Cruise operator Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises, is launching the Celebrity Apex, a new ship with its own spa offering and spa-adjacent accommodation for the exclusive use of spa customers.

The spa is something of a departure for the brand, which has a longstanding partnership with industry giant Canyon Ranch, offering Canyon Ranch at Sea spas on-board of nine of its ships.

Michael English, head of business development for the UK and Ireland at Celebrity Cruises said that the new offering will act as an expansion of the cruise line's wellness provision.

"Our partnership with Canyon Ranch will continue," he told Spa Business, "The Spas onboard the Celebrity Edge and the Celebrity Apex are an evolution of our brand. It enables us to give our guests more choice."

The Spa, which debuted on-board the Apex' sister ship, the Celebrity Edge, is billed as a 'marble haven' and was designed by interior designer Kelly Hoppen, MBE, who also designed all of the accommodation on-board.

"A spa is a place where one goes to relax and be pampered," Hoppen told Spa Business, "for me The Spa had to be neutral in palette with complementary lighting, evoking a sense of calmness."

"The spa has always been a sacred space to me. As a young girl, I always dreamt of designing my very own spa and Celebrity Edge proved to be the perfect outlet for living out my dreams,” she added.

Forming a cornerstone of the spa's offering is The SEA Thermal Suite, which features a Float Room, equipped with hanging basket chairs and a Crystalarium, an aromatherapy and crystal meditation room. An infrared sauna, hammam, salt room, mist aroma steamroom, rainfall room and salt room are also on offer.

A collection of treatment tables, including Gharieni's Spa Wave MLW Amphibia, WellMassage4D and MLX Quartz tables, Elemis Biotec treatments and a Kerastase Institute salon complete the spa offering.

In addition to the new spa, the ship, which will launch in Southampton, UK, in April 2020, will offer AquaClass accommodation.

Located in a peaceful part of the ship, in close proximity to the spa and wellness facilities, the AquaClass rooms sleep two people and are designed to provide a seamless spa experience. A comprehensive range of amenities, including aromatherapy diffusers, slippers, dressing gowns, and an extensive pillow menu, will be available in-room.

AquaClass guests will also have exclusive access to Blu, the ship's clean eating restaurant which places an emphasis on fresh and natural ingredients.

Other facilities include a fitness centre, outfitted with Technogym equipment, offering a host of fitness classes such as The Contender, a cardio boxing class designed to increase strength and stamina, and Pulse Barre, a high-intensity low-impact full-body workout incorporating elements from yoga, pilates and ballet. Fitness on Demand programmes will also be on offer, giving guests instant fingertip access to more than 1200 workouts.

The company has also announced a partnership, marketed under the strapline 'Wellness on the Waves', with online booking platform, Spabreaks.com. Customers booking through Spabreaks will receive 20 per cent off treatments and can sail for £1225 per person for an AquaClass stateroom. Spabreaks customers will also have their own personal spa concierge taking care of them and will have unlimited access to The SEA Thermal Suite.

Abi Wright, founder of Spabreaks.com, said of the partnership: "We're thrilled to see spa being brought to the forefront of cruising so that guests can truly indulge in a relaxing break that delivers an exceptional spa and wellness experience."

Editors note: At the time of publication OneSpaWorld was the operator of Celebrity Cruises Edge Series, including Apex. It has since been awarded the entire fleet.