One of the largest and most impressive spa retreats at sea, this is a place to relax, enjoy the view, and indulge in a little, or a lot of, pampering.
On longer cruises, especially those with plenty of sea days, I love to schedule some me-time at the spa. It's become one of the many highlights for cruise fans today, and on Celebrity Solstice late last year, on her debut cruise to Australia, I had the perfect opportunity to pay a visit; a leisurely voyage from Singapore to Sydney, with only a handful of ports of call on the way.
I'd had my first taste of AquaSpa, however, when I flew to the USA for the launch of Celebrity Eclipse in Fort Lauderdale a few years ago. Just touring the spa was impressive enough as it's a beautiful space, but proof of the worth of any spa resort is found in the treatments. It also has a menu of treatments by one of my favourite spa brands, Elemis, so I had an inkling of what to expect.
The Decor:
This is a truly beautiful space, plenty of clinical white in the marble floor, columns, walls and reception desk, offset by trims of natural warm stone, and generous splashes of aqua blue. After being warmly greeted, and before my treatment, I changed into a fluffy robe in the ladies locker room, then headed to the Persian Garden relaxation room to unwind. This is where you'll also find the herbal steam room, and the experience shower, and heated stone beds which defy you not to fall asleep. The view is sublime, and in my case being a sea day, it consisted of the balmy open ocean and the distant horizon. I shared it with a number of other guests happy to idle away the time in silence. Then it was off to my treatment room to begin my indulgence.
The Treatments:
AquaSpa is a full service spa which offers everything you could possibly think of, from traditional massages and facials, to tooth whitening and cosmetic services such as Botox injections. The spa also has YSpa services for teens, including facials to help combat acne, and self tanning, and couples' specific treatments including massage in a special suite. A fitness centre and beauty salon round up the facilities.
I opted for an old favourite, an Elemis Aroma Spa Seaweed treatment, which includes a half body massage. The one hour 15 minute session begins with the application of a hot seaweed mask infused with essential oils to the entire body, after which you are wrapped up and left to relax. As your body warms up, the natural ingredients in the mask penetrate the skin, easing muscle tensions and detoxifying the body.
After showering the mask off, the decongestion process continues with a half body massage, focussing on the back, shoulders and neck. This can be tailored to suit your needs in terms of pressure.
The Verdict:
A beautiful space, and a long treatment menu, on a fabulous ship. What's not to love about that? If you do make a trip to AquaSpa, take the time to enjoy all the facilities open to you. If you have any stress before you visit, I can guarantee you won't afterwards. And if you're a real spa addict, consider booking an AquaSpa stateroom, which comes with additional healthy perks, including exclusive access to the restaurant Blu!
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