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Men's Spa Facilities on Cruise ships: Which ones do you think are the best?


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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - but just watched a video of the new Celebrity Edge Spa. ALL areas in the Thermal Suite are co-ed (suits required) and the changing areas only consist of lockers, toilets and showers. NO gender-specific sauna, even in the locker room area! (big disappointment and a definite change from their earlier class ships). It appears that the locker area is only available to users of the fee-based Thermal Suite, as the Spa, Thermal Suite and locker rooms are on a different deck than the gym. Thermal suite is an included perk if you book an Aqua class cabin. Hope future drydocks upgrades don't mean death to all the gender-specific free saunas in Celebrity's fleet!

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9 minutes ago, twodjs said:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - but just watched a video of the new Celebrity Edge Spa. ALL areas in the Thermal Suite are co-ed (suits required) and the changing areas only consist of lockers, toilets and showers. NO gender-specific sauna, even in the locker room area! (big disappointment and a definite change from their earlier class ships). It appears that the locker area is only available to users of the fee-based Thermal Suite, as the Spa, Thermal Suite and locker rooms are on a different deck than the gym. Thermal suite is an included perk if you book an Aqua class cabin. Hope future drydocks upgrades don't mean death to all the gender-specific free saunas in Celebrity's fleet!

As I posted after my October 2018 cruise on the Celebrity Summit, they are doing away with the single sex sauna on her.  I fear that the writing is on the steam room door...co-ed and pay to use...It is sad.  I am going on the Celebrity Eclipse October 2019 for a 15 day LA to Hawaii and back.  I hope they hold off changing that steam room till later.  15 days and no conversations???  I'll report, once back.

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3 hours ago, RydingWaves said:

As I posted after my October 2018 cruise on the Celebrity Summit, they are doing away with the single sex sauna on her.  I fear that the writing is on the steam room door...co-ed and pay to use...It is sad.  I am going on the Celebrity Eclipse October 2019 for a 15 day LA to Hawaii and back.  I hope they hold off changing that steam room till later.  15 days and no conversations???  I'll report, once back.

Yes, saw your original post about the Summit. Checked the drydock schedule and Eclipse doesn't get "fixed" until April, 2020. We just booked the Hawaii to Vancouver for next April. Looks like our cruises are both safe. Enjoy your cruise!

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21 hours ago, twodjs said:

Yes, saw your original post about the Summit. Checked the drydock schedule and Eclipse doesn't get "fixed" until April, 2020. We just booked the Hawaii to Vancouver for next April. Looks like our cruises are both safe. Enjoy your cruise!

I wish you a great cruise too!  Let's rock that boat (for one last time) bon voyage!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am an Celebrity Edge now and can confirm the men’s locker room only has lockers, restroom and showers. Unlike the other recent ships that at least have sauna in the men’s locker room, the Edge has no spa facilities that are gender specific whatsoever.  So if you want to enjoy steam, sauna, etc, plan on wearing a swim suit and having a coed experience.  And expect to pay a hefty fee unless you’re in an Aquaclass category.

 

One additional comment - while the locker room is on the same level as the spa (one level down from the gym) and connects to the paid facilities, it is also accessible via another door as well.  So guys not paying for the spa facilities can still get into the locker room.

Edited by pke-atlanta
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/8/2018 at 11:01 AM, pke-atlanta said:

I am an Celebrity Edge now and can confirm the men’s locker room only has lockers, restroom and showers. Unlike the other recent ships that at least have sauna in the men’s locker room, the Edge has no spa facilities that are gender specific whatsoever. 

Thanks for the first-hand confirmation. I thought perhaps the video I watched simply forgot to show the men's sauna. Truly disappointed becase we're on Edge in March. Best part of the workout and I really don't enjoy just co-ed. Maybe Virgin will build it right in their new ships.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

You certainly don't have to go to a foreign country to experience a European-style sauna. In Vegas, most of the larger hotels have extensive spa areas with European pool areas for adults only (topless or sometimes clothing optional) and spa areas that are definitely gender specific. I have been to the Wynn (very nice property) and understand Caesars has an outstanding spa. My only experience outside the country was in Cabo, where the resort spa area was also gender specific. I'm sure others can list great examples in many parts of the world that are much more progressive than parts of the U.S.

