Not having that much space to work with, river cruise lines are both selective and creative about the amenities incorporated into ship designs and layouts. Recently, that has meant turning attention toward the spa and wellness facilities and how to do more with less.
In the past, the spa and wellness areas on river cruise ships typically consisted of a small treatment room and a compact gym with limited services. Some lines, such as Viking River Cruises, forgo these amenities altogether, offering instead to help passengers book spa and gym services on shore.
Over the last few years, however, some river cruise companies have been significantly enhancing their wellness programs to offer a level of treatment and services more in line with luxury hotels and ocean cruises. And it's not that there is necessarily more real estate to devote to the spa program; in fact, most spa experiences on river cruise vessels still take place in that single room. So passengers shouldn't expect the over-the-top and often sprawling spa complexes, complete with multiple dipping pools, saunas, steam rooms and rest and relaxation areas, that are common on ocean cruise ships and at resorts. But what they can expect are well-trained technicians and enhanced services that include a greater variety of facials, massages and body treatments.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, for instance, is among the river cruise lines that have been gradually and quietly evolving their wellness offerings into a comprehensive and dynamic portfolio of spa and fitness options.
On all of its company-owned vessels, Uniworld features its Serenity River Spa. While this is still housed in just one or two cozy treatment rooms, the menu of services has been expanding. Now, Uniworld passengers looking for some added relaxation can expect to find everything from traditional Thai foot and hand treatments which incorporate elements of shiatsu, reflexology and Chinese massage and yoga, to a honey body beauty treatment that delivers vitamins C, B1 and B2 to the body. The spa also offers hot stone treatments as well as facials, among other services.
Uniworld recently enhanced its fitness program, as well, offering yoga and exercise classes that include the Five Tibetan Rites, an ancient exercise routine similar to yoga, and TRX training, a strength-training workout that uses one's own body weight as resistance. Guests staying in suites are provided with one complimentary personal training session and a meeting with an onboard wellness coach.
Uniworld offers hot stone massages at its Serenity River Spa onboard its river cruise ships.
With its six-star marketing promise, Uniworld is going after a very discerning client base, one that, according to Uniworld president Guy Young, has come to expect this higher standard of spa and fitness features.
"We recognize that health and fitness are top priorities to our guests," Young said.
Scenic, another line that is going after the high-end river cruise market, has made a similar realization, and it, too, provides an extensive list of spa services onboard its European river vessels.
On Scenic river cruises, passengers can opt for facials ranging from a 30-minute refreshing facial for $44 to a 90-minute enhanced facial complete with full body massage for $112. There are also several massage options as well as manicures available. The items range from a 25-minute foot-and-leg massage for $38 to a 60-minute full body massage for $90. The treatments take place in a single, small treatment room, usually located on the lower deck of the ship.
AmaWaterways also offers a selection of massage services in a spa treatment room on most of its vessels.
With the arrival of Crystal Cruises on Europe's inland waterways in July, when the line relaunches the 160-passenger Crystal Mozart, there is bound to be a further upping of the river spa ante. On its ocean-going vessels, Crystal features intricate spa centers complete with saunas, steam rooms, shower areas, Elemis spa products, manicure/pedicure areas, a private sun deck for relaxing and specialized treatment rooms.
The Crystal Mozart deck plans promise a spa area with multiple treatment rooms, a steam and sauna room, an indoor pool and an adjacent relaxation area as well as a fitness center.
Enhanced spa treatment options have become par for the course on river cruise vessels in Southeast Asia, where there is a strong tradition of massages and healing treatments, and here in the U.S., spas aren't being overlooked, either.
American river cruise newbie French America Line will be launching the 150-passenger Louisiane on the Mississippi River later this year, complete with a Currents Spa, where guests can get scented oil treatments. And American Queen Steamboat Co., too, offers a pretty extensive menu of services in its small but adequate spa treatment room.