CRUISE SHIPS REDEFINE SPAS

Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise vacation group in the world, added its largest ship - CARNIVAL DREAM, capacity 3,652 passengers - topping a fleet of 88 ships, totaling more than 167,000 lower berths. And 18 new ships are scheduled to join Carnival brands by 2012.

Brands in the Carnival portfolio include Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ibero Cruises, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.

EPIC EXPERIENCES ABOARD NORWEGIAN LINER

Eagerly anticipated, the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) plans to debut its next generation of ships this summer, NORWEGIAN EPIC. Scheduled to cruise the Caribbean weekly from Miami, The Norwegian Epic has a groovy look that pushes the envelope of cruise ship design. Spas will be larger, offering more social space as well as nail buff bars, tooth whitening, and BOTOX® Cosmetic. "We have thrown away the rule book," said NCL president and CEO, Colin Veitch. Gone are regimented designs of cabins. Bathroom functions will be split into separate areas, with sinks in the main part of cabins, curvy walls simulate waves. For the ultimate spa escape, deluxe Spa Suites have key-card access to the Spa Thermal Suite. And you can upgrade to The Villas on two exclusive decks, accessible only by private elevator, with private pool in a secluded courtyard.

Social space is a bonus on the big ships, with private lounges and pools inside the spa complex. NCL Freestyle Cruising adds open seating in main dining rooms, plus specialty restaurants with cover charge, and beach barbecue on a private island. Look for more space for fitness, less emphasis on hair salons. As far as new trends in spa amenities and services, passengers can experience cosmetic treatments at the Steiner Medi-Spa Wellness Center. The concept includes results-driven treatments such as BOTOX® Cosmetic, Restylane® and Perlane®, which are administered by the licensed "Medi-Spa Physician" onboard, in the relaxed setting of the spa. Other services at the seagoing medi-spa include acupuncture, microdermabrasion, and GoSMILE Tooth Whitening.

In the vanguard of the next generation of spas at sea, Steiner unveiled the Mandara Yin & Yang Spa aboard the NCL NORWEGIAN GEM last summer in a series of cruises from New York. The concept by SMC, a design studio in London, was influenced by NCL Board member Tan Sri Lim, Chairman, President and Chief Executive of Asia-based Star Cruises, to add a popular part of Oriental culture. Only at sea, the sauna seems to float.

Visual surprises come with seaviews, as some areas of the spa extend beyond the ship's hull, creating the feeling of workouts above the waves. Separate thermal suites for men and women provide saunas and showers, Jacuzzi, and hydrotherapy tubs. The 18 treatment rooms include a hammam scrub, dry float with SoftPack, rasul mud chamber, couples suite with whirlpool, and a tooth whitening room. The retail shop cross-markets products used in treatments: Elemis Skin Lab, Ionithermie, Steiner Hair Care, and GoSmile. The gym offers Precor equipment with personal video, Gavity, spin bikes, FitBalls, and an aerobics studio.

Located high above the ship's prow, Norwegian Gem's spa blends contemporary minimalist style with Asian accents. This was achieved by using finishes of rich cherry, black ash furnishings, cream and muted green wall coverings. Designer Alan Stewart kept the various spaces deliberately simple to accentuate the internal space of each room, contrasting yin and yang with lighting and fabric rather than furniture. "It creates a sense of drama, giving an overall ambiance to each interior," Stewart explains.

Cruising with kids and grandparents is increasingly popular. Aboard the Gem, activities include workshops with a Lego master, and exclusive treatments for teens at Yin & Yang. For a fee, you can use the bowling alley, indoor tennis courts; Water slide and climbing wall are free. Accommodations for families include villas around a swimming pool and private sundeck. Our stateroom had a curtained sitting area that doubled as bedroom, tight but comfortable.. Sharing the experience with a teenager added a new dimension. Taking her first cruise in stride after a rocky start, Luanna Pollock commented on each day, from food to fun ashore. She signed up for her first facial, napped in the thermal suite, swam with dolphin at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau and had a massage at its glam Mandara Spa, tried Japanese teppanyaki and French bistro dinners. Bottom line: "Amazing." (www.ncl.com)

CELEBRITY CRUISES CUSTOMIZES AQUA CLASS

Celebrity Cruises launched AquaClass aboard the line's newest and most innovative ship, CELEBRITY SOLSTICE. Featuring an entirely new category of veranda staterooms, the trademarked AquaClass will be a holistic journey at sea for spagoers. Unlimited extras like bottled water, juices, and tea are in the minibar. A special dining room featuring spa cuisine, Blu, caters to AquaClass cruisers. The AquaClass Spa by Elemis is an integral part of the experience, affording advance reservations for passengers booked in AquaClass. A sister ship, the 2,850-passenger CELEBRITY EQUINOX, debuted last spring in the Caribbean. (www.celebritycruises.com).

