash with neon. Lord, what a sight to see. We checked into Caesar's Palace, had a late dinner at The Augusta Cafe, did a little gambling and went to bed. We had an entire three days ahead of us chock full of fun stuff planned in our own personal itinerary, so a good night's sleep was in order.
We woke up the next day, had a breakfast buffet and hit the Forum Shops. We did some sight-seeing, lots of shopping, plenty of eating and more than enough gambling and even caught The Beatles Love Show at The Mirage, but one thing I did not plan for was all the amazing night clubs Vegas had to offer. Believe you, me, the thought of Jack and me dancing in a "disco" never really crossed my mind. But here we were, in the "entertainment capital of the world", celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary, sans the kids and the cows, so, we figured, why not?
We decided on a club inside the Bellagio, where we were greeted with the option of "bottle service". We gave it a shot. I have to say, the service was really spectacular. A "hostess" made our cocktails right there at our table. The music was great and Jack and I danced like we never had before. After a couple drinks, I excused myself to use the ladies room. Now this was something I had NOT anticipated. Bear in mind, as I said, I am a planner, and I thought I was ready for everything Vegas had to offer, but when I came out of my stall and approached the sink to wash my hands, a lady offered to squirt soap in my hand. When I couldn't get the automatic sink to dispense the water, she helped me and then she handed me a paper towel to dry my hands with. I was intrigued. I asked this lady to tell me about her job, here in this ladies room, as I myself did not realize a job like this even existed. She was more than happy to share her job description and some of her more interesting experiences with me.
Jenny referred to her title as a "Bathroom Valet". She explained to me that this is a service some of the better establishments offer to their guests. Jenny's "set up" consisted of a plethora of toiletries, such as lotions, hair products, fragrances, feminine needs, mouthwash, mini-one-use toothbrushes and dental floss, gum, mints and her own nicely scented hand soap. Her products were conveniently arranged and she kept the ladies room clean and smelling fragrant with a beautifully scented candle. When I asked her how much the bar paid her to stay in the ladies room all night, Jenny informed me that she worked strictly for tips. I must admit, I felt a little embarrassed asking all these questions, but Jenny reassured me that most people were not familiar with this new service and also asked her many of the same questions.
Having been made to feel quite comfortable by my "bathroom valet", I asked Jenny if she was actually able to make a living at it. She explained to me that in a lot of instances, ladies don't bring money with them to the restroom, unaware that a service like this is offered, however, once they know that Jenny provides all of these items at her own cost, so that her customers have access to things they would other wise have to purchase at an exorbitant cost in the hotel's gift shop, or return to their room to use, they often come back into her restroom to tip her. She also explained to me that some ladies feel uncomfortable and don't feel they should have to tip someone for handing them a towel, but assured me, the discomfort is unwarranted and she provides this service as a little something extra to enhance her guests' experience.
I spent so much time with Jenny, that when I returned to our table, Jack thought I had gotten lost. When I shared my story with him, however, he informed me that the men's room had an attendant, as well. Of course, Jack said he thought this was "just another Vegas thing" and that he was pleased with the service of being handed a towel in the men's room.
When we returned home, thoroughly exhausted, we developed our photos, invited our friends over and shared our magnificent memories with them until we were blue in the face. By the time we were finished, everyone in little Armor was ready to book the next flight to Vegas and when I told all my girlfriends about the unexpected service I experienced with my "Bathroom Valet", the girls suggested, perhaps we should hire someone at our local coffee shop to offer us the same service Jenny did.
 I'm sure Jenny would get a real kick out of that!!!