Get Sudsy: 5 U.S. Spas for Craft Beer Lovers

by  Cate Huguelet | Apr 21, 2015
Anjou Spa
Anjou Spa

In a trend imported from Europe’s great beer-producing countries, like the Czech Republic and Germany, spas around the U.S. have begun working craft brews into treatments like massages and body scrubs. No mere gimmick devised to lure in hopheads and pampering-averse manly men, beer-infused treatments are purported to impart a host of health and beauty benefits, from exfoliating the skin to wiping out foot fungus. Here, five spas offering sudsy treatments to intoxicate your senses.

1. Anjou Spa  (Bend, Oregon)
Home to one of the Pacific Northwest’s most vibrant craft beer scenes, Bend is a fitting setting for a brew-fueled pampering session. Get it at Anjou, an energy-efficient, organic spot that’s teamed up with homegrown Goodlife Brewing Company to create Spa Hoppiness , a menu of beer-centric treatments. Among the most unique offerings is the Ale-ing Foot Remedy (40 minutes for $49). Feet are soaked in a copper bowl filled with warm beer, scrubbed with a mixture of hops and barley, and finally massaged with hops-enriched lotion. By the end, tired dogs are rejuvenated, smooth, and free from odor-promoting fungus.

2. Auberge Spa at Calistoga Ranch (Calistoga, California)
This may be wine country, but when it comes to spa treatments at Calistoga Ranch -- a secluded retreat situated amidst Napa’s rolling hills -- beer’s the order of the day. Beery or not, few treatments are as indulgent as the Auberge Spa’s Ale Immersion Soak (30 minutes for $85), in which guests sip on a craft brew while luxuriating in a private outdoor bath infused with hops. This highly aromatic soak relaxes the muscles and the mind, promoting better sleep.

3. Four Seasons (Vail, Colorado)
For those times when it feels like the slopes hit you too hard, the Brew & Renew spa treatments at this upscale, modern mountain lodge will get you back on piste. Try the Brew & Renew Massage (50 minutes for $165 and 85 minutes for $235), a creative take on a traditional treatment that substitutes warmed cans of beer from nearby Crazy Mountain Brewery for hot stones. Just in case you aren’t sufficiently blissed out post-massage, you’ll finish by lingering over an icy brew.

4. The Lodge at Woodloch, (Hawley, Pennsylvania)
Each year, the spa team at this tranquil Poconos resort creates a set of treatments inspired by brews from craft beer bigwig Dogfish Head. A highlight of this year’s offerings is the Mud and Suds Body Treatment (75 minutes starting at $195), which takes its inspiration from Positive Contact, the brewery’s unique cider-beer hybrid. This full-body treatment begins with a hops and barley scrub to slough away rough skin and concludes with an invigorating, cider-infused massage.

5. The Ritz-Carlton (Denver, Colorado)
Talk about locally-sourced. The beer used in the Ex"beer"ience spa treatments at this sleek downtown Denver hotel come from Great Divide, a brewery just three blocks away. For total body relaxation, try the Mile High Malt Scrub & Microbrew Massage (75 minutes for $200), which incorporates an exfoliating malt scrub, a smoothing stout mask, and beer-enriched scalp and body massages.

Find The Best Cruises
Find a cruise

Find the best deals!

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices