The Best Cruise Spa Treatments to Try on Your Cruise

Types of Treatments Offered

Facials

Cruise ship spas offer various types of facials, including those that promise to erase lines, firm and lift, resurface your skin, and more. Some use Bio-Tech technology and others are simply hands-on. 

Medi-Spa

Medi-spa treatments onboard ship can include body contouring, skin tightening, dermal fillers, cosmetic wrinkle treatments, and teeth whitening.

Massage

If you’d like a massage at sea, you can choose from a variety of options: couples massage, seaweed, salt scrub, deep tissue, Swedish, and more. Some massages are promoted to cleanse the skin or reduce cellulite. You can be massaged with bamboo, stones, or poultices. Prices usually vary based on timing, with massages lasting either 50, 75, or 100 minutes.

IV Therapies

Various types of intravenous therapies are offered onboard that promise to help you lose weight or to revive and recharge you.

Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese acupuncture can be had onboard and can be combined with cupping.

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Fitness

Group fitness classes are available in the fitness center that is associated with the spa, and personal fitness training is also available. You can also have your body composition analysis done, or a nutritional consultation.

Hair

Hair treatments are available including shampooing, haircuts, blowouts, keratin hair treatments, highlights, color, and semi-permanent color.

Nails

Manicures and pedicures can be had, with or without gel, shellac, or paraffin. From traditional mani/pedis to those including massage and special oils or salts, you have several choices.

Barber

Men can choose to have a haircut, a beard trim and tidy-up, a facial, or a shave.

Thermal Suite Pass

Some spas have thermal suites, which can offer heated stone loungers, therapy pools, steam rooms, salt rooms, and more. Passes are sold by the day or by the week.

How to Save Money at the Spa

There are several ways to save money at the spa. Here are some suggestions:

Attend the Embarkation Day Drawing

Many onboard spas will have a drawing in the afternoon of embarkation day for coupons offering various discounts on spa services, usually between $100 and $250. Take a tour of the spa, put your drawing ticket in the bowl, and show up at drawing time. I’ve won coupons before and thoroughly enjoyed using them.

Book Your Treatments on Port Days

Spas are generally ghost towns when the ship is in port, so treatments are more expensive on sea days and discounted somewhat on port days. It’s nice to have the spa practically to yourself on a port day, so quiet and relaxing.

Wait Until Later in the Cruise to Book Massages

Once you reach the halfway point of the cruise, your daily newsletter will start including offers for reduced packages for massages, and sometimes will include a facial in the package. The later in the week it is, the better the pricing will be, so hang tight and wait for those offers.

Avoid the Post-Treatment High-Pressure Sell

After your treatment, your attendant will likely try to sell you products related to it, and the pressure can be high to purchase. Simply be upfront with the attendant and let them know right away that you don’t intend to buy products.

What Spa Treatments to Avoid Onboard Ship

I would personally avoid any treatments that normally would be done in a doctor’s office. This includes acupuncture, Medi-Spa treatments, tooth whitening, IV therapies, and the like. These treatments are quite expensive, and often one treatment isn’t “enough.” Once again, seek out these treatments at home.

The thermal suite can be disappointing to many. To me, it’s a one-and-done type of thing. If you’re curious, pay for a day pass to see if you truly like the amenities before paying for a cruise-long pass.

I would also suggest avoiding the fitness consultations because you can’t follow up with them once you leave the ship. Find a good fitness instructor at a gym at home that you can follow through with.

Recommendations for the Best Cruise Spa Treatments

The treatments that I would recommend onboard ship—again, assuming you have onboard credit that you need to spend—are mani/pedis, haircut and blow-dry, massage specials, and basic facials. I’ve taken advantage of all of these onboard and been very pleased.

In fact, on every embarkation day, I have pre-scheduled appointments (when possible) for a haircut and a shellac mani/pedi. This pampering starts my cruise off right. Later in the cruise, my husband and I both like to have a massage, and I like mine to include a facial. We’ve had spa treatments on both Celebrity and Norwegian, which are quite similar because they both are run by Mandara Spa.

Final Thoughts on the Best Cruise Spa Treatments

If you’re not careful, going to the cruise ship spa can be tremendously expensive, adding thousands of dollars to your onboard account. Be smart and selective and get the best cruise spa treatments, use your extra onboard credit, and enjoy yourself. It’s what going on a cruise is all about.

Be sure to check out my review of the Mandara Spa on Norwegian Joy, which includes their price list.

Happy cruising!