WHAT: Skin-tightening
You can have any treatment your heart desires at the Zagara Beauty Salon and Spa on this ritzy cruise line, including injectables, teeth whitening and aromatherapy but if you're on its Silver Muse and Silver Spirit ships check out Thermage. This is a non-surgical radiofrequency procedure that promises to smooth, tighten and lift your face and/ or tummy and last for several months.
SEABOURN
WHAT: Mindfulness
Ultra-luxe US cruise line Seabourn has partnered with Dr Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine pioneer who tackles physical, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. Each ship in its fleet has a Mindful Living Coach — a certified yoga and meditation practitioner — on board to help educate and inspire guests with classes and seminars during their cruise. You can also indulge in sound therapy (check out the Crystal Sound Bath Group Class using crystal bowls to create sound wave vibrations that help to "release stagnant energy and aid deep relaxation") and acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. But if you just want a manicure and a blow-wave, they do all the traditional spa treatments too.
UNIWORLD RIVER CRUISES
WHAT: Killer massages
Can you think of anything more relaxing than cruising in opulence down a river in Europe, China, Russia or Egypt while enjoying one of Uniworld's Serenity River Spa treatments? Choose between 30-, 60- and 90-minute experiences, from Japanese Bamboo Massages using pieces of heated bamboo to Body Buff Treatments offering full body exfoliation.
CELEBRITY CRUISES
WHAT: Energy healing and dermal fillers
The newest ship in the Celebrity fleet, Celebrity Edge, lays claim to the Sea Thermal Suite, which is home to a series of areas that serve as a prelude to your spa treatment. Among them, is the Crystalarium made of stone walls featuring healing amethyst crystal, a desert infrared sauna, a float zen zone which sees guests cocooned in suspended nested basket chairs, a modern take on a Turkish bath, and both salt and rainfall water therapy rooms.
Once inside the spa you can choose from a dazzling array of the usual suspects — or you can head down the less traditional route and get those dermal fillers you've always dreamed of. Choose between smile, marionette and lip lines or lip enhancement, or maybe try a wrinkle treatment on your frown or forehead lines or pesky crow's feet. The MedSpa also offers CoolSculpting, a non-surgical fat- reduction procedure.
SCENIC CRUISES
WHAT: Salt therapy
Luxury cruise line Scenic upgraded its fleet of nine river cruise ships earlier this year and the refurb included expansive new wellness centres. The highlight of these are the new humidity and temperature controlled salt therapy lounges, designed to operate like natural salt mines, featuring walls lined with salt bricks to create a micro-climate. The mineral is believed to have beneficial health properties such as boosting the immune system and improving respiration, and is thought to also improve one's mood.
DREAM CRUISES
WHAT: Reflexology
This is the signature treatment of this Asian cruise line's Genting Dream and World Dream ships, which boast the largest reflexology spas at sea in the world. At the Crystal Life Asian Spa, therapists combine traditional techniques, Chinese special practices and therapeutic acupressure during a pamper session that dreams are made of.
CUNARD
WHAT: Ocean-inspired treatments
The Mareel Wellness & Beauty spa and salon aboard the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria offers a range of ocean-inspired massage,body, facial and alternative treatments designed to transform and heal. "Mareel" comes from the Old Norse word "marueldr" combining "marr", meaning "sea", with "eldr", meaning "fire" and the two signature treatments you want to bookmark here are the signature full-body Mareel Massage, aimed at stimulating circulation and soothing tight muscles, and the Mareel Stone Massage which uses smooth basalt stones and soothing essential oils to really get into those weary muscles after a day of sightseeing on shore.
