Two Dam Good Spas! Westerdam and Maasdam
Both men and women are booking heavily for the Oxygen Lifting Facials, which Dias says last much longer and make a much greater difference than conventional facials because they penetrate deeper – to the fifth layer of skin.
GREENHOUSE SPA THE WESTERDAM
s one of Holland America s new Vista-class ships, the ms Westerdam reflects the company s $225 million investment in creating a Signature of Excellence by enhancing accommodations, dining options, service, itineraries and enrichment programs.
The Greenhouse Spa ranks high among the ship s attractions, with many guests men and women alike lining up to book treatments soon after boarding. Modeled after Steiner Leisure s Texas-based Greenhouse Spa and Salon, a day spa located in more than 15 U.S. cities, the ship s version offers new signature features along with traditional spa and salon services.
One of the new features is the glass-enclosed 11-by-22-foot Hydrotherapy Pool, which uses seawater heated to body temperature and strategically placed high-power jets to ease the aches and pains of sore muscles and joints. It is so pleasant to relax amid the bubbling jets, however, that many passengers make repeat visits simply to enjoy the experience, which is not unlike a soak in a spirited Jacuzzi.
The second new feature is the Thermal Suite, which has an ambiance that marries contemporary technology to the traditional Turkish bath. There are a series of heat therapy chambers modeled after the ancient Roman baths. The Laconium is a gentle sauna; the Hammam is a mild steam room; the Chamomile Grotto is an aromatic steam room. After a relaxing session with heat, there are turbo-charged showers that dispense a blitz of fragrant water a combination that is refreshing and sensual. These pleasures can be repeated or prolonged by stretching out on one of the contoured thermal chairs wrapped up in a fluffy towel or robe, reading a good book, taking a nap, or just gazing out at the sea. The fee for the Pool or the Thermal Suite is $15 a day; a pass for two for the duration of the cruise is $149. (As the cruise progresses, the spa runs frequent specials that offer these options at a reduced fee or as a complimentary add-on with a treatment.)
The treatments range from warm stone massages to nourishing and detoxifying wraps. Therapeutic massage, either 25 minutes or 50 minutes, costs $65 and $99 respectively. Massages can be customized to meet individual needs. An appealing add-on is the Exotic Lime and Ginger Salt Glow (25 minutes, $20), a skin-polishing ritual that begins with warm oil being dripped all over the body, followed by the lime and ginger salt scrub.
Facials are offered for both men and women; these range between $89 and $119. Here, too, there are optional add-ons: the LT Intensive Eye Treatment, Oxygen Face Therapy, and Vita-C face Therapy all priced at $20.
There are eleven spa rooms and a waiting area furnished in wicker style chaises; tea and water and a supply of magazines are available. A nice extra touch: Clients awaiting treatment are greeted with a lavender-scented tissue shaped like a flower.
The beauty salon offers full hair services as well as pedicures and manicures. The pedicures (between $40 and $55) may be accompanied by an exfoliation and massage right up to the knee, followed by an application of aromatherapy oils or by a softening paraffin treatment.
The fitness center, which features panoramic ocean views, has the latest in Cybex weight training machines and treadmills, stair-step machines and free weights. A variety of classes, including Mat Pilates, yoga, spinning and stretching are offered; some are free, others cost between $11 and $13. The fitness center also has a Pilates Reformer, which is unusual in cruise ship fitness centers, and experienced instructors to make certain the machine is used properly.
An unlimited class pass is $85 and includes a 25-minute Alpha Capsule session. (The Alpha Capsule uses aromatherapy, music and a warmed environment to gently vibrate the body into a state of relaxation.) Personal training is $75 an hour; a Metabolism and Body Composition Checkup is $30; instruction in The Zone Nutrition Program is $75 for one hour.
The influence of the Greenhouse Spa can also be found in all the ship s restaurants, which offer healthy alternative dishes for guests who wish to follow a special fitness program or diet.
