A cruise passenger has been applauded for walking out of a $200 massage after their therapist’s “unnecessarily and absurdly aggressive sales pitch.”
The passenger and original poster (OP), user Brave-Quote-2733, took to Reddit to recount the incident, which took place during what was supposed to be a 75-minute massage on a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Instead of the relaxing experience one might expect from a massage, the OP was left feeling “like I was being held hostage in a timeshare presentation” when the massage therapist reportedly attempted to sell them “every skincare item under the sun.”
“When she continued after I told her I would only use products my dermatologist prescribes for me, I decided to walk out,” the OP wrote. “This massage was already $200, and I have to sit through a 20-30 minute sales pitch? Absolutely not.”
They then demanded a refund and escalated the issue to Guest Services, where the OP was offered additional compensation that they declined.
“[I] told her I wasn’t looking for anything for free; I just wanted her to know that guests don’t appreciate spending $200 on a massage and then sitting through an unnecessarily and absurdly aggressive sales pitch,” they noted.
After stewing over their experience, the OP returned to Guest Services to ask them to cancel and refund “every single excursion and activity” they had booked for the remainder of the cruise, vowing to book independently.
Reddit users flocked to the comments to weigh in, with other cruisers noting the OP’s account mirrored their own experiences.
One wrote, “If you search ‘spa sales’ in cruise [subreddits], you’ll see evidence of multiple similar experiences. It’s a known unpleasantness that’s been around as long as I’ve been cruising.
“It’s great you reported it because eventually the number of complaints will affect change.”
Another provided a useful tip: “I broke down and booked a massage on my recent cruise and put a note on the intake form that said I would only add additional gratuity if there was no upselling and it worked.”
“My pedicure experience was similar,” one contributor noted. “I will not use the spa again.”
Sales Pitches Souring Experiences
Travel writers and sales experts say the issue is well documented. According to Condé Nast Traveler, onboard spas are often run by third-party operators with strong sales incentives.
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises acknowledged the concern, saying, “guests can absolutely request not to receive product pitches during their treatments,” as reported by Condé Nast Traveler.
Sales coach Nikki Rausch addressed pushy sales interactions more broadly on her Sales Maven blog, advising consumers to be direct when pressured.
“I appreciate you asking. My answer is no,” Rausch wrote, offering a script for ending unwanted pitches.
Lesson Learned
Many commenters in the thread said they now avoid cruise ship spas altogether, describing similar encounters that overshadowed what should have been relaxing experiences.
Others urged first-time cruisers to be prepared or to preemptively decline sales conversations in writing.
For this OP, the takeaway was simple: A massage booked back home would be cheaper, quieter and free of sales talk.
Newsweek has reached out to Brave-Quote-2733 and Royal Caribbean for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.
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