Beer and wellness don’t often appear in the same sentence – but beer baths are the latest trend in the spa world. Beer spas have been popping up everywhere from Iceland to Spain recently, and now the UK has jumped on the bandwagon, introducing a new experience at The Norfolk Mead country hotel. So does bathing in beer really offer wellness benefits?
What are beer spas?
Bathing has long been considered a method of relaxation, but beer baths bring a new element to the mix: they infuse the water with beer. It may sound like a fad invented by bar lovers, but the fizzy brew is believed to offer a number of health benefits, including reducing muscle tension and boosting circulation.
Where does the beer spa trend come from?
Many beer bathers claim that the practice dates back thousands of years, citing King Wenceslas as one of the earliest adopters of the trend. According to the story, the king had his servants prepare cold brewery baths for him using wort (a sweet liquid that is fermented into beer) from nearby abbeys. However, some have questioned these stories.
“It’s certainly not true,” Libor Zajic, an expert in European brewing history at Masaryk University in Brno, told the BBC. “It’s a marketing ploy by companies that run beer baths – companies that are a modern invention… Beer may have been added to baths in the Middle Ages, like many other substances, but certainly not with any deeper intention.”
Nevertheless, the concept has gained traction across Europe in recent years – especially in beer hotspots such as Bruges, Budapest and Strasbourg.
And now the UK is getting in on the act, with the Norfolk Mead Hotel offering its own alcoholic spa experience. Billed as the UK’s first beer spa, Norfolk Mead’s new offering allows guests to relax in a wooden hot tub infused with malt and hops. Best of all, the experience also includes your very own beer tap from which you can enjoy a pint of Norfolk Woodforde’s Brewery beer – all in the name of wellbeing, of course.
What are the benefits of a beer bath?
Aside from the novelty factor, beer bathing is linked to a number of health benefits. Beer is made from malted cereal grains, yeast and hops, all of which offer benefits for the skin. Malted cereal grains and yeast are rich in B vitamins that help with hydration, while hops are rich in xanthohumul and humulone, two antioxidants linked to skin healing. Hops are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties – and there is evidence that they can increase collagen production.
There may also be benefits for mental health: researchers have found that hops extracts can relieve anxiety, mild depression and stress. Norfolk Mead’s website states: “Known for their restorative properties, these natural ingredients help to remove toxins from the body while promoting circulation. The supportive effect on joints and muscles results in a stress-reducing treatment that promotes overall well-being.”
You can book the spa experience at norfolkmead.co.uk.
