27 East Massage And Skincare Now Open In Huntington Village

HUNTINGTON, NY — Sue Lupia didn’t grow up dreaming of owning a wellness studio.

For years, her life revolved around restaurant shifts and late nights. She bartended, waited tables, hosted, bussed — whatever paid the bills. But as she got older, she wanted a change.

“As I got older, it just wasn’t something I wanted for myself,” Lupia said. “You’re working late nights, dealing with people who aren’t always nice after they’ve been drinking.”

That decision eventually led Lupia to massage therapy — and, years later, to opening 27 East Massage and Skincare, a boutique massage and skincare studio located on Gerard Street in Huntington Village, with its entrance tucked behind the building near the municipal parking lot.

Lupia’s path into wellness wasn’t direct. The Ronkonkoma resident earned a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University after initially studying journalism, then spent several years working in restaurants while searching for a more meaningful career.

That changed in 2015, when she enrolled at the New York College of Health Professions in Syosset.

“I was soul-searching — that’s really how I came across it,” she said. “What attracted me was the science. I’m a total science buff — anatomy, chemistry, all of it. It kept me interested. And I liked that I could put something good into the world. I felt like I was actually doing something positive.”

She received her massage therapy license in 2017 and returned to school less than a year later to earn her esthetician license.

Learning the business from the inside

Lupia didn’t just learn technique — she learned the business from the inside.

While still in school, she cold-called Naturopathica, a well-known holistic wellness brand, from a parking lot in Montauk after leaving her restaurant job.

“I said, ‘I’m enrolled in massage school. I’m just looking for a place that will mentor me — front desk, office work, anything,’” she recalled. “They told me, ‘We need someone at the front desk, and once you get licensed, you’ll have a job here.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”

She worked the front desk throughout her schooling, learning how appointments were booked, how clients were handled, and how the business actually functioned — knowledge that would later prove invaluable.

Over the years, Lupia worked at spas and wellness centers in East Hampton and New York City, building a broad client base and refining her hands-on approach, and worked with elite clientele. Eventually, she began providing massage and skincare services independently at Hero Beach Club in Montauk — her first true test of running a business on her own.

“That pop-up showed me I could do this,” she said. “I loved running my own show and creating real connections with clients.”

Why Huntington?

Lupia officially opened 27 East Massage and Skincare on Oct. 1, but Huntington was a deliberate choice.

“I really like Huntington,” said Lupia, 39. “It has energy. It’s active. It feels like a place where wellness fits.”

Her studio is located inside the Gerard Street building near Milky Way Ice Cream and Rust & Gold, just steps from several high-traffic village businesses. While the area sees steady foot traffic, Lupia said the tucked-away entrance creates a quieter, more private experience for clients.

“It’s such a good spot,” she said. “High traffic, but quiet at the same time.”

For now, Lupia is a one-woman operation — by design.

“I had to make something out of nothing,” she said. “I don’t have investors. Everything is online. You book it, you show up, I do the treatment, you pay.”

That independence, she said, allows her to deliver a more personalized experience than larger spa settings.

“I like to really connect with people and understand the whole picture — not just where it hurts.”

Lupia specializes in sports massage and dermaplaning, two services she describes as effective, practical, and accessible.

Dermaplaning, a skincare exfoliation treatment, offers visible results without requiring downtime. Sports massage focuses on deep tissue work, stretching, and improving range of motion, particularly for clients who are active or dealing with stiffness from daily routines.

“A lot of pain comes from being stiff and stagnant,” she said. “People don’t move their bodies enough. When you stretch them out and get things moving again, it makes a huge difference in how they feel day to day.”

Looking ahead

While Lupia is focused on building her client base now, she doesn’t see herself staying small forever.

“I want to expand,” she said. “I’d love a storefront, another treatment room, to hire someone eventually.”

She points to Barbara Close, founder of Naturopathica, as a long-term inspiration.

“She started out making tinctures in East Hampton, and now it’s this huge company,” Lupia said. “I want to make a difference in my field like that — for people to know me for something I did differently.”

For now, though, Lupia says she is happy doing the work she once searched so hard for — helping people feel better, one session at a time.

“You feel good on the inside,” she said. “You feel good on the outside.”

Business details

27 East Massage and Skincare is located at 50 Gerard St., Suite 222, in Huntington Village. The entrance is at the rear of the building, adjacent to the municipal parking lot off Clinton Avenue.

The studio is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Appointments are booked online. Medical massage appointments are available for NYSHIP insurance holders.

More information is available at www.27eastwellness.com or by calling 631-304-6742.