Hop in the Spa is the nation’s first beer spa.
Lying in a bathtub filled with a brew containing hops and barley has been part of life in certain parts of Europe since the Middle Ages, said Mike Boyle, co-founder of Hop in the Spa in Sisters.
However, Boyle added that beer baths were nowhere to be found in America until Hop in the Spa opened in February.
(READ MORE: Bend Bulletin)
Boyle explained the beer bath process to Vice magazine in an interview last month.
We actually take a 55-gallon barrel of hot, hot water. We put hops, barley, and minerals into it. We brew it. Then we steep all of those materials out and pump all of those materials into a polyurethane-lined cedar tub upstairs, where you take a dip. We add whole hops, essential oils, and trace minerals—along with two liters of brew into the beer at the very end as the water cools, so it doesn’t burn off the alcohol. The alcohol has some disinfecting and medicinal qualities along with the hops. You soak for 25 minutes. After this, you come out and get a massage with hop oil. We do a hop education with our customers, too. People are fascinated by hops.
(READ MORE: Vice)
