Recently I took my second cruise and this time I decided to visit the spa. When I arrived on the ship I took a guided tour of the spa and met several of the employees who gave mini speeches about some of the spa treatments that were available. They offered teeth whitening, seaweed wraps, facials, haircuts and styling, massage, manicures, pedicures and weight loss techniques. I knew that I wanted to get a massage but I was also open to other services.
The prices of their services were somewhat inflated as most vacation spots tend to be, but since this was not my first cruise I was aware that prices were discounted on port days and I opted to wait a few days before I booked my appointment. Hubby also decided to visit the spa with me and although we booked our appointments at the same time, the staff was absolutely bewildered when we told them that we did not want to do the couples package. Relaxation is best served solo in my opinion.
My selection was Spatopia. This consisted of an exfoliation, hot stone back massage, pressure point foot massage, scalp massage and facial. The cost was $139 for 75 minutes. This was the discounted price. My therapist was a lovely young lady from Capetown South Africa. She trained at "university" for two years and had been working on-board for an extended period of time. When she found out what I did for a living she jokingly said "Oh great! You will be judging me the whole time." Throughout the session she asked me lots of questions about my practice and work and I asked her similar questions. I found out that she and her fellow co-workers worked 12-14 hours per day and on slow days they did 4 massages and on busier days could see up to 9 clients. Knowing this I was relatively sure that my appointment was not going to be great.
Tracey started with the exfoliation. This consisted of a very coarse brush going up and down my body. I was expecting a nice scrub and gentle rinse. Surprise! After this brief form of torture she gave me the hot stone back massage. To her credit she gave me a nice relaxing massage despite the fact that she only used her forearms. Poor Tracey explained that she did so many treatments that her wrists and hands were always sore and she could not use them during massages anymore. The pressure point foot massage came next and it lasted about 2 minutes.....blink and you might miss it! She did a very quick facial and scalp massage simultaneously. This was nothing special but it wasn't bad either. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate my spa visit a 6.
Hubby got the exfoliation which he was quick to say "hurt" and a massage. His cost was $129. He told his therapist that he was stiff around his scapula and she focused her attention there.....and only there. At around the 30-minute mark he had to ask her to massage other areas as she had over-worked the area and it was even more irritated that when he arrived. His therapist also complained about her hands and apologized for not being able to give a better massage. Hubby ended his treatment by showing her some stretches for her hands. He was not happy with his session.
The atmosphere was very professional and the treatment rooms were nicely equipped. The prices were not great but were on par with other spas located in vacation spots. The staff was hard-working and friendly but were simply working too many hours and their aches and pains took away from their performance. I left feeling very sorry for the staff and being very thankful that I was not working in such harsh conditions. But I have to admit when Tracey told me that she got to see new places, didn't have to cook or clean....I was a tad jealous for a minute or two.
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