Like steam engines and cryogenically frozen sea monkeys, tea leaves come to life with just a little hot water. Harness the transformative power of hydration with today’s Groupon: for $36, you get a Royal Tea Celebration for two at First Ladies Tea Parlor in Newport News (a $71.90 value). The Royal Tea Celebration includes:

• Fresh fruit
• Scones, tea sandwiches, and canapés
• Hot or cold soup or mixed-greens salad
• Shrimp pod or relish-and-cheese sampler
• Desserts and sparkling cider<p>

Amid the crisp white linens and fresh flowers of First Ladies Tea Parlor, the staff brews more than 50 teas to pair with fresh-baked morsels through the afternoon. Fragrant tendrils of steam waft from lavender earl-grey and soothing lemon-verbena tea, and knives slather dollops of devonshire cream, lemon curd, and fruit jams over scones. After duos rub elbows and caress kneecaps, fingers can pluck up tea sandwiches such as chicken salad speckled with cranberries or cucumber sandwiches layered with cream cheese. Dessert treats tongues to an ever-changing smattering of delicate petite cakes, tea cookies, and chocolates. Inside the sunlit tearoom, elegant table settings and pale-yellow walls play off of the cheer inherent in an afternoon activity enjoyed for hundreds of years by people wearing crowns. After tea, patrons can peruse the boutique for teacup sets, loose teas, and jewelry.