A nice glass of beer can really benefit the mind after a long, stressful day. Well, apparently it can also benefit the body and skin, as the United States' first beer spa has opened in Sisters, Oregon.
Hop in the Spa allows clients to soak in a bath that combines a proprietary blend of beer, hops, herbs and barley. This concoction, according to the spa's owner Mike Boyle, offers clients relief for insomnia and stress while improving their skin tone.
Boyle got the idea for the spa after visiting a beer spa in Europe after a car accident. He experienced, first hand, the ability of beer to alleviate pain and improve insomnia. He decided to look into starting a beer spa, with the ironic twist that he didn't really drink beer until recently.
Benefits of Beer
But the spa is not just grabbing kegs of domestic brew to pour into their baths and use in their treatments. They are using microbrewed beer, which is rich with selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamins B1 and B3. The ingredients in the microbrews will help with insomnia, anxiety, stress and help calm the nervous system
Soaking in microbrews improves skin tone, reduces stress and detoxifies. According to the company, the treatment leads to clearer skin and an improved immune system. Each microbrew soak will have it's own signature formula.
Beer Treatments
The spa offers a host of treatments for the body. The Ale Foot Soak (45 min., $70), soaks the feet in copper bowls filled with freshly warmed microbrew and hops. A foot scrub of crushed barley helps remove rough calluses and shed dead skin, while a hops-infused oil is applied during a foot and lower-leg massage to rejuvenate the feet.
Hops, barley, honey, jojoba oil and salt are combined in the Brew & Renew Body Polish (60 Min., $90), which exfoliates the body and is followed by a replenishing hops-infused oil.
The spa also offers Swedish, deep tissue and prenatal massage in addition to the Ayurvedic treatments of and Abhyanga and Shirodhara. Abhyanga Massage (75 min., $150) is a specialty massage that stimulates the immune function, moisturizes and nurtures not just the skin, but all tissues of the body. Strokes are both relaxing and stimulating to circulation and elimination. That massage can be combined with 30 min. of Shirodhara and a 30 min. steam (135 min., $195.00). Shirodhara is the practice of continuously streaming warm, medicated oil over the forehead. Following the Shirodhara treatment is a scalp and facial massage finishing off with a facial steam.
Spa Expansion
The spa has done well so far, with plans to expand and offer a beer garden and a coffee with hops in it.
