Cruise Line Spa Jobs

Thinking of chucking it all and taking to the high seas? If you've got background or skill in the spa industry or want to add experience, cruise lines are a strong contender for your skills. The demand for spa services is continuing to grow on cruise ships as people want to pamper themselves while on vacation.

Function

Cruise ship spas offer a wealth of options to passengers. Most well-equipped spas include a fitness facility as well as a beauty salon in addition to their regular spa offerings. Typical spa offerings include facials, multiple types of massage treatments, nail treatments as well as access to sauna and steam rooms. Some of these facilities are available to any passenger, such as the fitness facility and steam or sauna. Other options are in addition to the cruise fee.

Benefits

Besides the obvious benefit of getting the chance to travel wherever the ship takes you, you also have a wide variety of clients and steady work. You typically get paid a base wage and are also eligible for additional compensation from product commission sales as well as tips. Most cruise lines include housing and food as part of the total package that you're offered when you're hired by the cruise company. In addition, most cruise line employees receive medical insurance, discount travel for friends and family, free air travel, on-cruise discounts in the ship stores as well as free laundry service.

Types

Cruise lines hire spa employees using one of two methods: either direct employees of the cruise line or by hiring a firm to manage the spa. Some cruise lines blend this method; managing the fitness facility itself, but hiring out the spa. Typical jobs in a spa include a manager of the beauty salon, beautician or facialist, hairdresser, massage therapist, cosmetologist, nail technician, and aerobic and fitness instructors, some of whom may specialize in a discipline such as Pilates or yoga.

Considerations

To be hired to work in a spa on a cruise ship, you need significant experience. A hairdresser, for example, must typically have beauty salon experience as well as a hairdressing apprenticeship lasting three years. The hairdresser must further be fluent in English and be able to service both men and women's hair needs. Massage therapists must typically be qualified in Swedish massage as well as at least one other massage technique. English fluency is not as critical, but good English skills will help your job prospects. Fitness instructors are required to have some form of professional certification (Step, aerobic or international equivalent) as well as experience teaching classes. Instructors typically are also required to offer their service as personal trainers to cruise participants, so they need to have good interpersonal as well as training skills.

Potential

While cruising, you'll have relatively limited expenses--there's potential to bank some significant savings. In addition, you gain invaluable experience in your chosen field that translates immediately to dry-land workplaces.