On Tap: Medicinal Beer Baths
Nothing is better than a cold beer at the end of a long day. But have you ever thought of soaking in it? Some Europeans already are.
All over Europe, especially in the Czech Republic and Germany, spa goers are taking dips in medicinal beer baths. Large metal tubs or barrels are filled with mineral water, beer, hops and yeast. Apparently, ancient Romans started doing this way back in the day and there is a science behind it. The beer has to be heated to exactly 93.2 degree Fahrenheit. The heat helps sweat out the toxins, the hops exfoliate the skin, and the active beer yeast infuses your body with vitamins. It can also help with acne, relieve muscle tension, warm up joints and support the immune system.
If you think about, it’s not that outrageous. Americans already take part in vinotherapy which uses the crushed grapes from wine. Here are some places around the world where you can take a dip in a stein of beer while sipping some too – of course.
The Chodovar Brewery offers 20-minute soaks in their own specially-brewed dark lager. After, you’re wrapped in a cozy fleece blanket for a rest. Pivovarská 107, 348 13 Chodová Planá, Czech Republic
At Hotel Bahenec in the Czech Republic you first take a steam in the sauna, soak in a whirlpool barrel beer bath – equipped with taps and mugs – then lay in a bed of straw for a nap. Písek u Jablunkova 195, 739 84 Písek u Jablunkovz, Czech Republic
Soak in Moorhof’s hoppy tub of 2 percent-alcohol lager made by the local Schnaitl brewery. After your soak, you’re wrapped in a starchy white sheet and laid on a pile of warm alfalfa hay. Dorfibm 2, A-5131 Franking, Hungary
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Image by NY Times
