Expensive SPA treatments onboard

[spursdebs]

first of all thanks for the heads up over the hard sell re the spa it has put me off before i even go .......i to thought the prices were high and i have been to some mega expensive spas in my time, unless i get a good discount on a port day i will wait till i get to Vegas for a massage!

 

debs

[Compass Rose Monica]

I find the prices at the spa to be very expensive. However, I did splurge on a $99 special that was a 'variety' massage with a body brushing, scalp, facial, back, and foot massage. I had OBC so I used some of it towards the spa treatment. It was great but I would only do something like this as a special treat.

[iancal]

Last time I checked, no one was abducted from their cabin and forced to take a spa treatment and to pay for it.

[travelfreelasvegas]

I agreed that the spa treatments are very expensive. However, I did get my money back on my last RCCL cruise. The guy was just terrible. I complained to the spa manager and she agreed with me. Amazing. However, on HAL, I got a great hr massage for $80 on a special they had. Didn't think it was too outrageous.

[Literary Lynne]

I'd never been for any spa treatments on board, although my husband always has a pedicure! Anyway, I decided to treat myself to a 'mini facelift' (no surgery, of course) and really enjoyed it. I didn't mind splashing out on the cost of this rare treat but what did make me annoyed was that during the sales pitch afterwards, I was shown a jar of one of the Elemis products and urged to make a purchase at a certain cost, which I did, but when I got to the spa desk to pay and receive the product, the jar I was given was miniscule, not the size of the one I was shown. That's naughty!

 

I bought it (silly me) and it still sits in the bathroom cabinet at home.....

Lynne :(

[babs101519]

MsPink is my kind of gal! Last two cruises I got smart and pampered myself pre-cruise. The cruise ship spa experience is not worth the money, IMO. And what is with that survey they ask you to complete while you wait? Do they all do that? I left half of it blank and got "looks" from the hostess. They are very quick to tell you whats wrong with your skin, hair, health, etc, then proceed to give you the hard sell for what you "need". That hard sell is a BIG turn-off, and won't subject myself to it. Last time I had a manicure on-board I told the girl from the get-go, no hard sell. She said "of course not", and a seemingly friendly young lady got strangely quiet for the rest of the time!

What I "need" to do is stay away from the spa; been there, done that, not going back.

:D

[sollan]

OK, so here's the solution.... we get together with everyone in our Roll Call and split the cost of bringing a massage therapist on the cruise. I bet we could get enough people to cover the cost and split the time for massages. :D

Excellent idea!!:D I'm on!

[Crazy Cruzer]

... what did make me annoyed was that during the sales pitch afterwards, I was shown a jar of one of the Elemis products and urged to make a purchase at a certain cost, which I did...

 

...I bought it (silly me) and it still sits in the bathroom cabinet at home.....

Lynne :(

 

Lynn: I had to chuckle as that story sounds very familiar to me. I'm curious how many people end up in the same position, so I made a poll!

Click here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1462594

[wwcruisers]

Celebrity may be calling their spa services Elemis, but last time I checked, all of the spa services on RC and X are run by Steiner. After two bad experiences on two different RC ships, I simply refuse to book any treatments on a ship with Steiner-operated spas. The massages I had were OK (not great), but I was totally turned off by the "hard sell" of products, immediately after my treatment. For the same prices, I can go to Vegas, or any number of great day-spas in SoCal -- get a great massage, and not be hounded to buy over-priced snake-oil! :eek:

[Lsimon]

Celebrity may be calling their spa services Elemis, but last time I checked, all of the spa services on RC and X are run by Steiner.

 

I beleive that Steiner is the name of the company running the operation and the Elemis is the brand name of the products they sell. I don't know if that is a general brand or one owned by Steiner.

[wwcruisers]

I beleive that Steiner is the name of the company running the operation and the Elemis is the brand name of the products they sell. I don't know if that is a general brand or one owned by Steiner.

 

Yep -- I just pulled up Celebrity's employment page, and BINGO -- spa careers with Steiner:

 

http://www.celebritycareersatsea.com/pages/other_services

[Eurobikefan]

FYI:

"Steiner Leisure Limited is a worldwide provider of spa services. The Company's operations include shipboard and land-based spas and salons. We provide our services on 138 cruise ships and at 70 land-based spas. Our land-based spas include resort spas, urban hotel spas and day spas and are operated under our Elemis®, Mandara®, Chavana®, Bliss® and Remede® brands. In addition, a total of 29 resort and hotel spas are operated under our brands by third parties pursuant to license agreements with the Company. Our cruise line and land-based resort customers include Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Harrah's Entertainment, Hilton Hotels, Holland America Line, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Kerzner International, Loews Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Nikko Hotels, Norwegian Cruise Line, Planet Hollywood, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Lines, Sofitel Luxury Hotels, St. Regis Hotels, W Hotels and Westin Hotels and Resorts. Our award-winning Elemis, Bliss and Remede brands are used and sold in our cruise ship and/or land-based spas and are also distributed worldwide to exclusive hotels, salons, health clubs, department stores and destination spas."

 

And further...in Dec 2010, Steiner announced plans "to purchase the assets of The Onboard Spa Company Limited ("Onboard"). Onboard, which Steiner believes to be its principal competitor in the shipboard spa business, provides spa services and sells spa products on a number of cruise lines, including P&O Cruises. Steiner has begun negotiations with cruise lines served by Onboard to serve their vessels, assuming the closing of this transaction."

