Hi Alex,

This is kinda funny. I do appreciate the invite. I can not do water. I would like to keep up on this aspect of the industry. I will add as I can. I know a lot of new therapists fantasize about doing this, so I will stay informed for them. Thanks for adding this group! It would be great if you started a discussion about what additionally a student needs to do to do this. Do they have to go to specific schools? What requirements are needed?

Hi Mike, Thank you for joining the group and for spreading the word. Although it is definitely not for everyone, the subject makes for great armchair travel as well. That's how I 'cruise' lately too. Warmest regards, Alex

Could you put up some photos of your trips? Not to romanticize, this part of the industry..... yea right!

is it worth the expierence? how long are you out at sea for? are you employed or contracted? id love to try it but i hear horrible stories of being put in the bottom of the ship and really taken some serious damage on the body

Hi Marissa,
that depends on what you are seeking to get out of it. Yes to me it was worth it. Contracts used to be for six months. I do not know if that has changed. You will be employed by the ship's spa concessionary not by the cruise line, unless their spa operations are run in-house. The only one I know of that had this set-up were Mediterranean Shipping Cruises. The stories are true but how much damage you do to your body is entirely dependent on how ergonomically functional your therapeutic skills are. That said, I know of no better way to fine-tune your skill set than by working in an environment that requires you to be attentive to every move, every session. If you are a new therapist you tend to work a 'routine' and that can be disastrous to your body because once you are tired, you begin to slacken attention to your body mechanics. But you do learn fastest and best on the job. If I had to do it all over again now, I would train in taijiquan, Yoga, or Trager for at least a year before taking on a similar workload :)
Best regards and please post an update on here if you do decide to take up the ship life.
Alex

I am sending you all warm and happy thoughts this Holiday Season. May you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a joyful Holiday what ever you celebrate. May peace and prosperity come to you in the New Year also

To all that is interested in doing massage on a cruise line ask a lot of questions before agreeing to go to an interview It was a nice little vacation I could not afford but it was also information that could have all been given to me over the internet or by mail before they even asked me to Florida If you really have the money and the personality to sell products and work like a dog for little money go for it and to wait for ever before starting. It is definitely not for someone looking for a job right away or for someone that has no money at the time you start I don't know if all the spas are the same but I know that Steiner is one that you need to ask as much as possible before hand and to have a lot of money to start with Good luck to all that choose this as a path I did not the adventure would have been great if I would have been able to enjoy it

Hi Julie,
I am sad to hear that it did not work out for you. What is your plan B? Can you tell us how much they offered for weekly pay and commission rates? Because the question "Does cruising pay" is an FAQ in this group and it would really help others to add matters up for themselves.
Best wishes, Alex

Well Alex my plan B is to travel in a pop up in my state to and from different events. The pay was not exact with Steiner they said the an estimated pay would be around 3500 a month and you got 7.25% of the commission of sales so you could earn up to a 1000 a month in sales. It all depended on how you sold things how you sold yourself to get the clients. The thing of it was that you worked 12 hours with only 1 hour of a break and you had to do things with out getting paid like their morning and evening meetings after your supper break. you had to take their classes in London which you pay to get to and you don't get paid while you are there which could be 4 to 8 weeks. I figured at the 3500 a month without the 1000 and the hours that you go to the meetings it would average somewhere around $13 an hour also you only would get a day and a half off a week which could be half day here and a half day there and you still had to attend the meetings. It was a combination of things that made me think no not for me I for one could not wait almost a full 6 months before I would leave and i could not afford to wait to get a pay check for almost as long if not longer. Also if at any time you do not complete the contract they would charge you for the classes and the stay at the y in London even if it is their fault like an accident or something. There was a few other little things that just did not sit well with me but if anyone wants to try them or others make sure you ask all the questions that you can think of before you pay to go down to the interview especially if you have no money to begin with. lessons learned the hard way is the way I seem to learn I get one tracked minded and no one tells me I am wrong until I tell myself Have a great week

Hi Julie,
best wishes for your mobile business! That sounds like a great plan B and quite a travel adventure! Thank you also for your numerically detailed update. The 3500 estimate sounds like an over-optimistic sales-pitch from them. Did they mention a base pay amount per week? This would be very useful info for the group to know.
Best regards,
Alex

No I am sorry they did not give a base pay amount per week. When I get home tonight I will double check my notes that I took that day to see if I missed anything. have a great night Jewels

I was wondering how much do a MT make on a cruise ship bcuz I was thinking about working on one and how many hours do you work