LepaJessi

Crew Bar

2017-03-05T15:14:00.002-08:00

CREW BAAAARR!

I haven't posted to this blog in years...but I still remember what Crew Bar was like.

It was a normal thing to swing by crew bar for a beer after finally finishing work at the spa. A quick beer at 10pm would determine what the rest of the night would be like. Either you'd go straight to your cabin and demolish a cup-o-noodles before crashing or you'd be finding something fun to wear and heading straight back to crew bar for Latin night, Philipino karaoke or just a normal night of some drinking and the ship's DJ. It's dangerous having a bar right downstairs from where you live.

I have to warn you...you have a limit on how much you can drink and it's enforced. Most of the ship employees are more intoxicated than this limit but usually you can slide as long as you are coherent, not in guest areas and are still being responsible. For me, crew bar kept me sane and made it possible to tolerate the stress of work.

Sometimes they'd have amazing crew parties...Costume parties on Halloween, deck parties with free drinks and the open sky, toga parties. We had it good. They do their best to keep everyone happy. Here's some pictures of some of the Crew Bar parties...

Any by the way...I had many guests beg me to bring them to crew bar, or even offer money to tell them how to get there. ALWAYS say no. You would easily be fired for that.

Steiner Training Academy!

2013-06-20T12:13:00.002-07:00

Steiner Commissions News!

2013-06-18T13:54:00.002-07:00

Oh NO! I never thought this would happen...but Steiner has LOWERED commissions for massage therapist on board.

I really hate bringing bad news that could possibly discourage someone from working onboard.

*sad face*

I went on a cruise last month as a guest (which was very weird AND awesome). I made my way up to the spa and found a few sweet Steiner girl who was happy to update me on the company and how things were going. At least on board that ship.

Business was good, but I was shocked to hear that commissions paid to massage therapists were lowered from above 7% to around 2%. YIKES! That's a big drop from an already low pay.

Full amount of tips are still paid and commissions on retail products are still higher,...but I was still very disappointing to hear of this change.

Oh Steiner. I still love you, and I'm not judging you...but I don't completely understand.

Ship Smell

2012-10-11T14:06:00.002-07:00

There's smells that make me think of the ship, England,...Steiner...

Rainy days while riding in a cool bus; making a musty wet smell in the air.

Elemis products all day...the smell of seaweed, lavender...Skin Nourishing Milk Bath. :)

There's smells from Ports I visited...busy streets with tired people mixed with fresh Caribbean chicken or tacos...Ahhh. Coconuts and Corona.

Ship engines running, hallways just mopped.

Hungover co-workers and my boyfriends cologne...

Update of my LIFE

2012-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've been off ships for two years now.

Since then, I started a front desk position at a boutique hotel. It's amazing how much trouble can be caused with fourteen rooms and twelve employees. After six months there, I was seduced by the ability to control. I wanted to take over the hotel! I wanted to fix everything! I sold myself to my manager and encouraged her to create a higher paying position for me. And thus, I became Hotel Weekend Supervisor with a couple dollar$ more pay.

It was great to begin with...I felt I was making a difference. I did the little things...like created an email address for work, began to give my personal details to guests hoping to secure them as one of ''my VIP's'' in the future. I succumbed to the lifestyle of a full-time worker.

That didn't last very long.

My hands were still tied behind those above me. I grimaced when needing to check before making a decision. I was bitter when a call I made was wrong, and it was the topping to the cake when my personal work email was no longer personal. I was expected to provide my password to have all correspondence 'double-checked'. No, I had nothing to hide- but I felt challenged. And that doesn't settle well with me.

In an instant, I gave back my title and cut down my hours. It's amazing how your mind can change in a matter of moments. Your priorities change and a sunrise seems to be rising in the back of your eyes. I am not a business woman. I am a Massage Therapist. I am a Traveler. I do not like stress.

I'm now part time at the hotel and getting very busy with massage appointments. Living in South Beach Miami, everything is very seasonal. Summer is slow, very few tourists and less business. When November comes...buckle up- everyone's back. I'm hoping to be very busy. My clients seem to be very satisfied with their treatments and thanks to Steiner...I have tons of experience.

I have tried to calculate how many people I have massaged in my life. With cruising...the guests changed every week. In one week I could massage up to probably 50 people if I was fully booked! And what about Embarkation Day? 5 minute testers if I counted those... I have the experience of so many different bodie types, personalities, results...It brings high confidence and versatility! There is a sense of respect you are awarded when you can say you've completed contracts on board. It's an ACHIEVEMENT.

WiFi at the YMCA!

2012-06-11T05:19:00.002-07:00

Web Cam-s!

Before leaving my home…everyone was asking how I’d be able to keep in touch…

Do they have phones on the ship? Internet? Can you bring your computer? How often will you call me?
So many questions I had NO idea how to answer!!

Your family is going to be very curious for updates on your new adventure! They may be worried…and
nervous for you too.

#1: At the YMCA- They are EXTREMELY internet friendly. It’s completely free and quite fast. There’s
the entire lounge area with tables and outlets to plug to power. The cafeteria is open until late in the
evening for a little more privacy. There is also a small room before you get to the cafeteria on your
left side. It’s small and when I was at the academy…usually empty! Seeing that I missed my handsome
man…I took that opportunity to chat for hours. It was nice to have somewhere that was quiet.

Some people are lucky enough to get WiFi reception in their room. I didn’t…but only needed to go out
in the hallway and about 4 doors down. There’s quite few floors in the YMCA…I believe 3 are occupied
by only Steiner’s. The other floors, well…we’ll save that for another post….

This is what the hallways tend to look like in the evening! :

London-Heathrow Airport

2012-06-07T09:47:00.001-07:00

Wow...time couldn't go fast enough!

When I think about the months just before leaving for England; I can only remember packing-unpacking-repacking my suitcase. Struggling to hold it up in my arms while standing on a normal house-hold scale. It was amazing how many times I thought my suitcase was light enough but was still over 80 pounds!

I had to find a creative way to cut down all my possessions for 10 months into 2 luggages. Who knows how us Cruise-crew do it...but we never fail!

Looking over the traveling instructions and memorizing Elemis products became a daily routine. I wanted to be prepared!

I remember my family crying and me feeling so sick. What an exciting day! I had traveled before...but it was my first time on such a long flight and OVER the ocean.

After everything...I find that one of the toughest parts of the travel (both times) was getting from the airport to the YMCA. I personally found the train/bus system in England overwhelming. Even with all the preparation packets they gave to me...I still took the wrong bus which ended up taking 3 times as long to get to Watford.

This is what the entrance of the YMCA looks like...:

From the bus station you walk for about a mile to the YMCA....which you have no idea where it is. ASK QUESTIONS!! You are most likely pulling 2 huge suitcases, a laptop, and the biggest purse you could find before leaving. It's going to be the hardest walk you've ever done! Luckily...the second time I went; I met two boys on the bus who were staying at the YMCA training at the academy as Fitness. They carried my bags and escorted me there! What a relief! After a contract on board you tend to be able to pick out the "Steiners". Like they always say onboard...

"Nothing finer than a Steiner." :-)

The following video is on my youtube channel, LepaJessi. It's right after I arrived in London for training the second time. Obviously sporting THE WORST cut EVER. I don't know what this chick was thinking when she gave me bangs that a 3 year old gives to herself.

GET HIRED!

2012-01-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

I got my email about 2 weeks later and it said I passed the interview. I was in my kitchen and almost my entire family was home. I had just finished a very long day at my job at a Flower warehouse. I could see everything changing!

The didn't waste any time either. In the email they asked when I would be available to come to the London Training Academy and confirmed they would be sending me the infamous "Steiner Training Pack". That was the next step.

I gave my soonest date and waited for the Training Pack. It took 7-10 day to arrive from England and inside there was so much information! All the fees were broken down for me, contract lengths, and commissions. There were maps and advice on how to get to the Watford YMCA from the airport and tips on what to pack.

Also enclosed was a CD with Elemis products. I'm sure the just transfer everything via email now. I began studying my product and memorizing the ingredients...

I couldn't wait to start!

Summarized Steiner Interview

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

In short simplified form:

You will pay for everything to attend the interview and will not be reimbursed.
You may have to travel quite far. Interviews are only held in select large cities. Usually at a Steiner Family of Schools' location. If you are already attending one of these schools- you may be lucky enough to have a recruitment happen while you are attending.
Bring all necessary paperwork; resume, licenses/certificates, Passport (you will need a passport while working on board- 100% necessary).
Dress to impress. Business casual. A business suit is ideal but you must still be comfortable enough to perform your practical (hands-on interview)
Leave early for the interview, being late is unacceptable and they will note it.
There will be a seminar first, then a practical.
Be confident and pleasant!

Steiner Interview in Baltimore

2012-01-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

Next you need to arrange your interview. I researched the possible interview locations and dates and decided to fly to wherever the next interview would be held. I was getting impatient and was tired of working at a floral warehouse in a tiny city of 5000 people. Wisconsin isn't the most exciting state... The upcoming interview was to be held in Baltimore, Maryland. A city I'd never thought about but was soon to be spending a few days in! My adventure was beginning...

I took a bus from the airport to a local hostel where I stayed. It was my first time taking advantage of these travel-nut hotspots. The hostel was clean, cute, and very guest friendly. I locked my stuff up and walked to the local aquarium and watched a dolphin show. The entire time I was thinking of how much my little sisters would love watch the dolphins do their tricks.

