It takes about 15 muscles to smile, 50 to frown, and 148 to save a curbside couch from life in a landfill. Soothe sympathetic sinews with today's Groupon: for $29, you get a one-hour massage at Escape & Unwind Salon Spa in Folsom (a $65 value).
Escape & Unwind Salon Spa's certified massage therapists, help restore bodies to a state of relaxation with techniques culled from diverse massage modalities. An hour spent beneath Burr's deft hands eases tension from torsos and limbs by way of the style chosen to best suit each client's individual needs and the plaintive cries of individual knots. The long, gentle strokes of Swedish massage help promote increased circulation and relaxation, while the aromatherapy massage engages both the muscles and the senses. Clients reach new levels of calm with the shiatsu massage, a needle-less way to reap the benefits of Chinese acupuncture by awakening the body’s energy meridians. Direct muscle-grain pressure provides therapeutic relief by way of the deep-tissue massage, and the sports massage eases the pain of the tiny tennis player hidden inside each person's elbow.
Escape & Unwind Salon Spa
Twelve-year-old Maria Biundo lifts her little sister onto the top of a hamper in their parents' bathroom. She leans in, bringing her face close to the 8-year-old tot's, as she begins to work—sweeping blush across cheeks, shadow over eyelids, and a vibrant hue on lips. After the transformation is complete, Maria steps back to observe her sister's beautified features, and a broad smile spreads across both their faces. The right makeup, she realizes, can make one feel good inside and out. Today, Maria—now a licensed aesthetician—designs the services at Escape & Unwind Salon Spa to emphasize beauty's uplifting effects. She brings homemade chocolate-chip cookies into work each day, pressing them upon clients between facials, massages, manicures, and waxing and makeup services. She also insists that her team undergoes training with reps from skincare and makeup lines such as Jan Marini, Moroccanoil, and DermaQuest to ensure they're using the latest beauty techniques. For maximum pampering, she even hires a professional chef to cater services for bridal parties and other groups with light, healthy food.