I’ve heard of Vinotherapie treatments for Wine lovers at spas, but the “Beer Spa is a new genre to me… Then again, given all the nutrients and minerals found in beer, it’s another great way to unlock the health benefits of beer besides drinking it!
Beer Spa
This weekend, I had the pleasure of trying the Downtown Denver Ritz-Carlton Spa’s Mile High Malt Scrub and Microbrew Massage, featuring our Samurai Rice Ale and Yeti Imperial Stout. The spa has long been home to the Hops ‘N’ Honey pedicure, also featuring Great Divide brews. Now, it’s finally here… the perfect spa exbeerience.
First, you hear a bit about how beer can help make the skin softer, smoother and better-feeling. We know how awesome beer can be on the inside; little did we know the wonders it can do on the outside.
The treatment starts once you’re snuggled into one of the spa’s luxurious robes. You’re met with a glass of Samurai (a perfect way to start a spa treatment if we’ve ever seen one). The rest of the beer left in the bottle is used in the first phase of the blissful treatment—the scrub.
Once you’re in the treatment room, the technician grinds a hefty handful of malt with a mortar and pestle, mixing it with the remaining Samurai, producing a finely-ground body scrub. The scrub is applied to the body, exfoliating the skin and leaving a pleasant, invigorating tingle.
This is where the Vichy shower comes in. Move over Johannes Gutenberg, Eli Whitney and Albert Einstein, the Vichy shower is one of the greatest feats of human ingenuity. As you lie on the spa treatment table, a network of multiple moveable shower heads gives an extremely relaxing rinse-off. Luckily (for both me and the technician) the Vichy experience employs a helpful series of towels so even the most modest beer lover can enjoy the experience with a more than a modicum of decency. After the rinse comes the Yeti…
My technician, who was both friendly and knowledgeable, fast-poured the Yeti into a Great Divide pint glass (nice touch, indeed) to maximize head on the beer. She then scooped some of the frothy foam off the top, mixing some with the moisturizer to be used later. Some of the beer is set aside to be painted directly on the skin.
Using a large, soft paintbrush, my technician slowly painted the beer onto my skin, allowing Yeti’s rich coffee and malt aroma envelope the room. As the beer soaked in, she then began the first stage of the massage portion. Using some of the leftover Samurai as a natural cleanser and clarifier, she gave me a rockin’ scalp massage, ensuring that I melted into complete relaxation.
Then, using the Yeti-moisturizer mixture, the treatment ended with an expert full-body massage. Back in the spa’s relaxation room, I was presented with a delicious pint of Yeti to top it all off. Sitting on a plush divan, wrapped in a cashmere blanket, blissed out post-massage, is, in my mind, a pretty great way to enjoy a cold one.
This treatment, the only one of its kind in North America we are told, is a perfect way to bring together two of our favorite things—beer and a day at the spa. The fun, unique, relaxing experience is a great fit for one of America’s best beer cities. The Mile High Malt Scrub and Microbrew Massage runs about 75 minutes and, at $200, is a bargain for the variety of experiences rolled into one treatment. If you will be traveling to the Mile High City or you call the Front Range home, you don’t want to miss this awesome and unexpected treasure.