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I just returned from Las Vegas and went to Caesar's Qua Spa.  It was $65 for a weekend day pass, I think $50 for a weekday day pass.  It is a Roman Bath, with multiple hot tubs of varying heat from cold to hot.  There was a sauna, steam room, Hot inhalation room and an Ice room.  There was also a relaxation room where they served coffee, tea, juice, fruit and pretzels.  This was all in a single sex area.  Most people wore the supplied robes or just a towel.  If you bought a spa service (massage, waxing e.g.) you were taken into a separate area between the male and female sections of the spa.  It was definitely worth the admission price as it was very relaxing after a long day of traveling on a cramped airplane.

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On 12/28/2018 at 11:41 PM, phoenix8 said:

Was wondering if anyone knew of any good land based European saunas ? Any countries have gender specific saunas or all coed? 

 

Korean Spas have gender specific days and everyone is expected to be naked. Several in Las Vegas, LA etc.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It appears that the Carnival Splendor does not have both free sauna and steam rooms in the locker area, but a single sex sauna only. Can someone who has been on the Splendor describe the men's locker room/sauna?  Thanks 

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On 1/21/2019 at 2:32 PM, ouse456 said:

It appears that the Carnival Splendor does not have both free sauna and steam rooms in the locker area, but a single sex sauna only. Can someone who has been on the Splendor describe the men's locker room/sauna?  Thanks 

We were on the Splendor in 2017.  I remember a small sauna in the free locker room.  Maybe 3 or 4 at a time could fit.  A couple of the showers were steam/shower combinations.

Screenshot_2019-01-29 Carnival Splendor deck plan 11.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally found some of the first pictures to surface of a post-drydock M class ship from Celebrity. The Millennium had a major redesign of the locker room/sauna area. The original space has been replace by about 13 Aqua class staterooms. The new smaller space does still have the free, smaller sauna within the new locker room space. I downloaded a few pictures.

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160CBCB0-32A5-47BA-AD8F-024A72DBB885.jpeg.34e983f0f32961a4fb7d9a021b9a700d.jpeg

AADA6CC3-2555-41DE-81C9-7732A24C4508.jpeg.6ac78944db818af9c9598767a2d0c5ba.jpeg

D8AD92AE-BB6C-4FB1-80FD-EB244E41DC12.jpeg.f4c6ec1f22d0460ec901bcf4802855d5.jpeg

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twodjs, Thanks for the great news.  I was on the Celebrity Summit October 2018 and loved the free sauna in the men's changing room that overlooked the ocean.  Even though they are taking away the view of the ocean on my cruise, October 2020, I will be back on her and be able to have my free sauna.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Can anyone provide an update on the status of the Sauna and Steam room on the newly renovated Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas?  The floor plan shows a brand new gym but does not give any details beyond that.  

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Celebrity Millennium

 

Thanks to twodjs for the excellent pics of the newly refurbed Millennium. I was on its second cruise and can state that this “upgrade”, while modern looking, is a vast disappointment.  The floors are tile and constantly wet and slippery. There is not even one hook in the place to hang a towel or robe. The locker area is small and often crowded.  The sauna holds at best 4, and with its location has lots of traffic going to the shower. It’s not conducive to a relaxing conversation. The porthole of the past is gone, and all in all this space is a big downgrade. Very sad.  Mike

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Really sorry to read this, Mike. I had lifted the pictures from another poster on the Millie. After they botched the Edge spa, in my opinion (hate that it is entirely co-ed), at least the early pictures of the upgrade gave me some hope. Looks like they blew this one, too. The old design was SO much better! I'm sure someone at Celebrity is going to say "see, we kept the sauna". Well... Next to be ruined is the S class. 