MAASDAM
Holland America’s Maasdam has an extensive spa and a really enormous fitness area. About half of the generous space is dedicated to an array of cutting edge equipment from stair steppers and treadmills to free weights, while the other half has a very fine dance/aerobics floor well equipped with Pilates balls, barres and mats for classes and individual work in aerobics, stretching, yoga and Pilates.
A juice bar divides the two areas, although it will be removed during the planned renovations in 2006 to extend the fitness area forward, more like Steiner’s The Greenhouse Spa pattern on shore. Spa personnel hail from a number of countries, including Denmark, England, the Philippines, Canada, Australia, Venezuela and South Africa.
Sauna and steam rooms for men and women are very well used, and the jogging track, like the fitness area, has fabulous views whether at sea or in port. A personal trainer is available and there are free seminars on beauty and fitness. Tennis courts and a basketball court are available for outdoor fitness.
The larger Lido pool has a retractable dome for chilly days in Alaska, while the smaller pool is much less crowded as a rule. The three whirlpools on deck are especially nice after workouts.
Steiner of London operation
Although the spa is a Steiner of London standard operation, the clientele dictates which of the extensive menu of treatments is in heavy use. Juliette Dias, the spa manager, said they are seeing great interest from male passengers. "Nowadays, we are having men who are interested in a variety of treatments, and the wife is not," she said.
(She) demonstrated the very popular Ionthermie treatments, which passengers swear immediately takes off 1-8 inches, tones the skin and reduces cellulite. Both men and women are booking heavily for the Oxygen Lifting Facials, which Dias says last much longer and make a much greater difference than conventional facials because they penetrate deeper – to the fifth layer of skin. Another very popular choice is the Frangipani Scalp Massage, which actually involves the scalp, neck and shoulders. Hot stone massage is well booked by both sexes, and Dias, who has been in the spa business for seven years (two on Holland America Line), says that men are often more particular than women about their manicures and pedicures.
One of the most interesting treatments on board is not receiving its fair share of attention, she added: the chakra balancing capsule. "Younger people like it, but the older ones tend to be frightened by the capsule, she noted.
Therapist Nina Horndorf demonstrated the very popular Ionthermie treatments, which passengers swear immediately takes off 1-8 inches, tones the skin and reduces cellulite. The procedure takes a great deal of prepara
tion
and is well worth the price of $119. A series of three treatments is $300.
Ionthermie is a European detoxification procedure that has been available on cruise ships for decades and more recently among land-based spas. Among the most popular body areas to receive the treatment are the arms and abdomen or the midsection (navel) and thigh, and clients generally book three treatments, each a day apart. The client only exposes those parts of the body being treated. For a complete treatment the company suggests a series of at least six or eight treatments, but passengers on the Maasdam said a couple of weeks with three treatments on board do wonders.
The client is first measured very carefully and marked exactly where the measurement was taken, so comparisons will be strictly accurate. Horndorf said the more exercise the client gets and the healthier the lifestyle, the better the results. However, she added that exercise won’t do it all; you need detoxification.
She uses a vial of a red algae solution that, as she describes, speeds up the metabolism and stimulating circulation. It is mixed with a firming and toning cream before being applied to the chosen body area. She then generously spreads clay on a plastic pad for the client to lie on.
Electric pads are placed and covered with fluid clay and gauze placed over it all, with clay ladled over the gauze. The client is covered with a nice warm towel and only the affected area is exposed, then the current is turned on.
Horndorf said the stimulation affects the entire area, not just where the pads are placed. The general feeling is warm and pleasant and quite a number of clients fall asleep during the procedure. There is a slight tingling as the low current goes on and off every three seconds.
The therapist sits right beside the client for the 30 minutes of treatment and explains where the person will feel sensation, which may be a mild itchiness. She asks whether the client is comfortable and whether the feeling is too strong or too weak. Monitors follow the current level of each pad. Some adjustment of pad position is used to get maximum effect.
Clients who did the entire series told WSR they were getting a boost for a new diet, fitting into a snug dress or recovering their figures after childbirth.
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