PC

  News 
  Reviews
  Previews
  Hardware
  Interviews
  All Features

Areas

  3DS
  Android
  iPad
  iPhone
  Mac
  PC
  PlayStation 3
  PlayStation 4
  Switch
  Vita
  Wii U
  Xbox 360
  Xbox One
  Media
  Archives
  Search
  Contests

 

The Sims 4: Spa Day Game Pack
Score: 91%
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: The Sims Studio
Media: Download/1
Players: 1
Genre: Simulation

First Things First:

Since The Sims 4 was released, we’ve all been anxiously waiting to see what packs they will come out with next. This time, we are treated to The Sims 4: Spa Day.

One thing I love to check with any game pack is what kind of new stuff has been added. The Sims 4: Spa Day provide new hair styles, clothes, items, even quite a number of rooms. First off, I love the clothes. They’re mostly tops, yoga wear, comfortable clothes, a couple of swimsuits, and a number of shoes. Just in case you didn’t know, these are all my favorite things to wear. Some of it is really cute. The creative designs of the yoga tops especially make me want a Sims clothing store where I can go shopping in real life.

Since you’ve got a whole new building, there are all new items and rooms associated with that building. There are nine total pre-built rooms that you can add to your house if you want. The nine rooms that are all specialized to a spa means there are a whole bunch of new items in the game. Luckily, this also means that you have a whole lot of new items for your house, from the structural aspects like windows, doors, wall coverings, and more, to the smaller detail items like zen wall decals, mirrors, plants, and vases. You’ve pretty much got enough items that you can make your whole house spa-like if you want.


At Home:

The Sims 4: Spa Day has also added a new skill for your Sims to try and master, the Wellness Skill. There are several ways to raise your skill level both at home and at the spa. Yoga mats, meditation stools, massage chairs and massage tables can all be bought for your house so you can raise your Wellness Skill level at home. Personally, I recommend the yoga mat as it will raise your entertainment meter as well as your skill level. The massage tables are also nice as they can raise your wellness level plus reduce your tension. The person giving the massage will have their Wellness Skill raised. Both of you will also have your social interaction raised as well. You’d think that doing yoga next to someone else would raise your social interaction, but apparently you are concentrating on the yoga instead. Higher levels of yoga skill will allow you to do more yoga poses and more types of massage. Eventually you might even learn to levitate.

At the Spa:

When you first launch The Sims 4 after installing Spa Day, you will be asked where you want to place your spa. There are three pre-built spas to choose from or you can customize your own. If you want to place a spa after that, you can do so from your World Map.

While you can buy stuff for your house, let’s face it, going to the spa is infinitely more relaxing! You can get to the spa by selecting travel and then clicking on your spa. First off, unlike in the real world, it does not cost anything to enter the spa. You can go and unwind there and relax in the steam room, practice on the yoga mats, exercise in the gym, socialize with the people, grab drinks, and more, all without paying a dime. Other services you will have to pay for. Things like attending a yoga class or getting a massage definitely aren’t free. The cost will depend on what service you choose. Your choices include: hand massage and foot massage from a reflexologist, various massages including Swedish, stone, deep tissue, sports, fertility, and aromatherapy. With the aromatherapy, you can choose from lavender, ylang ylang, lotus blossom, or mint and rosemary. You can also bathe at the spa, including mud baths. Be warned, a mud bath lowers your hygiene level, so make sure to take a regular bath (with or without soaks) after. If you take some food with you, you can pretty much live in the spa. They don’t serve food, but they do have drinks that will cure your hunger some.


Final Thoughts:

Since my husband is a massage therapist, I am lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time in a spa in the real world. I have a feeling that the programmers enjoyed expensing spa visits for research as they did an amazing job recreating and even improving real life spas. They maximize space in these spas since all of the areas are public (other than the restrooms) rather than having a women’s and a men’s area. This makes it a lot easier on you playing as you can go almost anywhere. They even have rooms set up for couple’s massages. The spa is nice enough to announce when yoga classes will be starting 30 minutes early, so you have plenty of time to finish up what you’re doing and join the class. Honestly, I would love to visit one of these spas in real life.

I have been playing The Sims for years now. I think I’ve played at least 80% of the expansions, pack, and worlds. Spa Day ranks up in the top of my favorite packs. I have had my Sims spend days in the spas, just napping on the couches. I would also say that the Sims spa mimics a real world spa extremely closely, much closer than some of their other buildings. While playing Spa Day is not quite as relaxing as going to a real spa, it does somehow have a calming effect on your soul. If you’re looking for a great new game pack to make your Sims quite happy, check out The Sims 4: Spa Day today!


-Cyn, GameVortex Communications
AKA Sara Earl
Minimum System Requirements:

OS: Windows XP or higher, CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core 4000+ or equivalent, RAM: 2 GB, Graphics: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0, Hard Drive: 10 GB free, DirectX 9.0c Compatible
  Test System:

OS: Windows 8.1, CPU: Intel Core i7-3630QM 2.4 GHz, RAM: 16 GB, Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M, Hard Drive: 400 GB free

Related Links:



Microsoft Xbox One Game of Thrones: Episode 5 - A Nest of Vipers Windows Game of Thrones: Episode 5 - A Nest of Vipers

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated