Self-Care at Sea: 10 Wellness Cruises That Go Way Beyond the Spa

If you’re finding the weight of the world a little heavy on your shoulders – or just desperate for a one-of-a-kind health reset – these 10 wellness cruises are some of the best you can book for 2025, 2026, and beyond.

A wellness cruise through the Galapagos

• Length: 8 days, 7 nights
• Availability: Multiple sailings per year
• Starting price: From $9,450 per person

As if cruising to see some of the most unique wildlife on earth aboard a luxurious, 20-person mega-yacht wasn’t special enough, Ecoventura ups the wellness factor by adding a self-care layer to its offerings. Several trips per year are special versions of the company’s two standard routes, and are designated as “wellness departures.”

Each of the two itineraries includes wellness-inspired elements and experiences meant to enhance your connection to the Galapagos. That includes silent snorkeling (so no coming up to the surface to yell that you found a multicolored octopus), grounding barefoot hiking, and ocean cold plunges alongside turtles, penguins, and sea lions.

On board, the zero-proof bar and health-conscious menu will keep you on the straight and narrow, and the spa treatments will have you all loosey-goosey in the best way possible. The best part of Ecoventura’s Wellness Departures, however, might be the optional digital detox. Guests are encouraged to place their devices in a bag in their cabin closet for the duration of the voyage. Cameras don’t count, of course, as those should be strapped to your neck at all times.

A pre- or post-holiday recovery cruise

• Length: 12-15 nights
• Availability: Annually in November and December
• Starting price: From $5,500 per person

This year, Crystal Cruises timed its annual Wellness Retreat Cruises just right to help you recover from (or prepare for) the biggest holidays of the year. The wellness sailing from Lisbon to Ghana takes place during Thanksgiving, and the second one from Ghana to Cape Town is scheduled just before Christmas. While some are happy to be up to their elbows in turkey dinners, family gatherings, and gift shopping, opting out of it all to be taken care of by a fleet of wellness professionals on board a luxury ship might just be the ticket for you.

A nutritionist, a fitness specialist, a yoga and mental health expert, and a somatic therapist will be aboard the Crystal Symphony during each sailing to help guests achieve their wellness goals. The sailing will have extensive fitness and sports programs, morning yoga and meditation classes, and lectures and workshops on breathing and cold-exposure therapy.

Guests who want to dive deeper into their eating habits can even sign up for cooking classes or one-on-one nutritionist sessions to build detox plans. The excursions have a wellness focus, too, including nature hikes in Madeira and e-bike rides in the Namib Desert, among others. Of course, it wouldn’t be a wellness cruise without a wealth of spa treatments on offer; expect aromatherapy, acupuncture, and much more.

A floating wellness retreat entirely at sea

• Length: 10-13 days
• Availability: Multiple sailings in 2026 and 2027
• Starting price: From $6,495 per person

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has only two ocean-sailing ships: Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II, both ultra-luxury yachts. Both are equipped with wellness offerings, such as a gym, a yoga and pilates studio, and, most importantly, a 5,920-square-foot spa packed with all the bells and whistles. The yachts’ Senses Spas have saunas, steam rooms, pools, and salt therapy lounges.

But while that may all be fairly common for a ship of that caliber, what’s less common are the floating wellness retreats organized by the brand, with no days at port. Visitors stay on board for a full 10 days to experience yoga sessions, cooking lessons, expert-led lectures, and workshops on everything from holistic well-being to ice baths, pilates classes, facial and body treatments, and more. The more surprising offerings are undoubtedly the on-board aerial yoga, the star-gazing meditations, and the sound healing Tibetan bowls sessions.

Cruises with free perks during ‘Well-Being Season’

• Length: Various
• Availability: January 2-23, 2026
• Starting price: From $1,492 per cabin

Virgin Voyages knows that January is when most people decide to better themselves, or at least try to stick to their New Year’s resolutions. That’s why the cruise line calls it the “Well-Being Season.” In January, all Virgin Voyages sailings departing between January 2 and January 23, 2026 will have an extra layer of wellness offerings, like additional group fitness classes (such as yoga, spinning, HIIT, posture training), healthier menu options throughout the ships’ food and drink venues, health-focused workshops, custom wellness programs and training sessions, and more spa experiences.

Some of the stand-out treatments on offer at the brand’s Redemption Spa include the Quartz Bed Massage, during which guests lay on a bed of amber crystals that supposedly help soothe tense muscles. The Mud Room, where guests apply mud masks in a humid steam room, is another favorite on board Virgin vessels. All Virgin Voyages are adults only, which may provide some extra relation if you spent the holidays surrounded by family.

Cruises with onboard Nordic spas

• Length: Various
• Availability: Various
• Starting price: From $1,492 per cabin

What Viking lacks in wellness-themed sailings, it makes up for in Nordic-inspired spas on its ocean and expedition ships, access to which is complimentary for all guests. In the various LivNordic Spas, guests can experience traditional Nordic wellness treatments based on the cycle of heat and cold. A pore-clearing session in the steam room or dry sauna could be followed by a few minutes in the “Snow Grotto,” where real snow falls from the ceiling. If that’s too chilly, you could immediately jump in the badestamp (Nordic hot tub) before sinking into a warming lounge chair.

