Those seafaring souls who love to spa will be thrilled to learn that two major brands have just joined forces to create the largest and most comprehensive SpaClub at Sea partnership. This April, Celebrity Cruises and Canyon Ranch will debut its exclusive SpaClub at Sea marriage aboard 10 vessels—beginning with the Celebrity Century.
The onboard wellness experience will include signature Canyon Ranch spa, salon, fitness, and wellness amenities, as well as new treatments being tailored to Celebrity’s loyal clientele. The two brands complement each other in many ways, and both have a high percentage of luxury-loving return guests.
“We’ve had numerous opportunities to join various cruise lines, but have been very selective,” says Peter Smith, COO, Canyon Ranch. “We look at luxury or ultra-premium brands that are really compatible to our brand. When the opportunity came to start with Celebrity, I felt it was really right. It’s a wonderful brand extension for us.”
The Canyon Ranch at Sea division was dreamt up by Mel Zuckerman, founder of Canyon Ranch, who envisioned taking the Canyon Ranch experience from land to sea back in the late 1990s. Zuckerman thought that this would be a wonderful immersion option for the brand, explains Smith—but then came 9/11—and it didn’t happen. Fast forward to 2004, and the first SpaClub at Sea debuts aboard the Queen Mary 2. By 2009, SpaClubs at Sea can be enjoyed aboard Regent Seven Seas cruise ships and Oceania cruise ships (the parent company of both brands is Prestige Cruise Holdings). Smith says that the Prestige Cruise Holdings partnership is so successful that he just signed another five-year agreement with them.
You could say that Canyon Ranch has found its sea legs. “It’s a worthy effort, creating a wellness experience at sea, creating an experience that will stick,” says Smith.
There’s no question that these two brands stand a very good chance of redefining wellness at sea, creating the best wellness cruises on the market.
Adds Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises, “We have a shared vision of creating something special in terms of lifestyle. One of the exciting ideas, very much a concept, like all cruise brands there’s always a point where we start concepting new designs for ships. That’s where the partnership would become really special—the opportunity to sit down with a clean white piece of paper and design something together that’s really unique.”
There’s no question that these two brands stand a very good chance of redefining wellness at sea, creating the best wellness cruises on the market. For one thing, Canyon Ranch has always prided itself on its educational offerings.
“I view it as an exposure and an educational environment where we set the climate for people to be given the opportunity to try things they haven’t tried before,” explains Smith, who references Canyon Ranch’s Life Enhancement Center in Tucson as a model.
Right now, the possibilities to create something truly spectacular are endless. “We don’t have a definitive road map in front of us,” says Bayley, “but we have two good solid brands with similar mindsets that decided together we could really do something great for our customers.
“We’re both in this wonderful honeymoon phase—excited and anticipating what we can do together.”