Britain’s weirdest spa treatments – and their surprising benefits
Pulling a pint of lager whilst sitting in a hot tub infused with hops wouldn’t be my spa treatment of choice but I’m in Norwich trying out the new “beer spa” at The Norfolk Mead country house hotel. My therapist tells me the hops (which she sprinkles into the water along with some malt and Himalayan salt) will have a soothing effect on my muscles, de-stress my mind and improve my skin quality.
Make of that what you will, all I know is the icy cold, locally brewed lager (of which there is an unlimited supply available from a tap located next to the tub which you can help yourself to) is proving very refreshing in the hot sauna-style room where the beery hot tub is located. It feels like a simultaneous detox and retox, I conclude, as I lie back tankard in hand, while the hoppy aromas circulate.
Beer bathing
The concept isn’t new – it’s popular in the Netherlands and more recently in Iceland and Spain, where beer spas have also opened. However, these all take their cue from the Czech Republic, where beer bathing originated in the 16th century. The concept’s growing popularity, I assume, is due partly to the opportunity it provides to unite two popular sources of relaxation: spas and beer – with the bonus of a bit of European cachet thrown in.
Eliza Oakden, spa manager at The Norfolk Mead, offers another reason for the growing global appearance of beer spas. “Spas tend to appeal more to women, so we thought this would attract both men and couples, which it very much has,” she tells me. “We get lots of couples booking in on Friday evenings.”
Whilst I probably won’t be booking a return visit to the boozy jacuzzi, (I felt plastered after about 20 minutes and had to get out and have a round of egg and cress sandwiches and a strong Earl Grey tea before getting the train back to London), I welcome this new wave of unusual spa treatments rooted in history, which seem to be increasingly popular.
Cold plunging
Ice-cold plunges and cold-water bathing remain one of the hottest wellness topics. Although they might seem like a cutting-edge new trend, we can trace the practices back to ancient Rome. The Cotswolds has more than its fair share of fancy cold plunge pools – from the chic baths at The Club by Bamford to the frigidarium and Scottish bucket plunge at the new Eynsham Baths at Estelle Manor, inspired by the ruins of a Roman villa nearby. I also love the cold plunge pools at the beautiful Meadow Spa at Thyme Hotel in Lechdale.
There are many benefits to cold plunges – they can reduce inflammation as well as reduce the blood markers associated with increased heart disease risk. Cold water immersion can also improve thyroid function and help boost mood and lower stress levels.
Cold water swimming and ice plunges aren’t new to me. I grew up in the Brecon Beacons and spent most summers in Italy so since the age of ten, I’ve been in and out of rivers and natural cold water pools from Merthyr Tydfil to Montecatini. I now swim most mornings in the Serpentine in Hyde Park.
As well as enjoying the feeling of being near to nature, I find it immensely relaxing and a beneficial antidote to city life. The invigorating cold plunge spikes your dopamine levels, and you feel a little bit like a superhero.
But it’s the calm after-effect that I really love (which can last all day). Even five minutes in the cold water can give you a very good return of a good few hours of calm and clarity in a busy working day.
There were quite a few bare-chested superhero types on display at the Bath House banya in Belgravia. I recently visited to try their cold plunge pools. The Bath House opened a couple of years ago just behind Buckingham Palace near The Goring Hotel and there are now three banyas in central London.
I can see why Elle Macpherson is a fan. There is a feeling of timelessness here. Wearing a swimming costume, but draped in a white sheet, you wander from steamy sauna to ice-cold plunge pools and you can book the famous twig massage in between plunges and saunas where bunches of birch and oak leaves are fanned and danced all over the body. There is also delicious home-cooked food and vodka or champagne shots post-ice plunge if the mood takes you. I settled for a buckwheat tea which didn’t disappoint.
The banya experience was exhilarating and felt thoroughly authentic. I’ll take this any day over any Californian imported offering such as an IV vitamin drip “to boost well-being” where high doses of vitamins are intravenously pumped directly into the bloodstream. Most doctors I’ve spoken to would agree.
Caviar facials
I also think there’s a lot to be said for the return of “old-school” facials such as La Prairie’s caviar facial (Princess Diana was a fan). Far from just being just a faddy beauty ingredient (and we’ve had our fair share of those – I was offered a vegan snail slime facial last week), there is science to back up the claims.
For centuries, caviar has been known to be a dense, nutrient-rich food source. La Prairie was the first beauty brand to harness its restorative power and use it in skincare in the 1980s and they are still finding new benefits today. Recent studies show how an oil produced using caviar extracts performs as well as retinol, the gold standard treatment for softening lines and wrinkles.
I recently tried the La Prairie White Caviar Illumination facial at Harrods and I was receiving compliments five days after the facial, which is rare. This was a luminous “glow” I’d book in for again before a special occasion rather than the red-cheeked flush after my beer jacuzzi. But then again, I’m sure there are plenty who’d prefer the boozy option.
