TURNING back time

Hail the holiday that delivers you home not just feeling better but looking younger. Cruises not only offer all the treatments you’d expect onshore but there are also many you can only experience at sea, writes Kirstie Bedford.

Sprawling spaces with fitness centres, saunas, indoor heated pools with mineral-rich waters and salons – spas on cruise ships offer everything from mud-infused massages and snow grottos to cosmetic touch-ups with lasting effects.

Such is the diversity, you could while away your cruise having a different treatment every day of the week to an ever-changing ocean view, and you’ll arrive home with everyone wondering what was in the sea air.

A nod to the past

In Scandinavia, they have been using the anti-ageing process of going from a sauna to snow for centuries. It’s not surprising then that on board the adults-only Viking (whose ocean cruise ships call Bergen home) you can soak, swim and hurl snowballs at each other in a snow grotto at its Nordic Spas.

The process, which you’ll be hardpressed to find in any Australian spa, flushes out toxins, improves blood circulation, reduces inflammation and stimulates the immune system, so you not only feel younger; you’ll look it too.

In ancient Roman culture, ‘otium’ was a unique leisure time where the elite could “pursue their preferred activities to nurture their mind or enjoy the pleasures of life”. Today, you can do just that with Silversea Cruises. The cruise line’s new Otium Spa offers facials, cosmetic treatments, acupuncture, massages and a salon. There’s also body sculpting and personal training, but the best way to take off the years is injectables. Love them or loathe them, there’s no quicker way to ensure you leave looking younger than when you boarded. The Dysport wrinkle treatment takes minutes and within a few days, your frown is a thing of the past. Not keen on injections? Choose the Eternal Youth Facial, a deeply hydrating treatment that focuses on puffiness and crow’s feet.

At Oceania Cruises’ spa Aquamar, whose name derives from the Latin word for water and sea, try Thermage – a non-invasive radiofrequency technology that smooths and tightens the skin in a single treatment. For an extra touch of indulgence, opt for the 80-minute Caviar Firm and Lift Facial for deep, moisturerich hydration, leaving you with a silkysmooth complexion.

A leap of face

While some men aren’t averse to a moisture-rich facial, Explora Journeys offers tailored treatments specifically for male skin. The Power Lift is a 45-minute Dr Levy treatment created specifically for Explora, meaning you won’t find it in any other spas. Skin is primed, infused with a plant-derived stem cell extract and eight other anti-aging ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, and massaged for deep muscle stimulation that promises to ease fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness.

As well as biotech facials, Botox, dermal fillers and Thermage for tummytightening, Celebrity Cruises’ Spa uses one of the most advanced innovations in the world for detox treatments,

MLX i³Dome. A first at sea and a treatment scarce in Australia, you lie on a treatment table where infrared rays stimulate the metabolism, while a plasma and light device over your head rejuvenates and detoxes the skin.

On Regent Seven Seas Cruises, opt for the Elemis Biotech Facial, a stateof-the-art treatment using a facial machine that uses microcurrent, LED light therapy, oxygen infusion, galvanic infusion, and an ultrasonic spatula to iron out wrinkles. The aptly named

Line Eraser lifts and firms muscles and propels anti-aging. And don’t miss a Thousand Flower Detox Wrap, using sustainably sourced mud, wildflowers, herbs and plants rich in nutrients.

Much like the ancient Roman culture of otium, it pays to take your time to peruse your preferred activities before you board a cruise – in this case, the extensive spa menus.

After all, when it comes to how you look, who doesn’t want to turn back time – even just a little bit, and your secret is safe with the sea.

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