The latest in wellness: Beer Spas
Romans bathed in wine. Cleopatra in milk. Why no beer? From the Rocky Mountains to Iceland, spas are tapping into what they see as an emerging market — beer lovers who soak in foam to rejuvenate skin and muscles.
In the tiny village of Árskógssandur in Iceland, Beer Spa (Bjórbö›in) transports customers into a whirlpool filled with ‘young’ beer that is still in the early stages of fermentation. The Kambala wooden tub is filled with water, live brewer’s yeast, hops, water, beer oil and beer salt. Its low pH is said to tighten and soften hair follicles while cleansing hair and skin. Brewer’s yeast provides vitamin B, protein, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Beer hop, on the other hand, is rich in antioxidants and alpha acids, while its oils and minerals have anti-inflammatory effects on joints and muscles.
Taking the concept from the USA, Denver’s new Beer Spa invites guests into a bubbly beer spa infused with hops, barley and medicinal herbs. The mile-high stew is the brainchild of Damien Zouaoui and Jessica French, who traveled the world before ending up in a beer spa in Poland and bringing the concept home. Your 90-minute Beer Therapy Room treatment lets you soak in a cedar tub filled with an herbal beer bath blend. They tout the same effects as their overseas cousins, right down to thousands of tiny bubbles that envelop your body in a beer-like fizz. The treatment includes an infrared sauna, a rain shower, a relaxation terrace and a self-service bar.
“It felt great — and it smells like good beer, not frat floor,” says St. Louis entrepreneur George Lochhead, who attended the beer spa after heli-skiing. “And it’s so good for your skin, you don’t even have to shower afterwards. We had fun guessing if it was an IPA or a lager.”
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