Now There’s a Spa Cruise for Diehard Beauty Addicts
For some, shipping out on a luxury cruise may, as David Foster Wallace once put it, make you want to jump overboard. But after several years of choppy waters, it looks like cruising may be having a moment again. Once synonymous with luxury—picture Audrey Hepburn honeymooning aboard the Queen Mary—in this age of hyper-connectivity, the idea of a long, transatlantic voyage rather than a time-saving red eye holds a certain appeal again. Throw in an onboard full-service destination spa with a Jacques Cousteau-inspired treatment menu, as per the Celebrity Edge luxury liner which will set sail on her maiden voyage this November, and even the most land-loving amongst us might experience sea change when it comes to booking a cruise.
“Cruising the open seas allows a guest time to embrace a quiet interlude at the spa as well as time to focus on the physical and mindful self,” says spa director Aisling McCarthy. “The ship itself has been designed to bring the guest closer to their surroundings.” With this aim of exploring the connection between self and sea, Celebrity enlisted A-list interior designer Kelly Hoppen (her clients include Victoria Beckham, Madonna, and Elton John) to create a state-of-the-art wellness experience. Known for her love of neutrals and East meets West philosophy, the result is a calming mix of marble and taupe wood with eight different treatment zones including a crystalarium with healing amethysts embedded in the walls; an infrared sauna; a hammam-style Turkish bath; a halotherapy salt room; a rainfall room; and a Float Zen Zone, which features a meditative garden-like stone floor over which nest basket chairs hang, allowing guests to “float” while looking out over the ocean.
As for the spa menu’s offerings, the goal was a mix of all things aquatic and state-of-the-art holistic that could rival any wellness retreat. “We really focused on the destination experience, a place where all wellness needs—nutrition, culinary arts, holistic medicine, MedSpa services, and fitness—would be met,” says McCarthy. To that end, the line teamed up with British skincare brand Elemis to offer a full range of body treatments (yes, you’ll find plenty of salt scrubs and seaweed wraps), facials, peels, LED and galvanic BIOTEC treatments; Ideal Image Medspa for injectables, Thermage and Coolsculpting; Kerastase Institute for hair services; Bliss for waxing; Go Smile for teeth whitening; and a host of other providers to bring everything from boxing, barre, breath work, and a juice bar on board. They even offer acupuncture sessions for the easily seasick.
As with other leading health resorts, guests can develop their own customized plans pre-cruise (there are more than 100 services available for pre-booking) or wait and develop a fitness and nutrition program once on board. Bespoke meal plans can be provided for the duration of the cruise, and there are a host of wellness seminars scheduled to address nutrition, eating behaviors, and detoxification programs. And, with voyages ranging from three to 15 days — routes include the eastern and western Caribbean as well as the Amalfi Coast and Greek Islands, Italy, France and Monaco— there’s plenty of time of for a total transformation as well as a thorough digital detox. If there’s ever been a time to get your sea legs, this may just be your motivation.
