Good Lotus Spa Experience Possible?

[Bernbun29]

I am going on my first cruise and have booked a facial -- after reading many of the recent posts -- I am ready to turn quick and run from the spa. Are there good experiences?

[OCNJ Cruiser]

I had a wonderful experience in the Lotus Spa. My friend and I booked a special that was offered the first couple nights "Ladies Night" it was called. We each got a mini facial, back, neck, leg massage, and exfoliation(sp?) It was worth every penny! We were given robes and after filling out some paper work, we were led outside and upstairs to the Sanctuary! The place was deserted and we were led to this little cabana in the center and watched the sun set! It was awesome!!

The only things you have to be mindful of are the shower doors in the locker room. For some reason they dont latch shut, so if you are underway and trying to take a shower....well you get the idea(Not Pretty!!)

[janetz]

Don't book ahead. Wait for the specials onboard. :)

[Seayalater]

We just got off the CB. The spa is pretty expensive. I took a tour when we boarded adn entered for a giveaway, and low and behold on the last cruise day I got a notice I had won 60% off a luxury spa treatment.

What was $199 was now $139. So I did the ginger lime/salt body exfoliation

and massage with a mini facial. It was 75 minutes and the woman is the track & field team trainer for Estonia (between Russia and Finland)

She was very good and sweet. They do a soft sell at the end to get you

to buy products "only available" at Lotus Spa but I simply said "not in my price range".

My daughters also got very nice mini facials for $35 on the last cruise deal, so if I were you I would wait for last minute deals. They are in the patter.

Enjoy your trip!!

[Seayalater]

$60 dollars off, NOT 60%!!

[Logie]

I live in Las Vegas so to me the prices on the ship are actually cheaper than any hotel casino spa here.

 

If you are a repeat passenger you get a coupon book, which has a coupon for 10% or 15% off port days. I schedule my appointment for sail away time to get the discount and have not missed any time in port.

 

As stated there are often daily specials.

 

The therapists are generally excellent and if you go earlier in the cruise I have been invited back with the same therapist at a discount. Beleive me I took advantage of this on the Diamond last month. Tomek was excellent!!

 

I have purchased some of the products and some I actually like, but do not buy anymore. BEFORE my massage even starts I tell that I will not be interested in any products today. It takes the pressure off me as well as them.

 

For those who cannot say no if the sales pitch arises you can always return the unopened products for a refund.

 

I think the salon is over priced more than the spa......

[cruise fairy]

I am going on my first cruise and have booked a facial -- after reading many of the recent posts -- I am ready to turn quick and run from the spa. Are there good experiences?

 

Yes, if you really want the cruise spa experience....it can be very nice. Just remember, it can be pricey...but if the spa on the cruise is what you want, go for it.

I would also let them know right up front, NO SALES PITCH! or no tip. I had a bad experience ONE time, known as the 'fat brush incident' in my family......long story. Anyway, know that it can be a little more expensive on the ship, you'll get a high pressure sales pitch unless you stop them before they start, and finally, check your bill after the service and at the purser's desk before the end of the cruise.....you'll be fine and it CAN be very relaxing:)

[secretcastle]

I was on the Coral last month, and they had a port day special that was called 20/20/20 and you could choose 3 different treatments and the price was $79. I booked it for after the ship had left port so I did not miss out on anything. It was well worth it. I had a wonderful masseuse, Juan, and he is also trained in relexology and cranial sacral therapy. It lasted over an hour, I had a full body lime and ginger exfoliation, and a full body massage and a foot treatment. It actually went over an hour and I felt amazing for days after. He did not try to sell me the products, he wrote down which things he used on a paper for me. I already had one of the products at home and I just love it, so i ended up going back a few days later and picking up a couple of other products that I was happy with. This was the best spa deal ever.

Enjoy!

Julia

[willysgrandma]

What bad experiences have you been reading about? I've yet to have a bad experience at the spa on a ship.

 

Just go in forewarned - they will try to sell you more services and product - they can be quite insistent. Just say no.

 

And check your room charges at the pursers desk once or twice during the cruise - ask for a printout of you charges to make sure there are no errors or charges you didn't make. It is easier to fix them during the cruise than on the last day when it is very busy.

[rubegoddess]

i was on the CB last Feb. and had two AMAZING treatments. The therapists were fantastic, two of the best massages i've ever had. No hard sell, infact, no sell at all. wonderful. :o

[KAWS]

I prebooked a spa treatment for the last sea day of my cruise. I see from the above posts that this might have been a mistake and I should have waited for the cruise specials.

 

Has anyone booked something, seen specials and then cancelled their prebooked treatment? Any problem with doing that or should I just cancel now and then hope that some special does happen and I can get that? I've got the one hour ginger lime/salt body exfoliation booked.

