Both herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) can cause encephalitis; however, HSV-1 is the most common etiological agent. Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) presents with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations from fever and headaches to acute neurological dysfunctions with seizures. The mortality rate is high even with the right treatment. In this case report we present a 36-year-old female with no comorbidities that presented to the emergency department with a headache and reported olfactory hallucinations. The patient experienced rapid cognitive and neurological deterioration, became stuporous, almost entirely unconscious despite intravenous antiviral therapy. The patient was treated as a ‘last resort’ with intravenous immunoglobulins, and was induced into a coma in the Intensive Care Unit. The patient was extubated a few days later and returned to the neurology ward in a very much improved state where she continued her recovery. At the three-month follow-up the patient exceeded all expectations and was slowly returning to her life before the illness.