Cruise wellness has expanded beyond traditional spa treatments, with more lines adding services focused on guests’ health and well-being. VIKAND, a global maritime healthcare provider, and wellness pioneer Anna Bjurstam are taking that a step further with Marenia, a new medical wellness concept for the cruise industry.
Marenia will use the ship’s existing medical operation, including doctors, nurses, a medical center, and laboratory, to provide wellness services throughout the voyage. Services will include vitamin shots, IV hydration, blood work, glucose monitoring, metabolic and fitness testing, and personalized health programs focused on wellness and healthy aging. Blood panels can be analyzed in the ship’s laboratory the same day, with results reviewed by a functional medicine and longevity doctor to create a personal health plan.
“Cruise ships already carry something extraordinarily valuable: professional medical teams and certified medical infrastructure,” said Peter Hult, CEO of VIKAND. “Historically that capability has rightly focused on illness, injury and emergencies. Marenia asks a different question: how do we responsibly use it to help guests feel better, recover faster and leave the ship healthier than they arrived with the same clinical governance that has always protected them at sea?”
Marenia will operate under VIKAND’s clinical governance and protocols, with a Marenia nurse working within the onboard medical team. Additional services, including regenerative treatments, may be offered where appropriate.
The ship’s spa will continue to operate alongside Marenia, with the program handling services that require medical oversight and working with existing spa and wellness partners. Because it uses the ship’s existing medical infrastructure, cruise lines can add medical wellness services without building a separate facility.
“Guests no longer just want to relax. They want to understand their health, improve how they feel, and make changes that last after the journey ends,” said Anna Bjurstam. “A cruise is the perfect place for that, because guests have something increasingly rare in modern life: time. Marenia uses that time to keep guests well, and to help those who want more to truly optimise how they feel and how they age. With VIKAND’s medical expertise behind it, we can do that responsibly, and beautifully.”
The partners will pilot Marenia with select cruise operators before expanding the program across the international cruise market.
