Like Hawaii, relaxation can be a challenging state to reach. Ensnare elusive serenity with today's Groupon: for $75, you get a 90-minute relaxation-and-stress-relief acupuncture-and-massage package at Robert Andrew Medical Spa in Gambrills (a $150 value).
At Robert Andrew Medical Spa, licensed acupuncturist and all-around-wellness expert Julia Stunkard lends fatigued frames a firm, invigorated, and youthful vigor. Each consultation begins with a thorough analysis of the client’s health history and tightrope-walking skills to check for any imbalances that need to be addressed. After an appropriate course of action is determined, bodies begin their journey toward relief with an acupuncture treatment—an ancient art that involves the gentle and nearly painless insertion of sterile needles at critical pressure points along the bodily map. Designed to improve energy and reduce muscle tension, acupuncture can also be an effective means of treating chronic headaches, easing depression or anxiety, calming digestive problems, and curing a crippling fear of needle-nosed turtles.
Once bodies have been balanced, backs receive a harmonizing massage to knead away any lingering stress brought on by memories of botched touchdown dances. Each therapist draws upon time-tested Swedish, deep-tissue, myofascial, and neuromuscular techniques to bring bliss to hard-working bodily plains, boosting circulation and expertly removing knots from muscles like a master sailor with surprisingly kempt hands.
Robert Andrew Medical Spa
Back in the 1960s, beauty was so simple that some beauty parlors—like the nine traditional ones run by Robert Andrew Zupko—only had one service: roller sets. But beauty trends began to change, so Zupko changed right along with them, adding skincare and nailcare to his hairstyling business. When 1996 hit the calendars, the salon evolved into a full-fledged day spa that covered 7,000 square feet.
Zupko has since created Robert Andrew – The Salon & Spa, a 22,000-square-foot Tuscan-style getaway nestled in the giant scalene triangle that connects D.C., Annapolis, and Baltimore. Inside the salon, more than 90 beauty professionals—including nail technicians, massage therapists, and stylists—shape and polish nails, snip split ends, and disentangle achy muscle knots. The salon also boasts a troupe of Yon-Ka trained aestheticians who remove dead skin cells with pumpkin enzymes and melt away frozen funny faces with hot-stone facials.
More recently, Zupko opened Robert Andrew Medical Spa, where the spotlight's on lasers, injectables, chemical peels, and other high-tech skincare services.