Do you find yourself yearning for a massage? Do you look at a vacation not as a chance to run around, but rather as a chance to sleep in and indulge in life’s little pleasures, like taking a bubble bath in the middle of the day? Are you looking for a chance to clear your head, rest your bones and start fresh?
If you answered yes to one or all of these questions then it looks like you are in need of a spa vacation. Consider this an opportunity to experience complete serenity, if only for a week.
Instead of dashing away to a villa in Italy or a spa retreat in the mountains, we think you should consider a cruise. Now-a-days, cruises can be floating spa vacations, offering more than just one day of getting your nails done and another getting a facial (although of course you still have these options). Now you can stay in a special spa suite, and spend your days lounging in saunas and other sensory enhanced rooms. Your cuisine can also be tailored to help rejuvenate and detoxify with a spa menu offered by many cruise lines. Plus, you can even take special spa excursions.
Follow along as we tell you how you can have a total spa vacation on a cruise ship.
Step 1: Find a cruise with spa suites.
Spa suites were perhaps best pioneered on Celebrity Cruises with their AquaClass staterooms. These are veranda cabins that come with not just the usual stateroom amenities, but also include an aromatherapy diffuser, slippers, a pillow menu and a special Hansgrohe shower head. Passengers booked into these suites have access to the spa’s Persian Garden and Relaxation Room, as well as Blu, the specialty restaurant that features a “clean” menu. There is also a spa concierge on hand to handle making reservations for all the spa services you desire during your sailing.
This concept has also been instituted on the Carnival ships featuring the Cloud 9 Spa. Carnival Cruise Lines offers special amenities in a variety of cabins, from interiors to suites. Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced spa balcony, mini suite and Haven rooms. These offer access to the Thermal Suite in the spa, along with special jets in the showers. Holland America also offers passengers spa suites close to their GreenHouse Spa on select ships. Seabourn recently added four spa suites to the Seabourn Quest. These suites are stocked with water, fruit and nuts, along with Molton Brown bath products and a menu for designer soaps such as Hermes or Baudelaire. For a complete list of cruise lines with spa staterooms (along with current availability), please contact one of our expert cruise consultants.
Step 2: Indulge in the spa environment.
Nearly all cruise ships have hot tubs and saunas, but you can take that a step further on select cruise ships where you’ll have a variety of relaxation rooms to enjoy. For instance, take the Celebrity Reflection – this ship has an Infrared Sauna, an Aromatic Steam Room, a Cold Room, showers that have soothing lights, sounds and smells, and a Turkish hammam. The upcoming Viking Star will have a snow room where snow flakes will gently fall down from the ceiling. Another popular spa amenity these days is a Thalassotherapy pool, which use sea water as a way to soothe joints. With all of these options, you could have a new way to relax each day.
Cruise ship spas offer packages where you can gain access to these therapeutic lounges for a day or your whole cruise. Of course, if you are staying in a spa stateroom, access usually comes with your room.
Step 3: Keep your food light.
After relaxing and focusing on your body, the idea of having a heavy meal may sound just unseemly. That is why many cruise lines allow you to order off a special section of the menu designed with the spa goer in mind. Royal Caribbean offers meals like Filet of Salmon and Slow Roasted Aged Prime Rib on their Vitality menu. Canyon Ranch also offers healthy meals on the menus of the ships they work with. Some cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises even have entire restaurants, like Blu, available for those looking for delicious but health conscious dining. Blu offers meals for guest staying in the AquaClass staterooms. Items on the menu include a cheese souffle, a Blackened Ahi Tuna and for dessert Coconut Crème Brûlée with Roasted Pineapple and a Curry Meringue.
Step 4: Get dolled up.
You can continue the pampering by scheduling services at the ship’s salon. Make your next sea day special with a pedicure or a new hairstyle. The salon is usually located right next to the spa making for a serene, yet chatty atmosphere where you can take care of your beauty needs.
Step 5: Explore the world.
No matter where your cruise is heading, there is probably a spa or therapeutic spot to visit. Take for instance these amazing spots across the globe:
- The Blue Lagoon in Iceland. This rugged terrain is covered with a geothermal lake that is said to have healing powers. You can lounge in the warm water or choose from a wide variety of massages or body treatments, some even take place in the water.
- In Bali you’ll be remissed if you don’t experience the Balinese Massage, which combines stretching, skin rolling and pressing to increase circulation and decrease tension. You can find several spas in Bali, or even find services offered right on the beach.
- Visit a traditional Turkish Hammam when you stop in Istanbul or other cities in the region. A hammam is a beautiful building where you will be escorted from hot room to cold room and in between be washed and massaged by a masseuse. Your service may only last a half hour, but you can linger in the therapeutic rooms all day.
- Travel to India where you can find Ayurvedic spas. Ayurveda is a traditional medicine performed in India that uses natural herbs and spices like cinnamon and cardamom in its therapies that seek to balance a person.
If you follow these steps you are sure to have a truly relaxing cruise vacation. And remember, these services are meant for both men and women. In fact, there are special services offered for men, including deep shaves and facials geared just for a man’s face.
So who’s ready to relax?
The Cruise Web, Inc.
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