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Just (February 2019) cruised on MSC Seaside out of Miami: There is a free men's only locker room that is part of the free gym facility (no check-in required). It consists of three showers with frosted glass doors in a separate space, a small locker/changing room area with a small bench, and a small dry sauna with a partially frosted glass door that seats about 4 or 5 men fairly comfortably. The location of the sauna is awkward and in the high traffic entry to the men's locker room, directly across from the entry to the women's locker room. The glass door entry to the men's locker room is kept wide open, and the entry to the dry sauna is directly on the right just as you enter the locker room. It was a rarely used sauna, and perhaps busiest in the morning as men used it after a work out and mostly clad in full sweaty athletic clothes and shoes! The sign posted outside the sauna lists "bathing suits" required, however, I was not the only one to enjoy it sans clothing wrapped in the towel. The towel situation is another challenge - there are no large shower towels provided, only small gym towels at the gym front desk. So, you must bring a full-sized towel from your room if you plan to go nude and cover up. During all of the times I spent in the sauna, not a single time was it checked by an attendant, but the locker room somehow was kept fairly tidy. 

 

Bottom Line: At least there is a free men's only dry sauna, but it's location and the lack of towels makes it less then ideal. 

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On 3/8/2019 at 11:03 PM, willcan said:

Can anyone provide an update on the status of the Sauna and Steam room on the newly renovated Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas?  The floor plan shows a brand new gym but does not give any details beyond that.  

 

I'm still waiting for confirmation from someone who's been on board since the reno, but all indications are that Royal is going the direction they did with Oasis-class ships. Smaller fitness center with no real locker room, no free sauna/steam, and a thermal suite in the spa with the only saunas/steam room (for a fee).

 

So far the reports I've seen from Navigator have said that the fitness center isn't even done yet, and there is workout equipment in the solarium. Hopefully we will hear some confirmation soon, but I fear it will not be good news regarding the sauna/steam.

 

I would love to be wrong.

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17 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

I'm still waiting for confirmation from someone who's been on board since the reno, but all indications are that Royal is going the direction they did with Oasis-class ships. Smaller fitness center with no real locker room, no free sauna/steam, and a thermal suite in the spa with the only saunas/steam room (for a fee).

 

So far the reports I've seen from Navigator have said that the fitness center isn't even done yet, and there is workout equipment in the solarium. Hopefully we will hear some confirmation soon, but I fear it will not be good news regarding the sauna/steam.

 

I would love to be wrong.

 

I just boarded Navigator today and will be doing a 5 day charter cruise. I can confirm that the fitness centre is closed and still under renovations.  I talked to one of the gym instructors and he said they are almost complete and are waiting for inspections to pass their safety checks. He said that he didn’t believe it would be open for this cruise and I was welcome to use the 6 treadmills they have setup in the solarium, but there is always a possiblity it will open. If it does I’ll grab some pics and write up an update. The next cruise is a Zumba charter so I hope it’s open for that or there are going to be a lot of angry people 😝

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44 minutes ago, twallo said:

 

I just boarded Navigator today and will be doing a 5 day charter cruise. I can confirm that the fitness centre is closed and still under renovations.  I talked to one of the gym instructors and he said they are almost complete and are waiting for inspections to pass their safety checks. He said that he didn’t believe it would be open for this cruise and I was welcome to use the 6 treadmills they have setup in the solarium, but there is always a possiblity it will open. If it does I’ll grab some pics and write up an update. The next cruise is a Zumba charter so I hope it’s open for that or there are going to be a lot of angry people 😝

 

Thanks much. Could you perhaps also check in the spa to see if they now have a thermal suite? They might also have some information as to whether the new fitness center locker rooms, if they have any, have a sauna/steam room.

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19 hours ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

Thanks much. Could you perhaps also check in the spa to see if they now have a thermal suite? They might also have some information as to whether the new fitness center locker rooms, if they have any, have a sauna/steam room.

 

Talked to the spa receptionist this morning. Navigator does not have a thermal suite. They do have a steam room for use before or after a treatment. She didn’t have information about the fitness centre facilities as she hasn’t seen them yet. I guess we all have to wait and see. I’ll post an update if the fitness centre opens before the end of the cruise.

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