Have you ever dreamed of a day of pampering, tired of the hustle and bustle of the shopping center based salons and spa the Baltimore/Washington area has to offers? We say look no farther than the historic Maple Lawn area of Howard County and the intersection of Rt 216 and Rt 29 in Fulton, Maryland stands one of the hottest spas to hit the area in many years.

Pearl Modern Spa offers 11,000 square feet of pure bliss. When you arrive, you will find this isn’t your mother’s shopping center spa, it is a dream within a dream.  The spa features 13 treatment rooms, including two opulent private suites, an exclusive VIP room with a waterfall shower, and their signature Blue Grotto. This service which our staff reviewed will not be matched anywhere and the rejuvenated feeling that follows not even the spas in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or New York could match.

When you walk through the doors of Pearl, you will be instantly greeted by their friendly staff and have the chance to see some of the amazing collections of products used and sold in their boutique. They offer a vast collection of products that are used within their service packages and some products you will just love to have around your house. Whether it is the splendid skin care products from B Kamins or the home products of the Good Home Store and sipping on Tea Forte’s delicious blends of teas, Pearl has a selection of products that would make other spas jealous.

After a brief tour of the entire 11,000 square footage which features separate men’s and women’s locker rooms and lounges. This allows you to unwind alone or with friends. Then if you plan on having a meeting in the near future why not relax, try their services, and have your next meetings or party in their 1200 square foot cultivation room. It features fitness classes that are only find in larger cities. Whether it is yoga or the soon to come strip tease aerobics made famous by Carmen Electra, Pearl has a selection for everyone.

After we finished our tour, we decided to check out one of their signature services, the Blue Grotto, which we have to say after visiting well over 200 spas and salons nationwide in 10 years, this is the most unique service our staff has seen offered.

The Blue Grotto is one of the only services that is for 2 to 6 people and is self service. While most will read this paragraph and think we made a mistake in terms of a self service treatment at a spa, we have made no mistake here. How can one do that? Simply let the Pearl Staff line-up some body mud and the dream experience is just minutes away.

Using paintbrushes and sponges, the treatment allows you to become Picasso in just minutes. We started our treatment by applying our colorful yet therapeutic deep sea clays from head to toe. We had so much fun decorating our bodies and not having to worry about making a mess as the clay that we were applying was specifically for us. After we looked as if we were heading on a hunting expedition, we stopped to look at the ease of application and thought this was the greatest time we have had in a spa.

Once you are covered in mud, step into the Blue Grotto; Pearl’s signature herbal infused steam room.  Sit down on their perfectly shaped tile bench, listen to your own customized music selection and enjoy the blue and green fiber optic light show while the clays begin to melt like warm butter at a hot summer picnic, pulling debris and harmful toxins from your skin. Once the clays have done their job, relax and enjoy as the steam room instantly turns into an invigorating rain shower, cleansing you completely.

The one hour process is a life changing experience. The application process should take 15-20 minutes and the 30 minute steam process is the maximum suggested time by the Pearl Staff and then you can use the cascading showers to rinse the toxins right off your body. With the steam still rising and the warm water flowing from all sides, we didn’t really even want to go home when our time finally expired inside the grotto.

The Blue Grotto is a great idea for close bonding time with your significant other or your first date… well maybe a second or third date. The Blue Grotto is priced at $160 for two people and $320 for four people and $480 for six people.

Pearl highly recommends following the Blue Grotto with one of their signature massages. They offer four different types of massages from the Snow Pearl, a classic Swedish massage to the Hawaiian Rapture, which incorporates a hot stone massage. This is one of the few places in the Washington area offering the full body hot stone massage at a reasonable price.

If you are looking for more of a precription treatment, Pearl offers the growing trend of Rx treatments such as laser hair removal, Botox, vein treatment and  tissue augmentation. Based on the experience we had with their regular services, you can feel confident about more of the permanent spa service Pearl has to offer.

If you like keeping your hands and feet looking like the celebrities of Hollywood, then sit back choose a flower infused scent for your manicure or pedicure and check out one of the many plasma televisions that line the front wall of the manicure area and before you know it your nails and toes will be thanking you for the excellent job their professionals deliver.

So if you are looking for a way to relieve the stress the holiday’s have left you with, or just looking for a way to take care of your body from top to bottom, try Pearl Modern Spa and Boutique, you will be glad you did.

For more information on booking a service or directions to the spa, contact them directly as follows. The Pearl 8171 Maple Lawn Boulevard Suite 100 Maple Lawn, Maryland 20759 Phone (301) 776.6948 Toll (866) 366.8171 Fax (301) 776.2346 E-mail info@thepearlspa.com