Beer spa: Norfolk Mead Hotel launches UK's very first beer spa where you can bathe in ale and drink pints - a concept seen in Prague and Strasbourg

The Norfolk Mead Hotel, near Norwich, opened the beer spa in August and it is the first one to open in the UK. Guests are invited to soak in the ale which experts claim is actually good for your body.

Experts say that the malt and hops improve skin ailments, soothe aches and pains and reduce signs of ageing. The antioxidant treatment at The Norfolk Mead Hotel costs £68 per person for 45 minutes. Guests enter a wooden tub filled with vitamin-rich malt and hops and get their own beer tap, with Woodforde's Brewery the supplier.

As well as relaxing in a tub of ale, guests can enjoy a range of treatments including a 23-carat gold facial, a mud chamber and coconut milk body wrap. Not only is there a beer spa, but there is also a therapy zone combining a mud room, treatment suites, a nail bar and a space-age relaxation area with S-shaped loungers and mood music.

Marketing manager Emma Bond claimed: “We are incredibly excited to launch The Norfolk Mead spa and introduce our unique offerings, including the UK’s first beer spa. This addition not only enhances our guests’ experience but also sets a new standard for wellness in the UK.”

The concept of a beer spa has already been introduced in Europe where they are widely believed to have healing properties. The first were recorded in 921 AD when King Wenceslas I of Bohemia had his servants prepare them.

There have been recent openings in Iceland and Spain, and BierBath opened in late 2023 near Baltimore. The Taaka Beer Spa in Strasbourg has been a pathfinder of the beer spa experience in France since opening in 2022. Spa Beerland, in the Old Town of Prague, has also proved to be very popular in this European city. It has 1,000-litre oak tubs filled with beer and a herbal mix to help you relax.