On the day of my interview I was frieking out. I had no idea if I had all the correct paperwork, what they would ask me, if I looked nice, what they would ask me?! I was full of questions as hopped the train. I missed my stop and walk for too long before I finally found a Marriot hotel. I walked inside and called myself a cab. By this time I was in a definite suberb in the outskirts of Baltimore city.

I gave my taxi driver the address I needed to go to. Within 20 minutes we pulled up to a building that looked nothing like I expected it too. The interview was being held at a Steiner Family of school. Baltimore College of Massage Therapy. I recognized the school because I had attended the same chain; Utah College of Massage Therapy. As soon as I walked insdie- I felt comfortable. Tons of different people in the same situation as me. We all got along instantaneously and had endless things to talk about!

We gathered in a large classroom, all sat down, and a beautiful blonde woman named Angela introduced herself. She presented up with an official application form, a questionaire, and a thourough slide show. She showed us pictures of the cabins, the spa, graphs showing our potential income, and how important it was to know our targets and revenue potential. Each of us stood up to introduce ourselves and explain why we wanted to, and would be good at, working onboard. A girl stood up and was highly struggling to speak English. She got discourage and Angela went ahead to explain that this was okay. They have cruise ships all over the world and many of them require being fluent in a language other than English. Sometimes it can be a huge advantage. I'm still curious if that young lady got hired...

We all paired up for the practical. My partner was a young man from Baltimore. While I was performing my treatment I reminded myself to be confident and relaxed. Angela came over with a kind smile. She asked me to explain what I would do for someone with lower back pain. I said I would work with extra time releasing the trigger points in the QL and also work on the hamstrings to loosen the joints. She nodded, smiled, and moved on to the next victim! I breathed a sigh of relief and immediatly second guessed myself! I asked my partner "Was that right?!!" He told me to chill out and I was overreacting. Haha, of course! Don't we all!

She thanked all of us for coming, ensured our contact information was correct, and informed us we would recieve an email telling us 'yay' or 'nay'. All of my new instant friends and I exchanged emails and were excited to inform each other of our (hopefully) good news in the upcoming weeks.

I took the bus back to my hostel, which sounds much easier than it was...And joined in some small talk with a French guy outside on the steps. He was cute with bad teeth and tried teaching me a few words in his romantic language. I tried so hard to pronouce this one word and he laughed and scorned at me at the same time. He said I was murdering his language. I was so embarrased. From that point on Frenchmen no longer seemed romantic to me. Even if they wear flowing white linen pants. I had a relaxing night, got stood up by a student teacher, went to dinner with an adorable guy who was only into milfs, and had a cup of hot tea with a Japanese woman who had many more years than she looked.

My last day I settled my total bill of $60-something and took a taxi to the airport. I was so anxious to get home and tell my family about my expirience alone in Baltimore! I also wanted to tell my co-worker, Lisa, that I never got the chance to check out the strip bar called "Butterfly". I was full of butterflies of my own as I realized I had completed a huge step in my lifes' journey. I watched out the airplane window at the huge ocean I wanted to be sailing on and would soon be flying over to attend the Steiner London Training Academy....

I recieved my email two weeks later.

Applying for Steiner...

2012-01-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is the key:

http://www.onespaworld.com/

Steiner recruits all around the world. They hold specific dates for interviews at different locations around the globe. You'll send in an application online. Their website is great and will answer many of your questions.

Their most recent upcoming interview in the states is in March 2012 in Miami. There may be changes, or possibly more interview dates added.

You must have the proper education for your specialty. They employ hairdressers, beauty therapists, massage therapists, fitness trainers, nail technicians, barbers, acupuncturists, and medispa doctors. I'm not sure if they are still hiring for receptionists, but their site says they are.

Look over the information they provide, this will answer lots of questions and begin the process of working on board! It also makes working on the ship feel so much more like a reality.

Me!

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Hi!

I worked for Steiner Trans Ocean for two contracts on a total of four different cruise ships. For those of you unfamiliar to Steiner...Huge company! They own the spas on most cruiseliners, have land based spa all over the globe, and also own Elemis, Ionithermie, Bliss, and more. They are extremely successful and professional. I love that I had the chance to be incolced with their operation. I learned a lot. Although I chose to leave the company; I still like to share my knowledge. I grew a lot as a person while traveling and working my ass off. I met amazing life long friends and my wonderful lover. Beginning to chase the dream of working at sea is intimidating, exhilarating, and full of unanswered questions! I'd love to be able to answer some of those questions and make the majority of your experience positive and exciting. You will take control of your dreams. Just roll with the waves!