About Us
Steiner is the largest spa operator in the world, although we started with a single hair salon in Conduit Street, London in 1934. By 1967, Steiner had opened more salons around the country and also gained the contract on the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II. In 1968 and 1992 respectively Steiner received Royal Warrants from the current Queen Mother, as Cosmeticians and also from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, as “Hairdressers.” Over the years Steiner gained more contracts to operate and sometimes to design spas on board cruise ships. The nature of the beauty industry has rapidly changed, and Steiner, in keeping with the times has incorporated many of the latest Thalassotherapy, Hydrotherapy and Thermal treatments in the newer spas. In 1994 Steiner purchased Coiffeur Transocean Ltd, another leading Beauty concession on board cruise ships, doubling the Steiner spas on board over ninety cruise ships. In 1996 Steiner had a successful initial public offering, giving the company the possibilities to expand. Today, Steiner Transocean LTD operates nearly all the spas on board cruise ships.

About you…
What do you need to work in a spa on board a cruise ship? Unwritten qualifications: Career minded, service oriented, lots of team spirit, a sense of adventure, a love of people and energy.

Hairdressers need to complete a three year hairdressing apprenticeship or have completed hairdressing training at a full time college. It is necessary that all hairdressers are fully qualified in both ladies and men’s hairdressing. Successful applicants will do a trade test. It is important that hairdressers can cope with both a busy column and a demanding clientele.

Beauty Therapists must have one of the following qualifications: CIDESCO, CIBTAC, IHBC, BTEC, CITY AND GUILDS, NVQ’S, ITEC or IA. If you are applying outside Europe then an International equivalent will be accepted. Please note that a qualification in both FACIAL and BODY ELECTRICS along with FACIAL and BODY MASSAGE is essential.

Massage therapists must be qualified in Swedish Massage with at least 150 hours of certified training. Any additional qualifications like aromatherapy, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Reiki or Sports Massage Therapy are a great advantage.

Nail Technicians must have completed a Nail Technician Training Course in gel, fibre glass and acrylic nail systems. However, most of our clients request acrylic nails, so experience in this system is most important. Additionally, all nail technicians must be qualified in both manicures and pedicures.

If you are unsure about your qualifications please contact CAST-A-WAY, we should be able to let you know if they are sufficient for a position with Steiner.

Are there any career prospects with Steiner? The potential to grow with Steiner is available for dedicated staff members. Our spa managers have all been promoted from within and have all started as either hairstylists, beauty therapists, fitness instructors or nail technicians. Often staff want to know how long it takes to become a manger, but we do not have a set time frame. When a staff member is thought to be ready for the challenge by his or her manager, (along with the staff member’s own request to do management) we ensure that the staff member enrolls in our Management Training Course before returning to sea on the next contract. If the staff member is successful he or she may manage a small spa immediately if there are positions available. Some staff are ready for management after one eight month contract and some staff are never ready. We have different levels of managers. First time managers are inevitably offered smaller spa teams to manage. After a couple of contracts, our most ambitious mangers aim to manage superliners, which often have teams of twenty to twenty five staff members. As a company we realize that ‘ambition’ does not necessarily mean excelling into management position. Some staff want to see the world and explore different countries. Inevitably, they aim for cruises that sail around the world or opt for regular cruising in far away ports like Japan or Australia. Advancement within the company could find you as part of the team on a brand new ship in a fifteen thousand square foot spa that offers state of the art facilities and treatments. Many staff find the lifestyle so diverse and interesting that they remain at sea for many years.

Are there any opportunities for me after working on board in Steiner Spas? Steiner Leisure Ltd. Is the parent company of Steiner Transocean Ltd (the maritime division) and also owns Elemis Ltd. And Steiner Spa Resorts. Elemis Ltd. distributes its products to two hundred health farms and health spas in Britain and the Orient and often place staff when they want to work on land. Elemis is a leading aromatherapy product manufacturer in the United Kingdom and employs many beauty therapists to help train spas stocking Elemis on product knowledge and Elemis treatments. After completing at least one contract with Steiner at sea, beauty therapists can apply. Steiner Spa Resorts operates the Spa at Atlantis, a newly opened spa in Paradise Island, the Bahamas. All staff employed that are not Bahamian have previous ship board experience with Steiner. Steiner Transocean Ltd. also has limited positions for land based Operations Managers who oversee the operations on specific cruise lines. By working at sea with Steiner you gain something extremely valuable. It is the experience of working in five star environment. Steiner training standards are extremely high and our standards surpass that of most health spas and health farms on land. You will also have acquired the skill of retailing, public speaking, promoting yourself and leading demonstrations as well as managing a fully booked column. Some staff have left sea and opened their own business with the skills they acquired from Steiner. Others have been immediately employed by exclusive health farms and health spas in the United Kingdom. After working with Steiner you may find you just have too many choices.

