The visit to the beer spa was made on a press trip together with Visit Pilsen, but all thoughts and opinions are, as usual, my own.
I sneak along the wooden paneling of the quiet corridor with a white sheet tightly wrapped around my body. It turned out that bathing suits were not allowed, so I had to leave the bathing suit in the locker in the changing room. I've been to regular spas with aromatic baths and massages several times, mainly to relax and maybe even jump into a jacuzzi. But this spa experience would prove to be something completely different from what I had experienced before. But let's start from the beginning.
The Purkmistr brewery is located 6 kilometers south of Plzen (Pilsen) in the northwestern Czech Republic. Plzen is perhaps best known for being the place where the beer pilsnerwas born and today the Pilsner Urquell brewery is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. But pilsner is not only Pilsner Urquell, there are a number of smaller breweries here as well. Brewery Purkmistr has its roots in Bohemia's oldest brewery Domažlice, but after a restart and move to the outskirts of Plzen, the brewery has fully flourished. Today, Purkmistr is the second largest brewery in Plzen and offers not only beer, but also a nice restaurant and a beer spa.
Going to a spa may not sound like a strenuous activity, but going to a beer spa hungry is not recommended. Purkmistr's restaurant serves classic Czech food accompanied by the brewery's own beer, a worthy recharge before an afternoon filled with relaxation. It a very early lunch hour, but the restaurant is already quite full with guests. Large families and groups of friends meet in a convivial atmosphere and the laughter echoes between the copper barrels. The walls are decorated with the brewery's diplomas, and cups and lamps with colored Tiffany-style glass spread their warm glow over the premises. At the far end of the room, two large copper barrels stand and shine. All beer is still brewed here in this house, some actually even in the restaurant. This is small-scale craft beer at its best.
It's not hard to find something on a Czech menu that appeals to me. When there is the smazenµ sews - breaded cheese with potato salad - then I don't have to think long. In addition, it is one of the dishes that perhaps goes best with a beer.
In the bar there are signs with details of the various beers currently served at the brewery. It's impossible to choose just one beer, so I settle on a tasting tray with miniatures of the brewery's most popular brews – everything from a classic light pilsner to a really dark, thick and bready beer. All beer from Purkmistr is unfiltered and unpasteurized - which is said to make the beer retain more nutrients and vitamins and gives the beer a fresher taste.
My booked time for the spa visit is approaching far too quickly. But isn't that how it usually is - time flies when you're having fun.
A few moments later I'm standing in the wooden corridor in my white sheet to open the frosted glass door to my beer bath. A large wooden tub stands in front of me, suitably looking like a well-kept beer keg. The tub is prepared with an aromatic bath of water, beer, malt and selected hops. I can see both hops and malt swirling around my legs as I finally manage to submerge my body in the very warm water. In front of the bathtub, rippling water flows on a stone wall and despite the fact that the herbs get stuck between both toes and fingers, it is incredibly nice to slowly slide into the heat and just relax.
But going to the beer spa at Purkmistr is not just a fragrant bath, we are in a brewery after all . At arm's length from the tub is a beer glass with a beer tap with free flow of ice-cold beer straight from the source. A sip of cold beer in a warm bath. I can imagine that many guests let the tap work hard.
For 20 minutes I lie in the warm beer bath and let my body soak up all the benefits of the bath water. Beer contains B vitamins and minerals and it is said that bathing in beer does wonders for the skin. Ideally, you should also let your hair and face be dipped in the bath water for best results, but with a busy schedule during the afternoon, I didn't feel completely comfortable with beer-scented hair.
The temperature of the bath water gradually starts to cool down and when the promised 20 minutes have come to an end, the bath is automatically emptied of the bath water. I slowly stretch my relaxed body and wrap myself in the sheet again. After a treatment like this, you should preferably not shower, so I lie down for a while to dry in the relaxation room and let the benefits work. Here, too, there is free flow of freshly brewed beer for those who wish, although I am so hot after the bath that I much prefer a few glasses of water.
On my way out the gates of Purkmistr, I can't help but think of the Czechs' love of beer. Maybe the love is even greater here in the birthplace of the pilsner, but throughout the Czech Republic, beer is not just a drink but a national pride. I run my hand over my smooth arms, which still smell delicious from the spa treatment. There are many ways to use beer, but bathing in beer definitely has to be one of the nicest.
Where can I find a beer spa in the Czech Republic?
Brewery/Spa/Restaurant/Hotel Purkmistr is located in a 17th-century building just outside Plzen in the Czech Republic. Book your visit in advance - whether it's for the hotel, the restaurant or the spa. There are also beer spas in other cities in the Czech Republic, for example in Prague and Karlovy Vary.
Read more Visit the Czech Republic or Visit Pilsen.
Map (opens in Google maps)
I myself am not particularly fond of drinking beer, but when we visited Prague we also found a beer spa. Super fun experience, which I recommend to everyone :)
It was so much fun and so relaxing! It felt a little weird to bathe in beer, however, but the skin became incredibly smooth after the bath!