Spa Treatments, Massages...

[Cruising Mom1]

I would love some feedback on spa treatments - even specifics - on the Explorer of the Seas. I have heard differing opinions - they are too expensive, they are fabulous, they are a rip-off... I love facials and massages and hope to have one or two on my upcoming cruise but sure do think they are pricey!

 

Lastly, what is your approach to the sales pitch for products? do you tell them up front at the start that you aren't interested so don't bother?

[MellieInWI]

On our cruise last month I had a port-special for $109. It included a mini facial, arm/hand/foot/head/shoulder massage and a few other treatments that I can't recall at the moment. It was one of the least expensive options. I originally booked a seaweed body wrap treatment/massage which was $195 but I changed it because I felt too guilty spending that much for something I could have done at home for much less.

 

The sales pitch afterwards wasn't TOO bad. I went into the treatment knowing it was going to happen and "allowed" myself to purchase something if I felt it was reasonable. The items were pricey. I did really like the oil that she used on me and was going to buy it, but she let me off the hook by saying I could think about it and stop back.

 

There are usually better prices for services if you go on days when the ship is in port.

[The Muppets]

A bit off the original topic but did you book a treatment for a port day and then change your original full price treatment for the special that was offered for that day. Or did you just wait till a special was advertised in the compass then book an appointment.

 

On our up-coming trip there are some ports we are not getting off the ship as we have visited them a few times, so we can take advantage of any specials offered, but I am concerned that all the appointments will be full even before the offers are advertised in the compass.

 

Hope I make sense.:confused:

 

Kirsty

[01Sweetpea]

DH & I had a couples hot stone massage on our EOS cruise last summer. While it was a nice treat, and something fun for just the two of us to do on a sea day, it was VERY expensive...somewhere around $400 for the hour. :eek: I did know ahead of time how much it was going to be so I did budget for it.

 

That being said, I doubt I'd do it again. For that price DH & I can go to our local spa several times for massages.

 

As for the sales pitch...someone had suggested to write "not interested in your products" on the bottom of the card, so I did. Did NOT help. I had to "explain" to the masseuse (sp?) that I wasn't interested in buying anything and wasn't going to buy anything. She kept repeating..."I don't understand what this not interested in your products means. And we went round and round in circles for a good 5 minutes. Of course I was getting more and more frustrated and my relaxation from the massage was quickly going out the window.

[Jan_In_Maine]

I had a massage on our last cruise. Deep tissue massage and it was wonderful. (She told me that I needed"a complete life-style change"). First time I've ever had to tell someone to lighten up on the pressure. It is a little bit more expensive than around here ... I know it was over $100.

 

I did tell her that I wasn't interested in any products and there was no problem. I'd love to have another one when we go again in August, but don't know if I really want to spend the money. Jan

[robmab]

I've had massages on almost all of our cruises, and I always come away thinking "That really wasn't worth it." The prices are probably 20-30% higher than what you'd pay in a land-based spa (and I'm talking a NICE one!), and the treatment rooms are somewhat cramped and nothing special. (This was on Jewel and Brilliance...have not been on Explorer.) I'm not sure why I keep going to the ship spas...probably because when I'm home I never have any time to go to the spa, so a vacation is my only chance.

 

With that said, if you are willing to pay extra for the fact that you're getting a spa treatment on a cruise ship, go for it.

 

As for the products, I usually just tune them out when they get to the sales pitch portion. I just nod and smile or mumble "uh-huh" when they're going on and on about how wonderful the products are. I've even said, yeah, leave it up front for me and I'll look at it when I check out. Then I never do.

[Pomperaugrr]

My wife and I usually get one treatment each (yes I like the seaweed wrap with the hydro table) ;), plus we do a couples massage (not Rasul) when we do a 7 night cruise. Yes it is more expensive than a local spa, but for us it is worth the relaxation and pampering. In our opinion, we splurge on a cruise, so we splurge on some of the experiences, like spa treatments. We found the spa staff on the Explorer to be great. We indicated that we were not interested in the products when we signed up and when we started our treatments. We did not get any sales pitch and we enjoyed ourselves.

 

I would recommend it, based on my experiences specifically on the Explorer and other RCI ships. If you do it, know it will cost a bit more, but port specials bring the cost down a bit too. It is really up to you as to whether it is right for you. We tend to spoil ourselves when we cruise. Unfortunately, we can only cruise once or twice a year at the most, so we tend to "do it right" for us and our budget.

 

Eric

[Gonzo70]

 

As for the sales pitch...someone had suggested to write "not interested in your products" on the bottom of the card, so I did. Did NOT help. I had to "explain" to the masseuse (sp?) that I wasn't interested in buying anything and wasn't going to buy anything. She kept repeating..."I don't understand what this not interested in your products means.

 

 

Next time write "I will leave ZERO tip if spoken to about products" in large, clear handwriting on the card. My guess is they will understand. :)

[Gonzo70]

 

On our up-coming trip there are some ports we are not getting off the ship as we have visited them a few times, so we can take advantage of any specials offered, but I am concerned that all the appointments will be full even before the offers are advertised in the compass.

 

In my experience I have never seen a cruise ship spa all that busy; usually they seem rather desperate for customers (which is why they often begin to offer significant discounts during the cruise - sometimes as high as 50% off). They tend to be even less busy during port calls (as the majority of passengers are off the ship). As such, I personally would not be too worried about all the appointments being full while the ship is in port, but obviously cannot guarantee anything.

[MellieInWI]

A bit off the original topic but did you book a treatment for a port day and then change your original full price treatment for the special that was offered for that day. Or did you just wait till a special was advertised in the compass then book an appointment.

