Massage and spa treatments, Worth it?

[heyabbott]

I want a Swedish massage I want a foot massage. Seems very expensive. Are the ship spa treatments great or just do a day spa at home and save for the next cruise

 

I will be on Grandeur next month if anyone has a specific recommendation

 

 

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[CMurph]

Personally, I would do it at home. The actual massage is great, but then you have to deal with the sales pitch at the end. I also feel like I have missed a couple of hours that i could spend enjoying the ship or port. Saving for the next cruise is always a good idea. :)

[brillohead]

Cost is at least twice what you can get it for at home.... plus you miss out on cruising time in the process!

 

I'd just do it at home and save for another cruise, myself. The one time I did a cruise massage, it was nothing special -- I've had much better at home.

[scanditaly]

My spa lady has a saying for how the "big" spas treat us..;.....

 

 

If you agree to pay all the extra charges in order to obtain the maximum benefit of the experience, you will feel ripped off.

 

If you only stick to the basic service provided, you will feel that you did not have the best experience possible.

 

 

That is the foundation of the problem: that most ship spas give minimum effort, rigorously timed and with the hard sell thrown in, and unless you pay top dollar, you will feel that you did not get the best available service.

 

This has no bearing on how much money one actually has, or the degree of difficulty obtaining those funds. This is about value and how we feel about what we pay in relation to what we get.

 

To answer your question, OP, if this is important to you, budget top dollar and be happy with what you are given. Let them know up front that a hard-sell technique is not wanted, and you only want the service that you have signed up for.

 

I prefer to have my treatments at home, where i know my provider, and she knows what is best for me. The agreed on price includes everything that is appropriate for my service.

[dacsmom]

If you stop at Coco Cay or Labadee you could get a massage there

[taxgal]

Worth it? No, costs twice as much as at home and the hard sell for more services/products really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Save your money for twice the massages post cruise.

[heyabbott]

Worth it? No, costs twice as much as at home and the hard sell for more services/products really left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Save your money for twice the massages post cruise.

 

THanks, save my money for a Jet Ski. AND Get a massage at home

[AussieVisi2r]

On long cruises, I google before hand and find somewhere where I can still have a deep massage for half the cot. Then skip back onto the ship feeling wonderful.

 

Raina

[hollon]

I want a Swedish massage I want a foot massage. Seems very expensive. Are the ship spa treatments great or just do a day spa at home and save for the next cruise

 

I will be on Grandeur next month if anyone has a specific recommendation

 

 

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Have you already booked your cruise? If not, look around on the web for a TA that gives you a spa credit, it's usually 100.00 credit, but beware, the facial/massage is free, but the tipping is not and of course you hear the sales pitch.

[hollon]

PS., I have to say my facial was worth the sales pitch, only b/c I'm a mom of four and I never sit down to relax (except here on CC:)

[rummenroman]

My 9 year old niece can give a better massage by walking on my back than they can give on the ship at twice the cost of the same treatments at home. Save the money to a fruity drink or 5.

[pinkrosesdeb]

We always do our massage and facial prior to the cruise. You should remember that when you do a facial you really should avoid sun for 24-48 hours! I was really turned off by their hard sell a few cruises ago and that is when we quit booking onboard. We used to love the pampering but the cost makes it more stressful than relaxing. Look for the port day specials though some of them look a little better. P.S. I run a Massage Envy and now get my massages and facials for free so I really can afford to skip the onboard but I know it is fun to indulge. Just weigh the options and do what sounds like the most fun for YOUR cruise!

[phoenix1181]

I've always enjoy getting facials & massages while cruising. I have no problem saying no to their "hard sell" and it's something I never find time for at home. The cost is significantly higher than what you'll pay at home but for me, it's well worth it.

[Melrosgirl]

I enjoy the spa, but honestly the hard sell at the end is irritating. I had a facial on Explorer recently. Great facial and then the product sell. The facial (although wonderful) was $170. OK, fine, I will splurge bc it is wonderful. Then they want to sell me products that I have to have. (The last spa tech was almost rude about it. I asked how much the main product that I "Had to have" was. She almost didn't want to tell me. It was $189 (more than the facial). I said well I need to think about it. She was very mad. I could tell. From then she was just ready to kick me out of the door.

