Spa newbie question

[ptuder]

I have never used the spa or any of the services.  I’ve never even had a massage on land. I have pre purchased a massage for me and my husband. Is this inclusive of tip?  If not what is standard tip for service?  Will they add it automatically or is it our option to include?  Thanks for your help!

 

[Até]

I've never had a gratuity added to any online pre purchased item - at least with MSC.  When you purchase a service on the ship a 15% gratuity is added, I suppose you can use that as a guideline but it should be a personal decision.  Be prepared for a sales attempt on other services, my tactic is to ask them not to from the start and if they oblige or don't it affects the tip.

[Darcy15]

I have had a manicure, pedicure, facial and hairdo in MSC spas and never once experienced a sales pitch.......made such a pleasant change from other cruise lines, where I have stopped using the spa because of the intrusive sales tactics. 

 

I found the services to be very good and reasonably priced. The ladies were also very pleasant ☺️

[floridian1]

I'm also seeking confirmation on if gratuity is included in prepurchased massages.

[Captain-John]

I cannot say with certainty, but would strongly suspect the gratuity is included. I'd be amazed if not.

[ptuder]

1 hour ago, floridian1 said:

I'm also seeking confirmation on if gratuity is included in prepurchased massages.

We went this morning. We pre purchased a massage for each of us.  They had our details when we checked in, filled out a sheet with basic data and health questions.  After our massages they walked us out, I asked if we needed to check out and she said no, have a great day!  Only asked me not my husband if I wanted to buys any oils or lotion but not a sales pitch at all.  

[HLR]

On 5/31/2019 at 1:44 PM, ptuder said:

We went this morning. We pre purchased a massage for each of us.  They had our details when we checked in, filled out a sheet with basic data and health questions.  After our massages they walked us out, I asked if we needed to check out and she said no, have a great day!  Only asked me not my husband if I wanted to buys any oils or lotion but not a sales pitch at all.  

 

Hello!

For pre-purchased massages...when do you book the time? I booked one for my upcoming cruise on the Meraviglia.

 

Howard

[Beamafar]

19 minutes ago, HLR said:

 

Hello!

For pre-purchased massages...when do you book the time? I booked one for my upcoming cruise on the Meraviglia.

 

Howard

 

You need to book as early as possible after boarding to ensure you get the time slot you're looking for.

[HLR]

3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

 

You need to book as early as possible after boarding to ensure you get the time slot you're looking for.

 

Why Thank You!  Luckily it is a 10 night cruise....but everyone will be boarding the same day in NYC! Yikes....not like the every port thing in Europe...

 

Howard

[Beamafar]

6 hours ago, HLR said:

 

Why Thank You!  Luckily it is a 10 night cruise....but everyone will be boarding the same day in NYC! Yikes....not like the every port thing in Europe...

 

Howard

 

Of course!  That's so true.  😱  Most of our boarding experiences are in Med ports, where the numbers embarking are staggered across at least 2 or 3 main ports.  At least you won't have too far to go to get to the port - just try and arrive as early as possible to get the lowest number being distributed for embarkation.

Edited June 16, 2019 by Beamafar

[floridian1]

I just got off the ship. Prepurchased spa services DO NOT include tip. I confirmed this with the spa and concierge. They don't make you sign anything after your appointment and you can not leave a tip on your card on file. Only way to leave a tip is with cash. Very confusing...and imo the spa staff is getting shorted by msc because of this confusion.

[Midnights Mom]

This is confusing.  I had read a post some months ago that clearly stated not to tip at the salon as a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your account and you don't want to double tip.  Also, I was under the impression that after your spa services you could use the facilities in the thermal area.  Is that not correct?

[rkacruiser]

On 6/16/2019 at 10:02 AM, floridian1 said:

Only way to leave a tip is with cash.

 

 

??  Who takes  cash with them for a spa appointment?

[L2float]

Bring cash if you want to tip. We just returned from a trip on the Armonia. I purchased a spa package online and we also purchased 2 massages on the ship. We were charged the 15% service charge for the services that we purchased after sailing. I assumed that we would be able to charge tips to our account for the others, but as mentioned before, this was not possible. I tried to find an ATM to get cash for spa tips, but there is no ATM on board! We had extra cash because our Cuba stop had been cancelled, so we gave each of the ladies cash in envelopes the last night. Every treatment we had was fabulous and the tips were well deserved!

 

 

[floridian1]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

??  Who takes  cash with them for a spa appointment?

Exactly it was strange they don't allow you to charge it. I went back and left the cash later in the day..they handed me envelopes.

[floridian1]

4 hours ago, Midnights Mom said:

This is confusing.  I had read a post some months ago that clearly stated not to tip at the salon as a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your account and you don't want to double tip.  Also, I was under the impression that after your spa services you could use the facilities in the thermal area.  Is that not correct?

Depends on the cabin type you booked. Not everyone gets free access. They do sell day and weekly passes for those that don't have it included in their cabin type.

[ziggyuk]

6 hours ago, Midnights Mom said:

This is confusing.  I had read a post some months ago that clearly stated not to tip at the salon as a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your account and you don't want to double tip.  Also, I was under the impression that after your spa services you could use the facilities in the thermal area.  Is that not correct?

 

Very confusing as MSC explicitly states it does not recommend tipping individual members of staff.