IT’S every red-blooded bloke’s fantasy… a bath filled to the brim with beer.
The UK’s first-ever beer spa has just opened outside of Norwich, where lager lovers can bask in booze-brewing ingredients all in the name of their health.
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Touting benefits including clear skin, better blood flow and ache and pain relief, the popular Prague wellness trend has finally reached our shores.
But what’s it like to spend time in a boozy jacuzzi? Sun man Josh Saunders takes the plunge and shares pitchers from his ‘brew-tiful’ spa experience.
EMERGING from a dark room into the natural light, I reek like a pub beer towel and see flies rapidly race toward my body’s super-sugary scent.
But there has been no all-night booze bender and thankfully, no hangover, headache, or deathly dehydration to deal with.
I have just experienced the UK’s first-ever beer spa, which is a popular ‘health and wellness’ treatment targeted at fellas, at The Norfolk Mead Hotel, in Coltishall, Norwich.
For £68, lager lovers lie in a wooden bath filled with 440-litres of ale-flavoured warm water – the equivalent of 775 pints or my Friday night at the local Wetherspoons – and drink beer on tap.
Beer spas supposedly date back 2,000 years to the time of King Wenceslas, the Duke of Bohemia – modern-day Czech Republic – who claimed a boozy soak cured an array of ailments.
It sounds like he pulled a fast one to get out of housework if you ask me, but if it’s good enough for royalty it’s good enough for me.
Before I hop to the task at hand, I have an important question for spa manager Eliza Heaffey, 32: “Will I get drunk?”
Through laughter, she responds: “No, so the malt and the hops don’t contain alcohol so you’re not bathing in alcohol but that has been a common misconception.” Drats.
Eliza explains the beer spa is part of the Georgian hotel’s £3.5million refurbishment and hopes it will lure in new clientele.
She says: “We like to be unique and things that are a bit different and with it being the first in the UK, we wanted something quite gender neutral.
“Notoriously, there are a lot of females that attend spa days and we wanted something that may encourage men as well.
“Obviously not so the spas are only for men but it does seem to appeal to both genders and offers a bit of something for everyone.”
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While it’s not exclusively for blokes, it’s clear stag dos across the country will be lapping up a chance to lie around in lager – especially with the perks of being able to sip a pint at the same time, too.
Heading past a Buddha statue and candles to a room named Hazelnut, I walk in and brace myself for what is soon to be my personal ‘home-brew a la you’.
Assistant spa manager Charlie Savage, 25, holds a wooden bowl that looks like a fancy pub beer tray with three suspicious-looking small piles on it.
Pointing to a green mound that looks like marijuana, she explains: “These are the hops, they reduce stress and are very relaxing.”
Now to a whitish powder and tiny little rocks, Charlie adds: “This is malt, it’s really anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. Then there are mineral salts that will improve blood circulation.”
She adds: “When the jets are on it’s relaxing, it helps to calm the mind, is detoxifying for the skin and will give you a nice brightening complexion as well.”
8 ways beer can boost your health
BY Ella Walker and Josh Saunders
FOR many there are few things better than an ice-cold beer on a summer’s day.
But unknown to many there are some surprising health benefits loaded within every pint too – when consumed in moderation.
From fighting against deadly disease to general well-being improvements, here are eight ways beer helps the body.
- WEIGHT TO GO – If it’s a toss-up between beer or wine, beer may be the better option as it often has fewer calories. It also contains iso-alpha acids – shown to have a positive influence on fat and glucose metabolism – and xanthohumol, which can prevent weight gain.
- TOUGHEN UP – Consuming moderate amounts can strengthen bones in men and post-menopausal women. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, one or two beers a day increases bone mineral density in men and benefits women’s spine and hips.
- DIABETES BATTLE – When combined with regular exercise and a Mediterranean diet, consuming moderate amounts of beer can reduce risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. It’s due to hops being packed with polyphenols – micronutrients we are unlikely to get from our diet – that contain xanthohumol, which studies suggest lowers the risk of diseases including obesity and diabetes.
- HEART HEALTH – Researchers at University College London found a link between knocking back just under six pints of medium-strength beer a week and a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, angina or death among people with cardiovascular disease.
- LIVER BATTLE – Excessive consumption will lead to liver disease but a study from Germany found small amounts can slow fat from accumulating in the organ and prevent scarring. It’s due to beer containing xanthohumol.
- CANCER KILLER – Hops have been found to produce a compound that scientists at Oregon State University say can “thwart” liver and colon cancer cells when consumed in small quantities.
- FREE RADICAL FIGHT – Darker brews like stouts contain antioxidants that help to fight free radicals. They are unstable molecules that can damage cells and lead to cancer and chronic conditions.
- LIVE LONGER – Research from Holland of the drinking habits of 5,500 people over two decades found those who consumed half a pint of beer a day were more likely to live until they were 90. The Texas study also found moderate consumption in later life was associated with “reduced total mortality”.
She pushes the ingredients into the spa tub, which is filled with H2O pre-heated to around 35°C, and fires up the massaging water jets.
I hop in and lay back and soon my nostrils are filled with sweet hoppy hints from local award-winning beer Woodforde’s Brewery, who supply the ingredients.
It’s an intoxicating smell but I’m completely sober until I spot a beer tap beside me, which in the name of research had to be tested.
Bathing in beer while sipping beer. Could life get any better? Plus, vitamin-rich ingredients like malt, which is packed with zinc, are great for the skin.
Eliza has also told me that the spa will also help with joint pains, draining the lymphatic system and boosting blood circulation.
Soon, the water changes from transparent to a murky green-brown colour as the ingredients dissolve and I spot specks of hops all around me.
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But could it be as good as from the tap? I take a sip. Sadly, after stewing for nearly 45 minutes, I cannot recommend a fresh pint of Josh-IPA.
Time is up and my happily ever after comes to an end. I feel slightly sticky as I get out and refuse the offer to shower in the hope the beer will rejuvenate my skin all the more.
As I step out into the sun, I feel refreshed and relaxed. Nothing like I would after an evening down at the local boozer.
But my beer-encouraged bliss is soon interrupted. A buzzing sound snaps me back to reality. It’s a bee looking to steal sticky beer residue from my skin.
Sud it, I’m too chilled to care. It seems I could be a spa convert after all, especially if beer is on the menu.
For more information about UK’s first beer spa experience at The Norfolk Mead Hotel visit: www.norfolkmead.co.uk.
