The Best Spa Cruises on the Seven Seas
It’s only natural to think of the New Year as a chance to recalibrate and rejuvenate. What better way than a wellness retreat on a cruise? We rounded up some of our favorite write-ups from around the web. Find out where you can get a four-handed massage, a Frangipani scalp treatment, and a coconut rub and milk wrap …
Regent Seven Seas Explorer
Condé Nast Traveller:
Asking someone to fork over $5,000 per day for unlimited spa treatments supervised by the legendary Canyon Ranch might seem like a big request, but it's worth it. The 4,443-square-foot Regent Suite that debuted in July aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer has a no-holds-barred approach to its comprehensive therapies: There's a personal therapist, complimentary fitness classes, and a customized spa menu that taps into the magic of local flora (e.g. Arctic berry and evergreen oils). Plus, you can frolic like a water sprite under experiential showers that mimic monsoons, Atlantic storms or even the gentle spring rain.
The Canyon Ranch SpaClub at Sea, Celebrity Cruises
ABC News:
When Canyon Ranch and Celebrity Cruises joined forces in 2014, they launched one of the best spa experiences at sea. The menu covers deluxe treatments such as deep-tissue massages and vitamin-enhanced facials. Plenty of treatment rooms also feature floor-to-ceiling windows, with views of deep-blue waters adding another level of tranquility.
On Solstice-class ships, guests can also linger in the Persian Garden, a space with various hot and dry saunas and a steam room -- several with aromatherapy elements -- plus jetted showers. The heated-tile loungers here give a perfect spot for a post-treatment snooze.
Greenhouse Spa on Holland America's Pinnacle-Class Ships
CruiseCritic.com
Aboard Pinnacle-class ships Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam, Holland America seriously steps up its spa offerings with its expanded, bi-level Greenhouse Spa, the fleet's biggest and most luxurious spa offering. The enhanced spa contains 17 treatment rooms for standout treatment options supported by Elemis products, like the Thai Herbal Poultice Massage or Biotec antiaging facial.
The exceptional thermal suite area features a relaxation room with heated ceramic loungers proposing ocean views, saunas for both men and women, aromatherapy steam rooms, horizontal rain showers (which you lay down for) and a bubbling hydrotherapy seawater pool.
Look out, too, for the line's only medi-spa (set on a private deck atop the main spa), offering acupuncture treatments and cosmetic services like Botox, dermal fillers or Thermage. There's also a full-service salon (with a separate barber shop just for men).
Seadream Yacht Club
Condé Nast Traveller:
Bob Lepisto, President of the SeaDream Yacht Club, had an idea for upping Seadream's offerings: "We said, let’s develop a yachting experience not a traditional cruise experience." That includes the spa, which is fully owned and managed by the brand, and is located on the fourth deck on the forward side, which means that guests can even get an open-air massage on the private deck. The spa also boasts the highest therapist-to-guest ratio at sea, with eight aestheticians onboard. There was a conscious choice to focus on quality Asian therapies like traditional Thai massage, and yoga and Tai chi lessons are offered daily.
Mandara Spa, Norwegian Cruise Line
ABC News:
Here's a surprise: The mid-range Norwegian Cruise Line has some killer spas that can compete with top luxury lines, scrub for scrub. Multiple NCL ships, including the Pride of America, the Epic, and ships in the Breakaway class, have the line’s signature Mandara Spa, a giant complex devoted to deep relaxation.
The thermal suite is the spa’s showcase: Sauna grottos, pools with massaging waterfalls, and rainfall showers here use heat and water pressure to unlock stiff muscles. Some ships even carry a salt-bath room.
Passengers can also book more than 50 treatments, including a four handed massage, a Frangipani scalp treatment, or the nearly edible coconut rub and milk wrap.
Canyon Ranch SpaClub on Cunard's Queen Mary 2
CruiseCritic
As a result of its affiliation with Canyon Ranch, the spa on Queen Mary 2 genuinely feels like a land-based destination in terms of knowledge and expertise. Some of the treatments are quite distinctive compared to the usual cruise ship offerings. The Rasul Ceremony, for instance, proposes thermal therapy as administered via muds and herbal steams in a tiled steam chamber.
Another surprising favorite is the Thai massage: It's basically a series of stretches (you wear loose-fitting clothing) and it is completely relaxing. In addition, they have options like acupuncture, Ayurvedic treatments and chiropractic care.
The facility itself is huge but well laid out. A boutique sells Canyon Ranch products, and the thermal suite Aqua Therapy Centre, featuring thalassotherapy/steam room/sauna areas, as well as sensory showers and a "reflexology basin," is the ultimate in peaceful relaxation.
A dedicated waiting room has big, cushy lounge chairs that face floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a promenade and the seascape. It's so comfortable that passengers have been known to fall asleep there. In the salon, you can also get manicures, pedicures, and haircuts and styling.
Look out, too, for Canyon Ranch-branded spa cuisine featured on the restaurant menus at Britannia, Queens Grill and Princess Grill.