Bathing in…. beer??

It seems that, having come out to live in Iceland, this country has suddenly become ‘the’ place to be. Perhaps mainly due to the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in March 2021, there have been several television programmes featuring Iceland that have aired over the last year, one of the most popular being ‘Iceland with Alexander Armstrong’. Of course, I watched avidly to see the country I have come to love featured, squealing with excitement when I saw the street where we live and other familiar places. However, one place that Alexander visited was totally new to me; this was the ‘Beer Spa’ near Akureyri.

Having seen it, I resolved that this was a place to take Matthew to, and this weekend we had the opportunity.

Now the idea of the weekend was to go skiing, as Akureyri (the ‘Capital of the North’) is one of the best skiing areas in the country. However, the forecast for the weekend was pretty terrible, and we knew that the odds of us actually being able to ski were pretty slim. However, we had devised a ‘Plan B’ and headed up anyway. One of the alternative attractions was said Beer Spa or, in Icelandic, Bjórböðin.

The idea is pretty simple; in this quirky retreat, some 35km north of Akureyri, set on the west shore of the stunning Eyjafjörður fjord, you have the opportunity to bathe in a bathtub full of beer. Yes, that’s right, a bathtub of beer!! This is not beer you can drink, I hasten to add, as it is a mixture of beer, warm water, hops and yeast, but the good news for beer lovers is that you have the opportunity to bathe in warm beer whilst drinking cold beer; every tub comes with its own tap to hand, from which you can pour yourself unlimited fresh, cold beers whilst bathing. This has to be the ultimate in hedonism and, I imagine, many people’s fantasy.

So, having decided this would be the perfect place to take Matthew to, when we knew that skiing was off, we headed up the fjord to Bjórböðin to while away the afternoon.

I’d booked lunch at the restaurant there and we arrived a little early, but were assured that they would alter our booking times to enable us to eat straightaway.

My first surprise on arriving was how elegant and upmarket the place seemed. I had rather imagined that this would be a bit of a gimmick - a bit of a laugh for the tourists - but in fact what we arrived at was a rather lovely and exceptionally stylish building, decorated and furnished extremely tastefully, even to the cutlery and wine glasses. As soon as we sat down to eat, we realised that lunch was going to be a real treat. And so it proved. Our pre-spa lunch turned out to be one of the best meals of the weekend, with attentive service, stunning surroundings and beautifully cooked food. The huge picture windows of the restaurant looked out across the fjord to the mountains beyond and we rapidly revised our expectations of the place. This was no mere gimmick, but a treat for all the senses.

We had arranged that we would have a soak in the outdoor hot tubs before our time in the beer spa itself. They advise that if using the hot tubs you do it beforehand, rather than after the beer tubs, because the beer is so good for the skin and hair that it is recommended you don’t bathe or shower for 3 to 5 hours after the bath because it has a revitalising and softening effect on both skin and hair. So we agreed to go out beforehand and have a soak in the hot tubs. The girl at the desk did ask if we still wanted to go out, as the weather was somewhat wild, with high winds and snow showers but we were adamant that we did. Bonkers it may be, but there is something incredibly invigorating and fun about being outside in a hot tub when the weather is really crazy. The walk to the hot tub was a little chilly, but once in the water it was fantastic. After around half an hour one of the girls came to tell us our tub was ready.

Matthew chilling in the hot tub in the sub-zero temperature

There are only 7 bathtubs at this exclusive attraction which can fit up to 2 people in each. You bathe in the beer for 25 minutes before making your way to the relaxation room where you have the chance to unwind for a further 25 minutes. When we were shown into our room, the first thing that struck us was the luxurious feel to it; the tub itself was made of beautiful, polished wood, the floor and wall tiling effortlessly stylish and, of course, voluminous white bathrobes provided for us. Not to mention the barrel next to the bathtub, with tap and beer glasses ready. The girl who had shown us into the room explained that she would return after 25 minutes to show us to the relaxation room and then she slid the door closed and left us.

They recommend that you don’t bother with bathing costumes in the beer bath (unlike the outdoor tubs) and that you let the beer mixture soak into both your skin and hair. Apparently, the beer used for the bath is in the early stages of fermentation, and at that stage the beer has very low pH which tightens and softens hair follicles and is cleansing for both hair and skin. The brewers yeast used has a revitalising effect on skin and hair and is also a great source of protein, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium. The beer hops are rich in antioxidants and alpha acids. The oils and minerals from the plant have anti-inflammatory effect on the skin and the hops have a soothing and relaxing effect on the muscles. That’s the official blurb; all I know is it was very relaxing indeed. And the beer on tap was also very good, coming from the local Kaldi (IPA) brewery. I was very circumspect, just having the occasional sip as I was the designated driver, but Matthew enjoyed it enormously.

*Bathing in beer…. A totally new experience!*

Some 25 minutes later there was a gentle tap at the door and we were told our time was up, so we got into our bathrobes and were guided to the relaxation room upstairs, where there were a number of beds waiting, with soft ambient music playing quietly. Once on the beds we were tucked in, blankets laid over us and invited to just relax for the next 25 minutes. The combination of the music, the warmth of the beer bath we’d just had and the comfortable beds meant that we were totally relaxed - to the point that Matthew was gently snoring within moments of lying down! When we were gently told it was time to finish, it felt as if we’d only been there a few minutes!

So, far from being a tourist gimmick, this is a fabulous, pampering experience that far exceeded our expectations. Alexander didn’t do it justice on his programme - but having said that I am very grateful to him for featuring it as otherwise we would have missed out on a rather wonderful afternoon. And let’s face it - how many people can say they have bathed in a bathtub full of warm beer??

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