Bathing In Sweet Nectar

Chocolate spas, seaweed wraps, sugar scrubs, mud & milk baths … spas around the world are constantly incorporating food into spa treatments.

People across all cultures have been mixing herbal and botanical ingredients together for thousands of years, in an effort to create natural and holistic health treatments and stress solutions.

Personally, I have taken no interest in any spa fads. Partly because I’ve never been to a spa and partly because I do not see it as a valuable investment. I would rather spend the money EATING the actual chocolate. BUT, this is only my opinion. Or it was until I discovered the spa of my dreams.

It makes perfect sense. Beer is all natural and chocked full of delicious herbal aromas. Not to mention, scientists believe that xanthohumol (found in hops) has powerful cancer-fighting properties. Hops has been used since Roman times to treat menopausal conditions and improve digestion. Beer rinses have long been known to add shine to hair. (True story. The Beer Wench has experimented with this several times.)

Unfortunately, there are currently no beer spas inside of the United States (hmmm the Beer Wench may be on to something here. A Beer Wench Brewpub & Beer spa anyone? Currently seeking investors…)

So where can you have the ultimate experience? During the last decade, a pack of beer spas have opened in the hills and lowlands of Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic.

The Chodovar Family Brewery in the Czech Republic has turned their basement into a beer spa. The facility offers beer baths, beer massages, beer wraps and beer cosmetics. There is a bathside bar, which allow its customers to sip beer while floating in beer.

The Landhotel Moorhof in rustic Franking, Austria offers what may be the most complete beer treatment — from the spa to the dining table. In the cellar, four couple-size wooden tubs are filled with a special brew. The Moorhof’s therapeutic brew is composed of a 2 percent-alcohol lager made for it by the local Schnaitl brewery, fortified with brewer’s yeast, malt and two scoops of hops, all thrown into a barrel-shaped tub and topped with warm water. Bubbles rise from the bottom, stirring the mix and causing a head to form — much like a jacuzzi or giant mug of beer. During the soak, a few pints of Schnaitl’s beer are offered, further inducing relaxation. A beer-bath weekend for two at the Moorhof includes two nights at the hotel, breakfast and two four-course dinners. The menu has featured a yeasty beer soup, beer-battered broccoli and chicken schnitzel with sour beer gravy as well as beer crepes for dessert.

The Beer Wench feels the need for an “educational” trip to one of these beer spas for some business “inspiration.”