[friend of Eeyore]

It seems that you've gotten your answer - people have had good spa experiences. I think you should keep several things in mind:

1) It may be more expensive than you'd get on land (unless you live in Vegas). I got mine as a gift, so only paid a little out of pocket.

2) Go in knowing what you've booked, so that:

A) you get the right treatment

B) you pay the right price

3) When you first go in, make it clear that you will have a relaxing experience if you don't get a pitch to buy anything - that it's not in your budget, that you already have a regimen that's right for you, whatever excuse you want to use. As soon as she started (even before the treatment), to say something along the lines of "We'll find which scent relaxes you the most" (I'm allergic to floral, so had to be specific at that point), I also told her that I was there to relax, and would not be buying anything, and didn't want to hear about it. (I did say it in a nice way.) She did look a little startled, and said that she wasn't going to try to sell me something. Sure enough, she didn't. (And therefore got a nicer tip.) However, if I hadn't said something, I think I would have gotten the pitch - I could see it coming a mile away.

4) As for sales, I didn't catch any, except a 10% discount for booking online (even though I went in once I was on board and changed the time/day - I had thought wrongly about the formal night). However, they are usually on port days, so if you have a busy itinerary planned, you may not be able to catch them.

[MercedMike]

I prebooked a spa treatment for the last sea day of my cruise. I see from the above posts that this might have been a mistake and I should have waited for the cruise specials.

 

Has anyone booked something, seen specials and then cancelled their prebooked treatment? Any problem with doing that or should I just cancel now and then hope that some special does happen and I can get that? I've got the one hour ginger lime/salt body exfoliation booked.

 

My DW loves that ginger lime massage! She has one every cruise. She has never had a negative experience. She is very good at saying NO when they try a sales pitch, and then just relaxes and enjoys it.

 

Frankly this stuff about cruise specials is a bunch of hype, just as the "drink of the day" and the "inventory sale" in the boutiques is. You can't get the same treatment at a discounted price ... it is some shortened or cut rate version that you get on "special."

 

I know you will love your spa experience as much as DW does, if you go into it with as good an attitude as she does, not worrying about whether you missed a so-called "special," or whether somebody will try to sell you some overpriced stuff!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[jane02]

I have always enjoyed my times at the Spa and between my husband and myself, we have tried nearly every treatment.

I very much enjoyed the hot stones massage, lime/ginger scrub (think that is what it was called) and the hair treatment.

I also love the Elemis products and now buy them here in Melbourne after being introduced to them on the Pacific Princess.

Jane;)

[KAWS]

Frankly this stuff about cruise specials is a bunch of hype, just as the "drink of the day" and the "inventory sale" in the boutiques is. You can't get the same treatment at a discounted price ... it is some shortened or cut rate version that you get on "special."

 

I know you will love your spa experience as much as DW does, if you go into it with as good an attitude as she does, not worrying about whether you missed a so-called "special," or whether somebody will try to sell you some overpriced stuff!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Thanks for the comments Mike. You're so right. Anything "special" is going to be altered to make sure the same amount of profit is made. I just want to go for the ship spa experience. We cruised in March on Carnival and nothing on the spa menu intrigued me so I took a pass. The lime/ginger lotion and massage offered by Princess just appealed to me and that's why I booked it.

[Seayalater]

you can cancel an appt if it is 24 hrs prior.

I actually booked a facial prior to sailaway

and misunderstood the pricing, so I canceled

and explained why. They were very courteous, BUT

DO CHECK YOU BILL. My daughter was overcharged

and my hubby really had to haggle w/customer service

which is an area Princess really loses points for.

The guy would not admit the overcharge and made

a scene rather then them saying, "Yes, I agree. I see

there is an overcharge, sorry."

[Morisnfan]

My hubby & I did a treatment on our last cruise... it's kind of a do it yourself treatment & you can use the products, steam etc. It is the couples' Rasul; there's a private mud-room with steam. You never get any sales pitch & it is really fun & romantic!

[macsmum1]

I prebooked a spa treatment for the last sea day of my cruise. I see from the above posts that this might have been a mistake and I should have waited for the cruise specials.

 

Has anyone booked something, seen specials and then cancelled their prebooked treatment? Any problem with doing that or should I just cancel now and then hope that some special does happen and I can get that? I've got the one hour ginger lime/salt body exfoliation booked.

 

 

I prebooked a massage on the Golden Princess and there was a special for that service. They credited me the difference giving me the lower price - I didn't even have to ask them

 

There is usually a sales pitch at the end. When you complete the "form" at your appointment write in you already use some product such as Obagi, etc. Once I told them that, they never tried to "sell" me again.

 

Ann