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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                  SCHEDULE 13D

                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                                (Amendment No. 1)


                     THE GREAT AMERICAN BACKRUB STORE, INC.
                                (Name of Issuer)

                          COMMON STOCK, PAR VALUE $.001
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    38982E101
                                 (CUSIP Number)

                                Mr. Glenn Krevlin
                              Cumberland Associates
                           1114 Avenue of the Americas
                            New York, New York 10036
                                 (212) 536-9700
                       (Name, Address and Telephone Number
                     of Person Authorized to Receive Notices
                               and Communications)



                                  March 10, 1997
                      (Date of Event which Requires Filing
                               of this Statement)


If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report
the acquisition which is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this
schedule because of Rule 13d-1(b)(3) or (4), check the following box [ ].



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                                  SCHEDULE 13D

CUSIP No. 38982E101

1.  NAME OF REPORTING PERSON
    S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

         CUMBERLAND ASSOCIATES

2.  CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
                                                                        a[ ]
                                                                        b[X]
3.  SEC USE ONLY

4.  SOURCE OF FUNDS*
         WC,00

5.  CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS REQUIRED
    PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) OR 2(e)                                      [ ]

6.  CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
         New York

                   7.  SOLE VOTING POWER

                       0

 NUMBER OF         8.  SHARED VOTING POWER
  SHARES
BENEFICIALLY           0
 OWNED BY
   EACH            9.  SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
 REPORTING
  PERSON               0
   WITH
                  10.  SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                       0

11.  AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
            0

12.  CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES
     CERTAIN SHARES*                                         [ ]

13.  PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11)
          0.0%

14.  TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
                  PN, IA


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Item 1.  Security and Issuer.

                  This Amendment No. 1, which is being filed pursuant to Rule
13d-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), amends the Schedule 13D, filed March 8,
1995 (the "Schedule 13D"), of Cumberland Associates, a New York limited
partnership, and relates to the Common Stock, par value $.001 per share (the
"Common Stock" or the "Shares"), of The Great American Backrub Store, Inc. (the
"Company"), which has its principal executive offices at 958 Third Avenue, New
York, New York 10022. Unless otherwise indicated, all capitalized terms used
herein but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in
the Schedule 13D.

 Item 2. Identity and Background.

                   Item 2 of the Schedule 13D is hereby  amended and restated in
its entirety to read as follows:

                   This  statement  is  being  filed by  Cumberland  Associates.
Cumberland  Associates is a limited partnership  organized under the laws of the
State  of  New  York,  and  is  engaged  in  the  business  of  managing,  on  a
discretionary basis, eleven securities  accounts,  the principal one of which is
Cumberland  Partners.  The  address  of the  principal  business  and  office of
Cumberland

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Associates is 1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036.

                   K. Tucker Andersen,  Gary Tynes,  Oscar S. Schafer,  Bruce G.
Wilcox, Glenn Krevlin, Andrew Wallach and Eleanor Poppe are the general partners
(the "General Partners") of Cumberland Associates.  The business address of each
of the General  Partners is the same as that of Cumberland  Associates.  Each of
the General Partners is a citizen of the United States.

                   Neither Cumberland Associates nor any of the General Partners
have,  during the last five  years,  been  convicted  in a  criminal  proceeding
(excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors), nor has any such person,
during the last five years,  been a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or
administrative  body of  competent  jurisdiction  as a result  of which any such
person was or is subject to a judgment,  decree or final order enjoining  future
violations  of, or prohibiting  or mandating  activities  subject to, federal or
state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.

Item 3. Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.

                   Item 3 of the Schedule 13D is hereby amended and restated in
its entirety to read as follows: 

                   As of the date hereof,  Cumberland  Associates  does not hold
any shares of Common Stock.


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Item 5.  Interest in Securities of the Issuer.

                   Item 5 of the Schedule 13D is hereby  amended and restated in
its entirety to read as follows:

                   As of the date hereof,  Cumberland  Associates  does not hold
any  shares of Common  Stock. 

                   Set forth in  Appendix  A attached  hereto  and  incorporated
herein by reference are  descriptions  of the  transactions  in the Common Stock
effected by Cumberland  Associates  within the period beginning 60 days prior to
March 10, 1997 and ending on the date of this filing.

                  As of March 10, 1997, Cumberland Associates is no longer the
beneficial owner of more than 5 percent of the Common Stock outstanding.
Accordingly, until such time as Cumberland Associates acquires, directly or
indirectly, beneficial ownership of additional Common Stock in excess of the 5
percent threshold, Cumberland Associates is no longer required to report
pursuant to Rule 13d-1 with respect to the Common Stock.


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                  After reasonable inquiry and to the best knowledge and belief
of the undersigned, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in
this statement is true, complete and correct.

Date:    March 24, 1997

                              CUMBERLAND ASSOCIATES


                          By: /s/ Glenn Krevlin
                                  Glenn Krevlin
                                  General Partner


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                                   APPENDIX A*


1.       TRANSACTIONS EFFECTED BY CUMBERLAND ASSOCIATES

     DATE OF           NO. OF UNITS        NO. OF UNITS          PRICE PER
   TRANSACTION           PURCHASED            SOLD                 UNIT
   -----------         ------------        ------------          ---------  
    3/10/97                                   5,000               $4 1/8
    3/14/97                                  28,500                $3.20
    3/17/97                                  44,000               $2.7926
    3/18/97                                  60,000               $2.8333

- ---------------
*        Each of the transactions set forth in this Appendix was a
         regular way transaction.