Yachts And Cruise Lines Rebuild The Onboard Spa Around Recovery Science
Citizen Femme surveys a wave of new builds, from Heesen's Project Ananda to Scenic Ikon and MSC World Asia, where the treatment room is giving way to cryotherapy, dry float, hyperbaric chambers and dedicated wellness voyages.
The small, functional shipboard spa is being designed out. Heesen Yachts has announced that its latest build, Project Ananda, will carry an 1,100-square-foot spa with sauna, steam room, ice bath and snow shower, alongside massage and medical treatment rooms and the possibility of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Perry van Hirtum, the Dutch builder's interior design specialist, tells Citizen Femme that owners are now asking for science-led facilities supporting recovery and resilience rather than a single treatment room.
Scenic's Discovery Yachts, Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II, run dedicated wellness voyages taking in reflexology, Thai massage and Ayurveda, with expert-led sessions at PURE: Yoga and Pilates Studio, including aerial yoga, TRX and Tibetan bowl sound healing. Scenic Ikon, due April 2028, will carry a 1,700-square-metre, two-level Senses Rejuvenation Spa with indoor and outdoor thermal lounges, salt therapy lounges, a central hammam, infrared sauna and cold plunge pools.
MSC World Asia, sailing from December 2026, adds AI-powered skin and scalp analysis, Starpool Dry Float Therapy, whole-body cryotherapy and Iyashi Dome infrared treatment. Charter brokers report parallel demand for paddleboard yoga and open-water swimming.