Vitamin Sea
Discover the spa options on today’s modern river ships.
Discover the spa options that await on today’s modern river ships.
A CRUISE ABOARD THE 36-PASSENGER RIVER SHIP Avalon Myanmar on the Irrawaddy introduces you to an exotic land where few tourists have been before. The experience comes complete with visiting golden temples and riding elephants. And then there’s the tiny Burmese woman climbing onto your back. The Myanmar Massage takes place in one of the ship’s two carefully lit, wonderfully scented massage rooms — quite an elaborate setup by river ship standards. A therapist works your pressure points using her hands, feet, knees, and elbows to get you to relax. At $ 40, the massage is a quintessential part of Avalon’s Irrawaddy experience. It’s also proof that you can get a great massage on a river ship.
To Europe
RIVERS DETERMINE THE SIZE OF RIVER SHIPS. On popular routes such as Europe’s Danube and Rhine rivers, the ships need to fit into narrow, short locks and go under low bridges. Space is tight.
As a result, the word “spa” often indicates just a room outfitted with a massage table, staffed by one massage therapist who may double as the ship’s hairdresser and manicurist. In terms of other wellness facilities, you may or may not find a small pool or Jacuzzi, and if there is a fitness room it won’t be big enough for a crowd.
On the other hand, Viking River Cruises, the largest river cruise line, decided with its state-of-the-art Longships (nearly four dozen of the vessels are on European waterways as of this year) to offer spa options off-ship. Viking’s onboard concierge can make reservations, for instance, for you to try the signature Hungar- ian Moor Mud Treatment at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest, near where your ship docks. In Cologne and Vienna, Viking arranges visits to traditional spas with pools fed by mineral springs.
Viking chairman, Torstein Hagen, said the decision to move off-ship was because shipboard wellness facilities are underused spaces that he’d rather use for popular features such as outdoor dining at the ships’ Aquavit Terrace. But competing lines take a different tact in Europe.
All-inclusive luxury line Uniworld, for instance, has a River Serenity Spa on most ships. In a dedicated treatment room scented with candles, you can choose from an extensive menu of hair salon services, facials, body treatments, and massages including classic, Thai, and hot stone. Uniworld ships are also equipped with fitness rooms, bikes, and Nordic walking sticks
for guest use. The newest ships boast a small indoor pool, while some of the older ships have whirlpools. The menu of exercise classes includes group and private yoga sessions.
Avalon Waterways’ ships in Europe have a whirlpool and neat little fitness room, plus a hair salon. They don’t offer spa services, but do offer the fitness option of bike tours — including through the vineyards of Austria’s Wachau Valley.
You can get a massage and a new hairdo on the newer ships of AmaWaterways, including on the soon-to-launch AmaViola, which has been chartered by Adventures by Disney for the debut of several family-friendly sailings this year. There’s also a heated pool, fitness room, and bikes for guest use.
Knowing its guests enjoy being pampered, when luxury ocean line Crystal Cruises debuts its first river ship, Crystal Mozart, on the Danube this summer, guests will find a spa treat- ment room, steam room, and sauna on Deck 1, an indoor pool on Deck 2, and a “pop-up” fitness room and yoga classes. Australian luxury line Scenic puts the zing in wellness with electric-assist bicycles (e-bikes) plus pools, fitness centers, and spas on its newest ships. The facials and massages are reasonably priced. And Beyond IT IS OUTSIDE OF EUROPE THAT SPAS GET extra attention. For example, one line, Haimark, has even gone so far as to dedicate a new river ship on the Mekong as a “spa ship.” The 24-passenger Mekong Princess has massage rooms decorated (like the rest of the ship) in French Colonial splendor, and every guest receives a complimentary massage session. The ship also has a windowed fitness room and classes in yoga and Tai Chi.
On the Yangtze River in China, the larger, five-deck Century Cruises ships, chartered by lines including Uniworld, Avalon, and Viking, are equipped with a variety of resort amenities such as large indoor pools, gyms, sauna, and massage facilities.
Another place you can experience spa treatments beyond the norm is the Peruvian Amazon. On Aqua Expeditions’ two Amazon ships, the signature massage combines heeling hands and the sounds of jungle music.
Closer to home, American Queen Steamboat Company’s American Queen is outfitted with a massage room operated with Pevonia, the natural skincare company, with treatments including a nourishing Queen’s Shea Butter Wrap. Or while you’re rollin’ on the Mississippi, you can indulge in a 30-minute Memphis Massage — which won’t leave you singing the blues.