This story is part of the Fall Travel issue, which is on sale here.
When you think of a luxurious spa package, it likely includes some combination of a body wrap with hot stones, a massage, a facial, a steam room and plunging into a whirlpool — all of it done with oodles of amazing-smelling oils and creams. You’re unlikely to imagine sitting in a tub of beer. And yet, the beer spa trend is cropping up across America.
The “across America” part is notable because beer spas have been a fixture beer-forward European countries for centuries — the Czech Republic has been doing it since the Middle Ages. But across the pond, these spas tend to be a more rustic affair of soaking in wooden tubs while sipping the head off a cold one. Whereas in America, most spots dipping into the beer-soaked waters are more akin to a luxury spa, complete with zen add-on treatments and gourmet food and drinks.
The spa credited with kicking off the phenomena stateside was Hop in the Spa in Sisters, Ore., which opened in February 2016. Chicago, which has had the most breweries in the United States since 2018, is home to Piva Beer Spa. Down in Waco, Texas, which has, since COVID, boomed with local brewhouses, has a brewery, hotel, spa and beer spa all in one at Pivovar. There is the Oakwell Beer Spa in Denver and BierBath in Sykesville, Md., too.
During a trip to Waco, telling locals about my plan to try the beer spa treatment at Pivovar elicited a lot of curiosity. Many knew about it, but few had tried it. Some called it a stunt. It’s not, exactly, though the studies to support the benefits are not prolific. At least one scientist says there are health benefits to soaking in a tub of beer, especially for your skin. Its various components may help slow aging, improve circulation and moisturize skin.
The beer spa at Pivovar filled a copper tub in a private suite about a quarter of the way with unfermented beer and an herbal beer mixture (hops, barley and brewer’s yeast) for my soak. The technician told me to add warm or cold water as I liked, demonstrating that the beer would froth up when the taps were turned on, just like a bubble bath. Since the beer isn’t fermented, it didn’t have that beer smell — it didn’t have any scent at all. It also means your skin isn’t exposed to harmful byproducts of fermentation like alcohol.
The first thing I noticed when I got in was that I could feel the hops and barley shifting around in the beer bath, and rubbing my feet and legs in the tub gave me the sensation of exfoliating my skin. Hops extracts are sometimes used in skincare for this purpose, as well as to generally reduce anxiety and inflammation.
Before my hour of soaking began, the technician told me that I should use the shower to wash off any debris when I was finished but not to use soap. They recommend letting the beer sit on your skin for 12 hours after the treatment to get the full benefits. I was skeptical, imagining that it might feel sticky, but I experienced nothing of the sort — just baby-soft skin that looked radiant. She also told me that I could dip my hair in the bath if I wanted — it is supposed to make it shinier and stronger — but I opted to keep it hair-free.
The soak was so relaxing that I nearly fell asleep in the tub. Apparently, the smell of hops is known for its anxiety-reducing properties and is helpful as a natural sleep aid. The spa asked in advance what music I would like to play, and I selected a band with an exceedingly chill catalog of songs that played on an Alexa speaker for my soaking hour. It also gave me a choice of snacks and drinks for an additional fee. I chose a glass of red wine (yes, you can soak in beer and imbibe wine, and it won’t hurt the beer’s feelings) and a crème brûlée cheesecake with a strawberry topping that was decadent. The Czech-inspired brewery also served savory bites like a cheese board and in-house beer and cocktails. I could slip on a waffle robe when my beer bath was over and go grab another drink.
While I took my beer bath in the buff, some locations require a swimsuit, and others list it as optional. All of the spas have private suites for one or two people. If you book one, strip down to your comfort level. But if you wear a swimsuit in the beer soak, give it a thorough rinse after.
Some locations offer more extensive spa packages. The beer bath treatments at Oakwell in Denver and BierBath in Maryland include an infrared sauna and a rain shower. At Piva in Chicago, packages include the beer soak, steam or sauna, halotherapy (breathing air with tiny salt particles that are said to improve breathing), a turn in the relaxation room with a beer mask and a spin in a zero-gravity massage chair.
Every beer soak has the option to head over to the taproom after, which is the cherry on top of a literal beer immersion. Drinking during the dip is recommended by some of the spas to help stimulate relaxation, and some places even encourage you to hit the bar still in your robe. After all, part of the fun is drinking the local brew that you just floated in.