 

On our up-coming trip there are some ports we are not getting off the ship as we have visited them a few times, so we can take advantage of any specials offered, but I am concerned that all the appointments will be full even before the offers are advertised in the compass.

 

Hope I make sense.:confused:

 

Kirsty

 

I booked the full-price treatment on the second day of the cruise - my appointment was for the fourth day of the cruise. On the morning of the third day (port day), I went back to the spa to see if there was anything less expensive that I could switch to. I found the flyer on the desk for that $109 package and asked if I could cancel my appointment and switch to that special. They said that was fine and I came back later that day after we got back and had my spa treatment.

[digital_curator]

My DH and I had a couples massage on the Explorer when we sailed in November, 2006. We ran into a slight problem when we booked our appointments on the first day (it was chaos, with about 50 people lined up in the first hours of boarding). We booked a couples massage on Labadee, RCI's private island, and a Rasul appointment for a day at sea.

 

The morning we were to depart for Labadee, we went to the spa as requested only to find out that the person doing the bookings had not written us down as having a couples appointment (though she did on our receipt) and they did not have an open appointment for two of us. We were pretty upset as we had really been looking forward to this. However, we feel that we were fairly compensated- they fit us in for a couples appointment that afternoon (on the ship) and gave us a complimentary Rasul.

 

The massage itself was one of the best I have ever had! I love deep pressure and although my therapist was a tiny woman, she was really strong. At one point I had to laugh because I could hear my husband snoring but he got me back because I woke him up with my snoring a little later:o Even though it was about double what we would pay on land we thought it was worth it.

 

Best of all, no one has ever pushed us to buy something at the spa, though we always write on our form that we are not interested in buying any products.

 

Enjoy!

[birdylady]

We did a couples massage on the beach in Labadee when we did Mariner. The expereince was wonderful. The massage was okay. We did a couples massage this last time on Monarch (was supposed to be on beach, but we couldn't make CocoCay). We ended up having the massage on the ship on the last day. The massage therapists rivaled the professional I go to on a regular basis. That said, the price is more than I pay at home, but I know this is vacation. Also, as others have said later in the trip this time, we heard them advertise deep spa treatment discounts. Just an FYI.

Oh, and lastly be sure if you are going for a couples massage, it is 50 minutes each with the massage, not 25 minutes and then you switch to a 'water bed' type treatment table. I'm sure some people would like that but I figure that's a waste of time for us.

 

Erika

[digital_curator]

That's strange- our couples massage was just that- a massage. There was no float involved.

[Wisdom]

Has anyone done the couples mud bath/massage?

[mistyflannigan]

What always prevented me from booking a massage on a cruise was the fear I would be subject to a high pressure sales pitch that I have heard so many cruise passengers complain about. Such sales pitches during a vacation is akin to a timeshare presentation. Maybe I will tell them up front I will not leave a tip if my massage is interrupted by a sales pitch.

[pcur]

Tell me about the seaweed wrap, please. How much does it cost, also? Thanks.

[MellieInWI]

Tell me about the seaweed wrap, please. How much does it cost, also? Thanks.

 

From what I recall, it was an exfoliation, then a seaweed/mud wrap. It was $195, probably cheaper on a port day. I didn't end up having that particular service done, but another passenger told me it was heavenly.

[swcruise]

Hi,

 

I did a 20/20/20 special on Brilliance for $99 dollars, you had a choice of treatments and I selected a Cleopatra Milk wrap, facial and hot stonemassage. I really enjoyed it, it was even better then some of the more expensive treatments I have selected on previous cruises.

I got my a blow dry in the Hair salon on formal nights and did notice that it seemed much more expensive then last year.

I don't think getting appointments is a problem as people are being more cost aware in the current economic times. I booked my mum a spa treat and forgot that it was for the Port day, when I rang up and explained they very kindly moved it to the next day. One thing that would help is if they left you a VM in your room the day before to remind you. There was so much going on and I was so chiled out that I just plain forgot

[EBFURR]

We have found that on cruises where the first (full) day is an "at sea" day the spa books quickly up for that day. The rest of the cruise is not so bad.

 

Sometimes we have not been pitched for products at all. Other times we get the pitch - not sure what the difference is. DW says not to put down on the form that you have any problems or complaints (back pain, stress, etc) and just say the massage is for relaxation. Also, do not bring up any of this in conversation. They tend to pick up on keywords from the form and from talking to you to pitch certain products. May help, may not.

 

I have never had a really hard sell, but there is one tactic to be aware of. After the massage they may describe several products to you without mentioning prices or suggesting purchase. If you sit and listen, they take that as a "yes". This is conducted in a very low key manner with no pressure whatsoever. At the end, they will say "Oaky, I just need your Seapass card now." Many people will think that is just to pay for the massage, so they hand it over since they never agreed to purchase anything. When they get to the front to sign the bill they find that they are being charged for the products that were described. Many will sign the bill to avoid conflict. They tried this on me once, but I had already heard about it and questioned why they needed my Seapass and what the charge would be before handing it over. I do know some folks that 'bought" a couple hundred $$ worth of products this way.:eek:

[Gracie115]

Book your spa appointments at home, the day before you go. You'll generally get a better treatment, for much less money and no sales pitch at all. Save your money for something more worthwhile, I have nearly always been disappointed in cruise ship spa treatments, including the hair salon... The only thing I do in the spa now is get a manicure the 1st day...and that's only because my nails are a mess and I can't keep them decent with my job...

 

I'm sure others feel different but that's been my experience....

[Cruising Mom1]

Thank you all for the responses & suggestions. I appreciate it.

[sandytoes03]

I've never gotten a massage, but have had my nails done a few times. It was fine, and never got any tough sales pitches.