Aboard the Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis, there are even relaxing “Warming Caves,” and the badestamp has a window to enjoy the scenery while soaking, even in the Arctic. As access to this is included for all guests, it makes Viking Cruises’ offerings some of the most affordable wellness cruises on the market.

For an extra fee, Viking guests can book spa treatments like a “Hygge Massage” on a warm sand bed, or “Arctic Cure” treatment with dry brushing and gua sha massages. And don’t miss out on “Nordic Bathing Night,” during which you may or may not be gently whipped with fresh birch twigs.

A naturopath-guided South Pacific cruise

• Length: 11 nights
• Availability: Departing Sept. 27, 2025
• Starting price: From $7,960 per person

Sailing through the turquoise waters of French Polynesia is far from a stress-inducing endeavor. But the good people at Paul Gauguin Cruises have a chance to relax even more while spending 11 nights pampered by wellness experts. Paul Gauguin Cruises’ naturopath-guided trip is a special sailing offered only once per year. In 2025, it’ll be led by acclaimed naturopath Dr. Sarah Rothman and renowned yoga instructor Tammy Gibson. Guests have access to morning yoga sessions, outdoors pilates classes, and a variety of workshops and lectures on topics such as spinal alignment, gyrokinesis, aging, detoxification, and more. Of course, in between bouts of self-improvement, you’ll also get to snorkel, kayak, hike, swim, scuba, and lounge on the beach of the cruise line’s own private island.

Cruises with zero-gravity massages and caviar treatments

• Length: Various
• Availability: Various
• Starting price: From under $300 per person

Nearly all modern cruise ship spas have a range of run-of-the-mill treatments like manicures, massages, and facials. Some of these spas even have private thermal areas with amenities like hot tubs, saunas, and steam rooms.

Most Celebrity Cruises ships have all the above, but the cruise line made its spas a little more exciting by adding some unusual treatments to its menu – 120 treatments, to be exact. From hair treatments with caviar to zero-gravity massage, teeth whitening, and IV therapies and injections, Celebrity is getting quite innovative when it comes to wellness at sea.

Of course, those aren’t included in the price of your cruise, so you’ll have to budget extra. Fortunately, Celebrity Cruises tend to have fairly approachable starting price points. If you spring for the brand’s AquaClass and Aqua Sky Suite staterooms, you’ll get some perks included, such as cashmere mattresses, pillow menus, and what the brand calls “clean cuisine” at the AquaClass exclusive restaurant, Blu.

River cruises with ‘Champagne Yoga’ classes

• Length: 7 nights
• Availability: Departs July 6, 2026
• Starting price: From $3,199 per person

AmaWaterways’ Wellness Cruises are about both relaxation and mindfulness, as well as physical wellness in the form of fitness classes, pilates, resistance band stretching, cardio, and dance. And in ports, activities include outdoor pursuits like guided hikes and biking excursions, all led by expert guides. Some ships even have pickleball courts.

So far, the announced AmaWaterways wellness-focused cruise for 2026 is along the Danube River, sailing from Budapest to Vilshofen, Germany. Activities include visits to exclusive spas in port, on-board lectures by holistic health expert guests, and menus that offer lighter, healthier choices. While most activities are wellness-focused, there are still high-end elements, like “champagne yoga” classes and “detoxifying gemstone water” – so it’s likely you can still indulge a bit while you’re there without anyone raising an eyebrow.

Cruises with optional thermal suites and salt pools

• Length: Various
• Availability: Various
• Starting price: From $250 per person

Norwegian Cruise Line’s spas are built to impress. Its newest ships, called the Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna, have over-the-top features to entice travelers, like two-story indoor waterfalls, marble staircases, outdoor “lawn” games, and more.

But it’s what’s inside the thermal suites on the brand’s newest ships that will have you buzzing with excitement. That includes the first clay-walled sauna at sea, a charcoal sauna with activated charcoal walls, a salt pool for float therapy, an ice room, and a salt room. If you’re not relaxed, exfoliated, and detoxified after passing through all of those, you may need more than a wellness cruise to solve your problems.

Unfortunately, access to the thermal suite is not included in the cost of sailings. Access to the thermal suite ranges from $200 to around $500 depending on the ship, with single-day passes priced around $70-$90. Spa treatments are also additional, including some unique services, such as IV drip therapy, crystal quartz therapies, and massages on lightly vibrating beds. Fortunately, like Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian’s starting prices for cruises tend to be very affordable.

An Amazon river cruise led by a mindfulness expert

• Length: 4 nights, 5 days
• Availability: September 23-27, 2025
• Starting price: From $5,000 per person

A cruise on the Upper Peruvian Amazon isn’t your average river cruise. For one, you’re likely to spot pink dolphins, sloths, and all sorts of monkeys, and that certainly never happens when sailing the Danube. Second, you get to see Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, the largest protected flooded forest on earth.

But if you want to take your Amazon cruise to the next level, Delfin’s upcoming Wellness Voyage might be a perfect fit. It’s the only Relais & Château cruise line sailing the Amazon River and is an all-inclusive, four-night sailing led by “mindfulness alchemist” Brisa Deneumostier. The 44 guests on board Delfin III will fill their days with yoga and qigong sessions while learning about Amazonian natural medicine and practicing mindfulness exercises to connect deeply with the surrounding forest. A wellness-focused chef will offer a mostly plant-based menu made with fresh Amazonian ingredients and superfoods.