 

I never bought the product and when I got home, I bought a similar, less expensive one at Sephora.

[HesterMofet]

On our last cruise, my husband and I did the Couples Massage. We did it after dinner one evening and thought it was wonderful. Yes, it was expensive and yes, we could have gotten it cheaper on land, but we truly enjoyed it and it was a splurge for us.

 

That being said, would we do it again? No. We are always looking for new experiences on the ship and will spend the money doing something else.

 

As for the hard sell, the minute we said we were not interested they stopped. That quick stop was reflected in their tip as we had heard they can be really kind of jerks about it.

[warezbabe]

I enjoy the spa as a luxury. The cost is significantly more than a massage at home, but part of the enjoyment of being on a vacation. I have experienced massages that I would not have at home. On our last cruise my DH and I did a couples deep tissue bamboo treatment. I don't think it's listed on the menu, but it was nothing short of amazing! A pampering facial can leave you feeling good all day. If you have a C&A membership you will also get discounts on all non-discounted services.

 

HERE IS A TIP, in my experience we have avoided the sales pitch (minus the first time) with one simple technique. When you show up for your treatment you will be asked to fill out a form. At the bottom in a section to write any concerns that you feel your therapist should know. I always write, "Please, please, please no sales or upsell pf products. Thanks." It has always worked and I have never been questioned or had someone give a pitch anyway.

 

Hope anyone who tries this will find it helpful.

[heyabbott]

Thanks to all who responded to my original post.

 

I've done the research, somewhat, and did find my local Massage Envy franchise is really close to my house and basically half the price of the cruise. Still, if the review were that the cruise massage was great and not to be missed I may have splurged. As much as I want to do, I think I will splurge when I get home with a post cruise massage.

 

I googled cruise chip crew message boards and found disturbing posts by former and current employees of Steiner, the company that operates the spa on Royal. I was disheartened by what I read. I will not repost it as I can not vouch for it but if it interests you to do so its not hard. Besides the bad feelings apparently Steiner makes its money on the products sold, not on the services provided. And the workers are not employees of RCI but the subcontractor, Steiner.

 

Make good decisions

[Teeara]

I always book the spa sampler when it is offered as a port special. Usually costs about $100. I ALWAYS write on the form they have me fill out "No sales pitches please" and I have never had any problems at the end of my massage. I leave a good tip and feel great at the end of the massage. Last time they offered an additional hot stone massage for an extra $25 so I figured it was a good price to try it since I had never had one before. Oh my goodness, it was my favorite part of the massage.

[slyster]

I always book the spa sampler when it is offered as a port special. Usually costs about $100. I ALWAYS write on the form they have me fill out "No sales pitches please" and I have never had any problems at the end of my massage. I leave a good tip and feel great at the end of the massage. Last time they offered an additional hot stone massage for an extra $25 so I figured it was a good price to try it since I had never had one before. Oh my goodness, it was my favorite part of the massage.

 

 

Interesting idea...I never thought to write it on the card. I have only had 3 massages but it seems they are always trying to talk me into another massage or talk me into buying products. It has become such a turn off that I dont' think we will schedule anymore. That's disappointing and now that I think about it, i wish I had written it on my survey card.

[Dajbman22]

Thanks to all who responded to my original post.

 

I've done the research, somewhat, and did find my local Massage Envy franchise is really close to my house and basically half the price of the cruise. Still, if the review were that the cruise massage was great and not to be missed I may have splurged. As much as I want to do, I think I will splurge when I get home with a post cruise massage.

 

I googled cruise chip crew message boards and found disturbing posts by former and current employees of Steiner, the company that operates the spa on Royal. I was disheartened by what I read. I will not repost it as I can not vouch for it but if it interests you to do so its not hard. Besides the bad feelings apparently Steiner makes its money on the products sold, not on the services provided. And the workers are not employees of RCI but the subcontractor, Steiner.

 

Make good decisions

 

 

Just a heads up that Massage Envy will also end their massage with a hard sell for their membership. If you do join, then it's all about relaxation during and after that initial visit... but you're not getting away from a hard sell experience (at least on visit #1) with any chain.