ROYAL CARIBBEAN BETS BIGGER IS BETTER

The largest cruise ship ever built, Royal Caribbean's OASIS OF THE SEAS resembles a floating resort. With a capacity of 5,400 passengers, the ship cost more than $1.5 billion. Innovative features include a massive "Central Park" atrium with live trees and outdoor restaurant seating. Its 16 decks include cabins overlooking the atrium or sea.

Spa management aboard Oasis by Steiner continues a long partnership with Royal Caribbean International. Paula Hodgson, Steiner VP for development, shared first impressions: "What I can say is that she is really pretty amazing. As we visit so many ships and new ships and they are all wonderful and normally have a couple of new things, OASIS' hull design itself is just so innovative. Everything they have on board their Freedom Class liners has been doubled: 2 rock climbing walls, 2 surf riders etc. The concept of seven themed "neighborhoods" is very nice, and I think one of the surprises is that you are on this huge magnificent ship and really need a pair of roller skates to get around. But the different venues are not all oversized, and there are many more intimate areas - specialty restaurants as well as casual restaurants like Johnny Rockets, Pizza, Sea Shack - and other entertainment areas. Of course Studio B for the ice show, and headliner shows in the theater, and main restaurants are large; guests will go in different directions to different places & spaces."

Creating the concept for The Vitality at Sea, Steiner integrated spa and fitness center, working closely with John Picken at the time Royal planning was taking place. Faced with space limits, Hodgson says "we had started to build momentum with some new initiatives and had some new ones on the horizon that we managed to get incorporated into the design. You can't get a better platform to launch and promote them than on a new ship like Oasis with so much media attention and focus. Seeing the space on paper even on Royal's very detailed web site is one thing; once on board with everything coming to fruition is great. There is a dedicated SMILE SPA with two private pods for GoSmile teeth whitening ($199 plus 18% gratuity). The Elemis Spa bar and retail area has 2 facial pods; salon with state of the art pedicure banquettes and 2 nail bars plus styling area. We did have to incorporate the two barber stations into the salon but there were 2 stations set apart from the other 4 that helped give some definition from the rest of the space.

The fitness area was a challenge and changed location 3 or 4 times before finally ending up connected to the spa. After a lot of creativity, this is a dynamic space, utilizing an area on Deck 6 that is unlike what our guests are accustomed to finding on the higher decks. We launched a new Activio cycle program which is dynamite, and had the instructor's bike positioned on a raised platform. There is a huge selection of LifeFitness equipment plus some new Virtual reality bikes, full Kinesis wall system, new class offerings with accessories like Gravity machines."

The spa zone includes changing rooms, relaxation lounge, thermal suite a little on the small side for the ship, rasul mud lounge, mixture of couples suites, dry and wet single rooms, plus a medi spa area with 5 treatment rooms. There is also a dedicated "YSPA" TEEN SPA/YOUTH SPA with 3 spacious treatment rooms and their own waiting/relaxation area. The Zen décor adds bamboo and gardens in various spa areas, contemporary but not overly Asian. There is also an Enrichment Lounge along the Avenue for wellness seminars.

The ship's progress, standard of finishes, and just organization and cleanliness were impressive. "Of course Royal has an experienced team," says Hodgson, "that keeps going out to do these massive ships." Sailing weekly from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) in Florida, Oasis of the Seas will be joined by an identical twin, ALLURE OF THE SEAS, next season. (www.oasisoftheseas.com)

CARNIVAL FLEET EXPANDS

Aboard the new CARNIVAL DREAM, Steiner operates the 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, which has earned accolades for its creative design and amenities. The 3,646-passenger ship includes a WaterWorks aqua park with a 300-foot-long corkscrew water slide, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live entertainment venue called Ocean Plaza, and a wide range of staterooms including deluxe ocean views with two-bathrooms, some of which have five beds and hold particular appeal for families. The Lanai, an outdoor promenade, features cantilevered whirlpools that extend over the ship's sides. Sailing year-round from Port Canaveral, cruises can be combined with visits to Walt Disney World, NASA Space Center. (www.carnival.com)

QE2 RETURNS AS HOTEL IN SOUTH AFRICA

Despite financial problems of parent company Dubai World, resort and hotel developer Nakheel, owner of the QE2, has confirmed the cruise liner will be moved to Cape Town in South Africa to become a hotel in time for the Fifa 2010 World Cup.