How long is a contract? Contracts are eight months for all staff. Your flight from the United Kingdom to your ship, and returning to the United Kingdom from your ship after you have fulfilled your contract, is paid by Steiner. Steiner offers a limited medical insurance during your term of employment and a limited insurance for personal effects. Details of coverage will be given to you with your contract.

What is my earning potential? All staff receive a weekly retainer, however most of your earnings will come from commission. On most ships, tips are received at discretion of the passenger, although on some ships a 10-15% gratuity is added to the cost of the service. The type of ship you work on dictates your earning potential. If you are on a world cruise that stops in an exotic port everyday, your earning potential is minimized. If you are doing regular cruising where you have three or four sea days per cruise, your potential is maximized. Therefore, most staff work on board ships doing regular cruising or transatlantic crossings before requesting a world cruise. Food and living accommodation is paid for by Steiner, therefore all money earned can be saved. All wages are paid in U.S. dollars. There may be tax relief on your earnings. You can check with your accountant regarding overseas earnings.

Where do the ships go? All over the planet! Many ships offer regular cruising from North America to the most exotic islands in the Caribbean. Juan, St. Thomas and St. Martens. Some ships also visit exclusive private islands. During the summer months many ships sail across the Atlantic and cruise Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Finland. Others venture to Eastern Europe countries, like Russia and Poland. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries are cruise ship havens in the summer. Israel, Egypt, Turkish and Greek Islands all have popular ports of call. The busiest region in the summer is Alaska, the scenery of which is breathtaking. Every year in December, approximately twelve cruise ships start their world cruises. It takes four months to complete the world cruise where different ports on each of the seven seas are visited. Sometimes ships will stay in popular ports like Bombay, Thailand or Australia for three or four days. Often one world cruise just isn’t enough. Many of our staff members do four or five world cruises during the course of their employment at sea.

Do I get time off to see the Islands? On a seven-day cruise all staff will have the equivalent of at least one and a half days off. Some of the smaller ships offer more time off and all ships the managers give incentives for staff to earn extra time. On world cruises all staff have either a day or half a day off in every port. What ever ship you go on, there is always the opportunity to see the ports of call and enjoy different cultures. There is never time off when a ship is at sea, so if you are doing transatlantic crossing the time off will be limited.

Is there any training? All successful applicants living in Europe are required to go through the “Steiner Training Academy.” During your time in the training academy you will learn about the treatments and product ranges offered on board, ship life, retail skills, promotional skills and basically everything that is expected of you during your contract with Steiner. Training is free as long as you fulfill your contract. We qualify all Beauty Therapists in well-respected treatments, like lonithermine, Elemis Aromatherapy and Aromaspa and the La Therapie Facial. All staff be they beauty therapists, hairdressers, nail technicians or fitness instructors must familiarize themselves will all Steiner products and services. Steiner managers and potential managers must participate in the Steiner Management Training Program. Expenses for food and basic accommodations are paid by Steiner during your training period. Staff attend the academy from one to twelve weeks and then continue with training on board. If you are not employed in Great Britain or Europe, you will participate in training program on board your first cruise ship.

Can I choose my first ship? There are things that determine your first ship: how quickly you progress with training, your experience with clients and positions available on board. The training staff will assess your skills and place you accordingly. Likewise, you will probably not be place on the same ship as a friend. When you join Steiner you must be prepared to be placed by placement professionals.

How old are the staff who work in the spa and salon? The ages do vary but the average age is twenty-five years and older staff who are up to fifty years old. More important than someone’s age is each staff member’s ability to work extremely closely with other people and the ability to be flexible. We look for staff members who are young at heart. However it is important to mention that the lifestyle is extremely demanding. Certain jobs (like days when stock arrives) require physical strength, whereas the fast paced lifestyle can be stressful. Therefore it is a requirement to be both physically and emotional healthy without any ties at home. All staff must have a medical before joining a cruise ship.

What is the best time of year to join Steiner? Obviously, whenever you join you will benefit from working at sea. However, consider the following. Peak travel times are always either “in season” or holiday times. Therefore, it is more financially rewarding to be on board a cruise ship during Christmas and New Year than just after the New Year. Summertime attracts thousands of travelers to Alaska, Bermuda and the Mediterranean, so once again it is financially better to join a cruise ship in Summer during June-the beginning of Summer, then to wait until the end of the season.

Steiner operates 98 spas and salons on the following cruise lines: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Cruise Lines, Disney Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Louis Cruise Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co., Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Cruises, P&O Cruises, Poetta Shipping, Princess Cruises, R Cruises, Radisson Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Saga Tours, Seabourn Cruises, Silversea, Unicom Cruise Line and Windstar Cruises.

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