[ShawninFL]

I've only used the Spa one time in our 20+ cruises. I got a haircut because I didn't have a chance to get on before we left. The cut was fine, but I got the hard sell to buy a scalp rinse to stop my hair from thinning. I'm not good at saying no...lol...so off I left with $35 worth of useless product. Now on a Caribbean cruise I almost always get a massage on a beach in one of the ports. I usually only pay $40 plus tip for 60+ minutes. And they don't try to sell me product!! Prices on board are too expensive for me...especially since I have a hard time saying no to their sales pitch. Thus I skip the spa altogether.

[Gracie115]

Last time I checked, no one was abducted from their cabin and forced to take a spa treatment and to pay for it.

 

 

Well of course you're right, but, I, LIKE MANY first time cruisers were naive enough to think that spa treatments on a ship were going to be something special ..... I was wrong...and I wish I had known of this forum back then so I hadn't wasted my money.....

[CruiseGal60]

Yes, I agree the spa is way over priced. On my first cruise I purchased several products thinking how much could it be, $50 maybe. To my surprise it was close to $200. I learned my lesson.

 

On subsequent cruises I usually had one massage during a special. On my last cruise (HAL) I was not subjected to the hard sell of products but to the hard sell of more treatments. I was told various things were wrong with my skin, legs, etc that extra treatments could "fix". When I did not take the bait I was then insulted about my weight. I left the spa feeling really low instead of uplifted. I complained to the spa manager and cruise line but it was a waste of time.

 

My next cruise is on the silhouette in Dec. I have a step daughter who lives in NJ near the city. I am sure we can find a great spa in NY to pamper ourselves before the cruise for less money.

[cruisestitch]

I'm not sure that comparing prices to what I pay at home is a fair comparison. What are typical prices at high end resorts in say, Santa Barbara or Cape Cod or Sanibel Island? Those would be better comparisons.

[wwcruisers]

Cruisestitch --You make a very good point, not all day spas are created equal! ;)

My thoughts, however, are that you might pay similar prices as the ship for a spa day at Qua (Caesar's Palace), or some of the trendier beach hotels. But, you would end up getting much more for your $$ -- better quality of treatments, fabulous facilities -- and no "hard-sell" product pitch! :rolleyes:

[i guide the sky]

I dont care how you slice it, 130 dollars an hour for massage is excesive. Especially since i have never been blown away by the services. Then there is the stress of the sell at the end.

[Gracie115]

I dont care how you slice it, 130 dollars an hour for massage is excesive. Especially since i have never been blown away by the services. Then there is the stress of the sell at the end.

 

 

Absolutely correct...there is really no justification for the pricing on a ship except that they have a captive audience, no competition and have been able to get away with it for years....having said that...the spas seem quieter and quieter these days....I've never seen someone turned away because they were "full" in the last few years........my last ship massage was over 7 years ago...and it will remain my last unless they cut the price at least in half AND up the quality...

 

High end land based spas may charge more than the average, but as others have pointed out their quality is good and there isn't a push to buy a few hundred dollars in "ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL" products when finished...

[Gracie115]

I dont care how you slice it, 130 dollars an hour for massage is excesive. Especially since i have never been blown away by the services. Then there is the stress of the sell at the end.

 

 

and just for accuracy it's not even an hour massage...it's 50 minutes...and they make sure it's not a minute more....

[cruisestitch]

Just for point of comparison, have a look here:

 

http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/spa/massages/

 

Now, people might know more than I about the relative quality of the services, and the expertise of the therapists, but it's just interesting to see what a high end resort charges for their offerings.....

[Gracie115]

Just for point of comparison, have a look here:

 

http://www.fourseasons.com/maui/spa/massages/

 

Now, people might know more than I about the relative quality of the services, and the expertise of the therapists, but it's just interesting to see what a high end resort charges for their offerings.....

 

EGADS!!!:eek: $320.00 for 110 minutes:eek:......maybe these are the places that Elemis/Steiner got their price structure from...or vice versa..... NO MATTER they're both ridiculously expensive!!!

[cruisestitch]

And here from the Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs:

 

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE

Perfect for the athlete or experienced Spa patron. Deep Tissue massage is a hearty and refreshing service that relieves areas of tension or pain. Calculated, firm pressure helps break down knots to improve muscle mobility.

**Please specify a gender preference of your therapist when requesting this service.

$160, 50 minutes

$215, 70 minutes

$265, 90 minutes

 

SIGNATURE MASSAGE

If you've been here, you know, this signature massage creates carefree comfort and is the ultimate massage experience.

 

A wonderful combination of Swedish and Deep Tissue technique will ensure complete relaxation from head to toe. This service begines with an inhalation to calm and ground the body, followed by a full body and scalp massage, concluded with your feet encompassed in warm towels and a soothing foot massage.

$150, 50 minutes

$195, 70 minutes

$235, 90 minutes

 

SWEDISH MASSAGE

The most familiar massage technique, this full body massage is designed for relaxation. Long, smooth strokes and light pressure ease tired muscles.

$140 for 50 minutes

$185 for 70 minutes

$225 for 90 minutes

[Nanny2Trey]

I have to say I love the spa. Look forward to it every cruise. I am especially addicted to the full body lime ginger salt scrub massage. We have nothing like it here at home. I have had several of them on cruises and they have always

been fantastic. Also, I have never purchased a spa product and have never had bad service. I am sure that others spend money on things that I think are frivolous or over priced. But, I for one love my spa experiences.