It’s a running joke that many people would rather go see a dentist or doctor than talk to a customer service representative. But while its still far from reasonable to expect that anyone should enjoy seeking treatment, one wonders: if a doctor’s ultimate purpose is to help a patient feel better, why not go even farther and also help them try to enjoy their visit?

Fortunately, it seems that that waiting for a doctor is becoming a less painful experience than it used to be.

Last week I was coming down with something and, though I typically will find an excuse to seek medical attention unless I absolutely have to, I felt that getting checked out would be the responsible thing to do. I ended up at a place called Cure Urgent Care on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. When I entered the clinic, it was almost as though I’d stepped into the paragon of  waiting room utopia. First of all, there was almost nobody there. But what’s more, this particular waiting room was equipped with a tea and coffee maker, bottles of fresh water, snacks, comfortable seats, and big-screen TVs on the walls. (TVs to put the one in your living room to shame, mind you.) There was also a nice selection of readable magazines whose pages didn’t seem to have been handled by hundreds of germy hands. Never mind that I was in no state of mind to think about coffee or snacks, at the time; I was comforted by the fact that they were there and available if I wanted them.

The person working the desk was also pleasant, and offered me a bottle of water when I signed in. He actually even got up and walked over to where I was sitting to hand me my insurance card when he was done entering the information. Unlike some places that only accept cash or checks, I was able to pay with a credit card, too. (This might not seem like much, it’s actually a problem I’ve noticed at other medical facilities. At one waiting room, recently, I witnessed two people leave the building to find an ATM just to withdraw money to make a payment.)

I barely had time to sit down in the waiting area, though, since I was called in almost immediately. And while I’m not trying to suggest I’d want to spend more time than necessary in a waiting room,  I wasn’t as eager to leave this one as I have others in the past.