Spa treatment questions

[AidenandCasensMommy]

I have never had a spa treatment. I have a few questions. Can you get the best deals while onboard or by booking in advance? Is it customary to tip on top of the service price? And one more. Has anyone had a facial to help treat melasma while onboard? I would love to find something for that. Thanks!

[A&Jfamily]

I have never had a spa treatment. I have a few questions. Can you get the best deals while onboard or by booking in advance? Is it customary to tip on top of the service price? And one more. Has anyone had a facial to help treat melasma while onboard? I would love to find something for that. Thanks!

 

First, the prices are sky high to what you would pay on land; for example I can get a massage at home for $55 and it's at least $125 on the ship. A $25 pedicure is $50. They run "specials" - most commonly on port days, during port hours. But they are are still too rich for my liking. And yes, an additional tip is customary in my experience and do expect them to try to sell you products.

[coevan]

I agree with AJ. I get massages at home bi monthly. I pay $80 for 90 minutes. A $125 for a 55 minute rub down is just not worth it, not even deep tissue. We do love our Cloud 9 Spa balcony.

[silverpenguin]

I have never had a spa treatment. I have a few questions. Can you get the best deals while onboard or by booking in advance? Is it customary to tip on top of the service price? And one more. Has anyone had a facial to help treat melasma while onboard? I would love to find something for that. Thanks!

 

1. The deals on board SEEM better, but I've never actually compared.

2. Yes it is customary to tip extra, but I usually don't because the sales pitch at the end ruins the whole experience for me. If there were no sales pitch, there would be a gracious tip.

3. Have not had a facial on board.

 

My spa experience: Yes, it is WAY more expensive than on land. So much so, that I have decided to only get treatments not readily available at my local hair salon (like, the bamboo massage). My first experience was the fire and ice pedicure, which was nice. I did this because I ran out of time to do my own before the cruise. Our second cruise, I got the bamboo massage. It was a miserable experience because it was near the showers or something and I could hear people laughing and talking the entire time. Not able to relax at all. Then, like I said before they make you fill out a "survey" before the treatment so they know what overpriced products to push on you at the end, ruining the relaxation experience.

 

Will I go to the spa again? Possibly. But my expectations will be very low, and their prices are just too high for low expectations. It would have to be a really good deal.

Edited October 31, 2016 by silverpenguin

[GradUT]

I am definitely NOT a spa person, but Carnival gave me a $50 credit for spa treatments on my cruise last week. Curious as to what this would buy me, I stopped by the spa and picked up the price list. The only treatments which cost less than $50 were a shampoo ($19), a shampoo and blow dry ($35 - $49), waxing services ($15 - $49), and a Fire and Ice Manicure ($50). The staff told me that a 15% tip was automatically added to each treatment, bringing almost every treatment to over $50. I did not use the credit.

 

I still have the price list if you'd like to know how much they charge for specific treatments. FWIW, my daughter tells me these prices are even higher than what she pays in Hollywood.

Edited October 31, 2016 by GradUT

[riffatsea]

Hi,

I am a spa person.

The prices on the ship are the same as prices at hotels on land. They are not the same as prices you may find in your home town at local "spas" .

It is always appropriate to tip extra.

IF you tip your hairdresser extra at home then that is the type of tip you'd give the person giving you a facial or a massage.

I am NEVER bothered with a sales pitch because I tell the person up front that I am there to relax and not buy anything. They have always left me alone after that.

I don't like facials so sorry I cannot help you with the one you are seeking. I always wait to book something on board when I see what they are offering as specials.

[oxymoron11]

I personally like the Elemis Quartz facial. They sometimes offer it in a special that includes a massage. I also find that their Keratin hair treatment lasts much longer than my local salon's and the price is similar.

You are on vacation so special treats are nice.

I always tip extra and have not been subjected to a hard sell, simply say you are not interested.

Enjoy!!

[bakersdozen12]

I had a shellac mani and a fire & ice pedi on my last cruise and it was $125, on top of which they automatically added $20 for a gratuity. Which was fine because I was going to tip that much anyway, but I still would have preferred if it wasn't an auto-gratuity.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Definitely check as see if they ADDED the tip! If so...do NOT tip more! That would be insane!

[factotumdeb]

i just booked a massage on board as a gift for my hubby.

got the sale code from cc about john heald's blog, plus used my 10%

gift card and got it for $79. not too much more than on land and hubby gets to feel special :)

[AussieOmni]

I just use it as a chance to do something I wouldn't do on land so I usually get at least a shave. Depends how Treat Yo Self a mood I'm in. It is more expensive, seems to be no benefit to booking ahead or on the boat.

 

 

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