Norwegian Cruise Line’s fleet of ships including Norwegian Viva (pictured) offer guests a place to relax at Mandara Spa and Salon.

From luxurious accommodations to entertainment and fine dining, Norwegian Cruise Line’s award-winning ships offer travelers a variety of incredible experiences on board. Their ships also feature Mandara Spa and Salon, which has been voted the World’s Best Cruise Spa by World Spa Awards.

Guests at Mandara Spa and Salon can relax and rejuvenate in the adults-only Thermal Suite, where they can experience the benefits of hot and cold therapy by alternating between multiple saunas, vitality pools, steam rooms, ice and snow rooms, and more.

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The spa’s treatment menu offers a variety of treatments ranging from massages and facials to acupuncture and body therapies, while the salon provides beauty services for hair and nails. We spoke with a representative from Norwegian Cruise Line to learn more about the spa’s amenities, treatments to try, and more.

Mandara Spa and Salon offers a range of therapeutic experiences, beauty services, and rejuvenating treatments.

Why You’ll Love It: On Norwegian Cruise Line’s 19-ship fleet, the Mandara Spa and Salon, awarded Best Spa in the Ocean Cruise Line category by Cruise Critic’s Editor’s Picks Awards in 2023, features a range of therapeutic experiences, beauty services, and rejuvenating treatments.

Based on the concept of Turkish baths, our guests love the Thermal Suite experience in the Mandara Spa, where they indulge in the centuries-old sequence of hot and cold therapies, designed for extreme relaxation as well as physical and psychological benefits.

The Thermal Suite offers a variety of experiences including heated ceramic lounge chairs, vitality pools, steam rooms, saunas, snow rooms, and more. Guests can purchase passes to The Thermal Suite for the duration of their cruise and enjoy daily access to this quiet retreat on board.

In The Thermal Suite guests can take 180 degrees of sweeping ocean views when resting on one of the heated loungers and experience ultimate relaxation. Thermal Suites are available on all NCL ships except Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun, and Pride of America.

Mandara Spa’s adult-only Thermal Suite offers a variety of hot and cold therapies designed for extreme relaxation.

Key Features: The award-winning amenities at Mandara Spa and Salon vary from ship to ship, but they can include single and couples treatment rooms with some featuring ocean views, a full-service salon and barber shop, medspa treatment capabilities, as well as Thermal Suites featuring saunas, steam rooms, stone heated loungers, salt therapy chambers to mimic the naturally occurring salt mines and caves of Eastern Europe, among other amenities.

Treatments range from classic to luxurious and include facials, massages, acupuncture, and over 50 specialty treatments from our talented massage therapists including the Swedish, Herbal Poultice, Deep Tissue, Aroma Stone, and Bamboo to name a few. NCL offers single massages and couples’ treatments. The Mandara Spa also offers haircuts, coloring and styling, as well as nail services in the salon. Additionally, guests can sign up for fitness classes and personal training at the Pulse Fitness Center.

On board Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, guests can revel in the latest experiences including the first charcoal saunas at sea, which use a radiant heat system with an outer charcoal layer to reach temperatures between 86 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Guests can recline into relaxation as the sauna helps boost circulation and metabolism while also removing toxins from the body. The charcoal sauna also effectively treats muscle stiffness and tension, including relief from backache, headache, and arthritis, by promoting the deep release of connective tissue and muscles.

In addition to this one-of-a-kind offering, the spa on both ships also features an Ice Room, Experiential Showers, an Infrared Sauna and a Floatation Salt Pool where they immerse themselves in the tranquil sounds of the two-story cascading indoor spa waterfall.

The spacious lounge area offers heated loungers where guests can relax before and after their services.

Insider’s Tip: Prior to a guest’s cruise, we recommend reserving a pass to the Thermal Suite in advance and once guests embark the ship, we suggest going straight to Mandara Spa as early as possible to book all treatments.The spa is very popular among our guests and it does book up quickly. Guests should check their Freestyle Daily each night to look out for spa specials. The Mandara Spa and Salon frequently features discounted treatment packages and specials on port days.

Bonus: Guests can purchase passes to the Thermal Suite for the duration of their cruise and enjoy daily access to this quiet retreat on board at any time during the spa’s opening hours, which usually range from early morning until late in the evening. Guests do not need to purchase a treatment to purchase a pass to the Thermal Suite.

Snacks Served: We offer a limited selection of beverages including different types of fruit-infused waters and teas.

While relaxing on the heater thermal loungers guests can enjoy expansive views of the ocean.

Splurge Treatment: Guests looking to splurge could opt for THERMAGE® Skin Tightening treatment. These treatments tighten and contour the skin and show results in just one treatment. This non-invasive treatment uses radio frequency to improve the appearance of loose or sagging skin on the face and body. Prices range for this treatment based on the size of the treatment area, but can cost a few thousand dollars.

The spa menu offers massages, facials, body therapies, acupuncture, medspa and salon services, among others.

Most Unique Treatment: Our newest ships, Norwegian Prima and Viva, offer our most unique treatment: the Zero-Gravity Wellness Massage. This 75-minute massage is where high tech meets high touch with this next-generation wellness treatment.

Producing a zero-gravity effect, the body is suspended on an advanced treatment table that allows for ergonomic workflows and a seamless series of sophisticated techniques used in this choreographed massage.

Eight table positions enable effective and precise reach of every muscle group, including intensive work on the back and main muscles, targeted release of tension, and improved body mechanics. Technology bolsters touch to address daily stress zones and deliver ultimate relaxation.