Eva Sztupka-Kerschbaumer

In 1996, Eva Kerschbaumer sold her grandmother's jewelry and bought a plane ticket from Hungary to New York City. She arrived with literally nothing but $50 and the clothes on her back, no relatives and no real understanding of or ability to speak English. Via the kindness of an Amtrak conductor, she made her way to Pittsburgh (the $50 was spent on a taxi from JFK to Penn Station and a hamburger) where, after learning English by watching reruns of Gilligan's Island, Eva worked for a local salon and In 2002, Eva built and opened her own day spa - called ESSPA - which would become one of the 12 Founding Seed Spa Members of the Green Spa Network and remains the only Accredited GSN Spa in Pennsylvania.

About Eva's business - esSpa Organic Hungarian Skincare + Salon started with three employees operating out of 800 sq.ft in a renovated walk-in cooler at the local Yacht Club. In 2005, Eva relocated and built the spa's current 7,000 sq.ft. "Green Certified" sanctuary. Other than during the government mandated, Covid shutdown, this female, immigrant entrepreneur's business has experienced sequential YoY growth every year since opening, and is on track to have it's best year ever. With 15 treatment rooms, a team of 30+ professional therapists and support staff, Eva and her team will deliver over 17,000 spa treatments this year alone. Eva's establishment was named "The 3rd Best Spa in America" by The Industry Source Magazine, was selected as "Best Family Spa' by Travel + Leisure Magazine and has won 3 other national industry awards. Additionally, the spa is consistently named "The Best Green Spa", "The Best Organic Salon" and "Best Skincare" and "Best Massage" in Western Pennsylvania. Eva counts A-List Celebrities, Professional Sport Legends and a host of Fortune 500 executives amongst her client guests as well as her friends. The success of Eva's spa is directly attributable to her always putting her customer's needs above her own combined with her incredible work ethic and a hyperfocus to delivering the most effective, organic spa treatments to her guests. Eva continues her daily work as an professional esthetician and she sees 9-12 guests per day on a regular basis, spending well over 100 hours per week in the spa. As her reputation has grown, the best therapists from all over the country and the world have relocated to Pittsburgh specifically to work for and train with Eva. In 2022, in response to popular demand, Eva has expanded and is pleased to offer regularly-scheduled treatments in Delray Beach, FL.