Floating on the North Sea between Norway and Amsterdam, I slipped on my robe and slippers and padded one deck up from my cabin to the Greenhouse Spa & Salon aboard Holland America Line’s newest Pinnacle Class ship, Rotterdam. After a few days adventuring in our various ports of call, I was ready for a spa indulgence on our final day at sea.

When she was ready, my therapist collected me from the spa’s relaxation room. Sitting alone in the quiet and gazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the waters passing by had already started loosening my mind and body; I knew I would be putty in my therapist’s hands.

The treatment rooms on board Rotterdam are just as tranquil, thoughtfully decorated and softly lit as any spa on dry land. As soon as we stepped into our treatment room, I felt even more of the weight of the world fall from my shoulders. After we chatted about the treatment I selected, a simple Swedish massage, my therapist left me to sink into the table. My eyes closed and my breathing deepened as she applied warm oil to begin the massage.

In addition to traditional Swedish, deep tissue and reflexology massage techniques, the Greenhouse Spa’s therapists are also adept at restorative salt stone massage, coconut or Thai herbal poultice massage, aroma stone therapy and bamboo massage; several of these massages are available as 50-, 75-, or 100-minute treatments. Additional massage treatments on the spa’s menu include 100- minute R3 (Relax, Repair, Relief ) Pain Management Therapy and an Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage, featuring a heated seaweed mask and wrap and a half- or full-body massage.

Facials using top-of-the-line ELEMIS products and its BIOTEC technique erase lines and leave skin looking radiant and hydrated. For pure indulgence, a few menu items combine facial and body treatments, like the 50- or 100-minute Couture Touch Face and Body Treatment and the 100-minute BIOTEC Face Treatment and Body Ritual.

Aside from traditional facial and body treatments, Greenhouse Spa also offers hair and nail services such as up-dos and blowouts, manis and pedis. The Fire & Ice Manicure and Pedicure use therapeutic cooling gels and heated stone massage to prepare nails for a perfect polishing.

In addition to all of this, Medi-Spa Aesthetics treatments include skin tightening, filler and cosmetic wrinkle treatments. Acupuncture treatments are also on the menu, along with cupping and herbal consultations.

PHOTO: © HOLLAND AMERICA LINE

Greenhouse Spa treatments provide access to the Thermal Suite, including a retreat to the quiet of the spa’s relaxation room to melt onto heated tile loungers with hypnotic sea views. Sauna, steam and the warm, soothing, jetted hydrotherapy pool are also part of the Thermal Suite. Outside of spa treatments, the suite is accessible with day and week-long passes so guests can recharge for their next seaworthy and landside adventures.

Guided Pilates and yoga practices in the ship’s fitness center are available to complement the spa’s treatments. Those looking for more onboard activity to get their hearts pumping can take advantage of private personal training sessions or join group fitness classes like TRX suspension training; Trilo3y, a full-body workout; and RYDE Indoor Cycling. Body composition analyses are available for those who want an in-depth look at their overall health.

The spa experience on Rotterdam extends to the ship’s staterooms — Spa Inside, Spa Ocean View, Spa Verandah and the Neptune Spa Suite, to be exact. The spa-inspired staterooms feature yoga mats, premium massage showerheads, an iPod docking station and access to exclusive spa treatments in the Greenhouse Spa. The light-filled Neptune Spa Suite goes a step further with floor-to-ceiling windows; a private veranda; and a bathroom with dual-sink vanity, whirlpool bath and shower, and an additional shower.

The staterooms’ décor throughout Rotterdam, spa-inspired and otherwise, features soft colors, so the Zen-like vibe flows from the spa into guests’ private spaces and the rest of the ship.

When it comes to health-inspired dining, Chef Andy Matsuda, boasting more than 35 years of sushi mastery, brings his deep under- standing of the relationship between food and health to Nami Sushi with a menu that features the freshest and most inventive sushi at sea.

In addition to Rotterdam, Greenhouse Spa & Salon stands ready to pamper guests aboard all Holland America Line ships.