There are few things more satisfying than a good, well-made, cold beer when the heat hits. That little foam, that feeling when you pick up that ice-cold pitcher and take that first sip, oh man… Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Beer is a big world, and anyone who enjoys trying new varieties knows that well, but what interests us today isn’t the twenty-fifth craft beer your friend tried that turned out great, but a very interesting trend: hot spring beer.

Beer spas? Yes, it is as it seems. The last thing is not to drink the beer, but to bathe in it (and drink it as well). The idea is simple: instead of bathing in hot springs, you bathe in “beer” and relax while having a drink. behind the other a jug of barley water. The quotes make a lot of sense in the world and you are not actually bathing in beer but in the hot water to which you have added the grains that make up this drink.

When we left the spa they gave us all these diplomas.

Beer spa experience. A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to one of these spas with my group of friends. We were a bunch of kids around the age of ten and we booked into Beer Spa in Granada (one of the most popular franchises in Spain). After changing into our swimsuits, we headed to the spa area where they had beer pools, which were actually some kind of giant jacuzzis/whirlpool tubs disguised as beer barrels.

We got into hot water, not beer. Then the assistant came with some kind of dish that looked like spices at first glance. But no, they were hop powder extract (Humulus Lupulus), barley seed powder extract (Hordeum Vulgare), yeast powder extract (Faex) and cinnamon flavoring.

Beer Spa beer spa in Granada | Image: Beer Spa

These powdered materials were added to the water we were in and that’s when it started to smell like beer. I would say I was washing with water and something, not beer, but at least the smell was present and spread throughout the room thanks to the jacuzzi system. It was a very relaxing experience.

The tap space of an open Alhambra beer and the half-pint jug we each had in hand also helped, but we won’t go into that.

More things. In addition to the beer jacuzzi, which was the main attraction, I remember that this particular spa had a sauna (nothing special) and a room with three or four beds whose mattresses were filled with barley, so the idea was to lie in them and enjoy the smell. The truth is that more than one of us, two and three of us, fell exhausted in the beds and, to be honest, the smell was the least, but I remember that feeling was very pleasant.

Image | Pexels

So why beer? In any case, this is my experience and there will be thousands like it. The truth is that there are much more complete and premium options, such as the one proposed by Chateau Spa Beerland, one of the most important in the Czech Republic, which adds a few scoops of unfiltered premium additives in addition to the ingredients mentioned above. Czech beer.

Regardless, these spas praise the benefits of beer for skin and hair. Going further than Beer Spa, they explain that bathing in beer has the following benefits:

It prevents the formation of wrinkles on the skin.

Provides vitamins, saccharides and proteins.

Prevents and combats sagging.

Relax muscle tension.

It reduces stress.

It helps to renew skin cells.

It helps improve blood circulation.

It encourages the removal of toxins from the body.

It is an auxiliary treatment method for back and joint pain.

It eliminates the dirt accumulated in the pores of the skin.

It increases heart rate.

Improves skin condition in cases of psoriasis, acne and cellulite.

Renews the body and mind

Another thing is that science says this. In this sense, biochemist Cindy Jones of Colorado Aromatics explains to the BBC: “Both malted grains and yeast contain B vitamins, which increase skin moisture and elasticity and reduce hyperpigmentation.” Similarly, hops are rich in xanthohumul and humulone (antioxidants and antibacterials, respectively), and have been used historically to help you sleep, for example.

Origin of beer spasMany beer spas claim the origins of the bathhouse date back to 921, when King Wenceslas asked his servants to fill his bathtub with beer. According to Libor Zajic, an expert in European beer history at Masaryk University in Brno, this is “a marketing ploy exploited by beer spas.” All sorts of things were likely added to the ancient bathhouses, see the legend of Cleopatra and donkey milk.

Cover image | Xataka

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