Nakheel, which owns shares in the South African port as well as P&O Cruises, said the ship would be docked at Cape Town for 18 months. "It has been our intention for some time to provide a short term opportunity to enjoy QE2 as a stationary hotel in her current condition before refurbishment begins, said a Nakheel spokesperson.

The Cunard ship was bought by Dubai World for $100m in 2007. Nakheel, one of the main divisions in the government-owned conglomerate, has been severely hit by the Dubai property crash. It is currently embarking on radical cost-cutting, slashing staff, cancelling projects, and scaling back existing projects as it battles for survival.

Nakheel had big plans for QE2, "ushering in the next exciting chapter of her rich and dignified life," that include building a 6,000 sq yd spa complex. A permanent dock in Dubai at The Palm Jumeirah resort was the original plan. Other structural change replaces the ship's funnel with a glass structure to house penthouse suites.

The ship is now expected to be moved to South Africa under its own power, but the sale contract with Cunard prohibits carrying passengers as a cruise ship. The QE2 will be at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, where there is a shortage of hotel rooms. Situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront faces Cape Town's harbor, one of the city's most visited tourist sites, with a string of hotels, restaurants, shops and a marina.

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to be reborn in 2010 with the launch of a newly built ship. Classic ocean liner amenities and services will be featured. Marketing the line's royal 165 years of maritime heritage, a distinguished guest list that has included luminaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Nelson Mandela, and Elton John, the Cunard fleet currently consists of the lavish Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.. Elegant features aboard QM2 include a planetarium, shops stocked with high end attire from Hermes and Harrods, and a Canyon Ranch SpaClub. The world class dining options include formal afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters, a glamorous evening dinner in the traditional Britannia restaurant with optional Canyon Ranch spa menu, or upscale Mediterranean fare in the Todd English Restaurant. Cunard is famous for its regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings between Europe and New York, as well as ports of call on four continents. Travelers bestowed the top distinction in the Zagat Survey's categories for best service, facilities, cabins, and dining.

www.cunard.com

Singapore

Auriga Spa @
CAPELLA SINGAPORE RESORT

Sentosa Island

Nestled within the futuristic curve of Sentosa Island’s newest resort hotel, the first Auriga Spa in Asia links past and present. Themed to lunar cycles, treatments with indigenous natural products of Malay healers are experienced in an environment of high-tech comfort. European therapies are here too, but this is a unique window on the East.

Cascading outdoor pools, lush gardens, indoor soaking pool and fountain of shaved ice set the yin/yang contrast: relaxing/energizing, hot/cold. Greeted with mangosteen juice and tea, you enter a water circuit of pools and revitalizing showers. Reiki, shiatsu, and Thai massage are complemented by scrubs and wraps incorporating regional fruits and herbs. Sports massage for golfers and tennis players is another option

Must Try: Auriga New Moon Ritual stimulates and awakens the senses during the lunar new moon phase. Included: foot massage with juniper, rosemary, and fennel oils, wrap with seaweed, eucalyptus salt scrub, energizing massage with rosemary and eucalyptus oil. ($280 SGD, about $192 USD, 2 hrs) Other lunar cycle packages cost $480 SGD, $380 USD. Treatments range from 60-minute facial ($129 SGD, about $89 US) to 60 minute Senja Suny massage ($140 SGD, about $96 USD).

Atop a hill facing the city skyline, the island resort offers glass-walled suites or villas with huge baths. Guests can exercise with state-of-the-art TechnoGym® equipment, swim in harbor-view pools. And a British-era club now houses a sleek Chinese restaurant helmed by celebrity chef. Minutes from Orchard Road, it’s Singapore with a new twist.

www.capellasingapore.com
Email: info@auriga-spa.com

Switzerland

THE DOLDER RESORT

Zurich

Overlooking a city of bankers and culture, the venerable Dolder Grand Hotel emerged from a four-year makeover in 2009 with a spa inspired by Alpine beauty. The sweeping curve of a new wing complements the original hotel’s 19th century elegance. Designed by famed architect Norman Foster (also responsible for Capella Singapore), the new Dolder Resort includes an indoor sports complex, tennis courts, golf course, and walking trails.

The Dolder Spa transports you to the Alps. The Aqua Zone links indoor and outdoor whirlpools, steam baths, dramatic black-tiled swimming pool. Roll in real snow at Snowparadise, a yin/yang energy boost prior to spa therapy in rock-walled rooms that resemble mountain grottos. Pure pleasure, treatments range from La Prairie caviar facial, Swedish skincare by Kerstin Florian, Kenzoki oriental moisturizing facial, to Kerastase hairstyling.

Must Try: three-hour rejuvenation package incldes massage, facial, manicure/pedicure, and champagne (450 Swiss francs). For total privacy, book a spa suite with butler service, your own mudbath or steambath and whirlpool warmed by fireplace.

Exclusive among Swiss spas, the Dolder introduced Medical Wellness Programs staffed by doctors in association with Aesthetics Link, a consultation service on health issues, plastic surgery, and treatments such as Botox.

Enjoy lunch on the terrace: Crisp air, panoramic views of the Alps, medieval city center, and Lake Zurich add a sense of serenity. Truly a Swiss high.

www.thedoldergrand.com
Email: Spa@thedoldergrand.com

Vietnam

THE NAM HAI

Hoi An

Shimmering on China Beach, the spa lagoon at The Nam Hai harbors an intoxicating blend of East and West. Inspired by Vietnam’s ancient architecture, six villas seem to float toward the sea.

Seductive splendor matches rituals from Bali, India, Tibet, and Vietnam. Start with a footwash, traditional welcome for travelers, refreshing and healing. In the privacy of your villa, select botanical ingredients for Sundari facial, Arabian rhassoul scrub, or Ayurvedic abhyanga massage. Bodywork includes products by Traditions D’Orient, romantic baths for two, complete with Champagne and canapés. Oriental rituals take two hours, priced from U$190; other treatments start at $90.

Must Try: The Nam Hai Jade Massage synchronized by two therapists working pressure points with jade-infused oil to dissolve muscle tension with a variety of soothing strokes. ($160 – 60 mins)

The resort has no hotel. Spacious beach villas come with high-end amenities, double shower, posh lounge, and garden with open-air shower. Three swimming pools adjoin the grill and candle-lit restaurant; menu features local seafood, American steak, plus a fresh take on Vietnamese cuisine. Opened in 2008, managed by GHM with the same style as The Setai on Miami’s South Beach, The Nam Hai takes luxury to a new level, honoring the culture of Vietnam.

www.ghmhotels.com Email: spa@thenamhai.com

Thailand

SIX SENSES DESTINATION SPA

Phuket

Escape to a private isle in the Andaman Sea, minutes from Phuket by speedboat. Secluded at Asia’s most lavish destination spa, discover a new world of wellness.

Lifestyle coaches welcome you to spa gardens devoted to traditions of Siam, China, Indonesia, and India. Thai therapists pick herbs for Pra Kob compress made of tumeric, lemongrass, and bergamot, kneading sore muscles with soothing strokes as you relax in open-air pavilion or air-conditioned sala.. Ayurveda treatments are housed in India-style cottage. Tea is served in a Chinese bamboo grove at the heart of this unique spa village.

Must Try: Pra-Trim Siam stimulates lymphatic system with body brush, wash, Jasmine balm, energizing traditional Thai massage (8,900 Thai Baht - 2hrs 20mins).

Live close to nature in a thatch-roof villa, with garden pool and bath, butler service, AC but no TV. Join group exercise and yoga at hilltop fitness center; relax at enormous swimming pool; meditate in tropical labyrinth. Dining options include organic salad at sand-floor restaurant with bio-dynamic wines, pizza oven, grilled lobster; raw food lunch on beach. Drinks include fresh fruit juice, coconut water, coffee, Evian, and Champagne.

There are free bicycles, CD library and computers if you insist.

Not a typical Six Senses resort (Soneva Fushi, Zighy Bay), the destination spa program integrates wellness and lifestyle. Created by Ana Maria Taveres, veteran of Chiva Som, and an international team of wellness specialists, this is a healthy lifestyle village where you can consult Reiki master Nikorn Banjerdiert, psychotherapist Albert Schmaedick, or a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacist. With an amazing 44 treatment rooms, the range of well-being therapy is exceptional.

Seasonal specials add value. Three-night package 47,000 Thai Baht single, 94,000 double occupancy, plus taxes, service charge.

www.sixsenses.com
Email: reservations-naka@sixsenses.com