A Beer Spa Has Just Opened Up In Iceland

Bjórböðin, The Beer Spa, is Iceland’s first beer spa. It is located in the North of Iceland in a town called Árskógssandur about 35km from Akureyri on the coast of Eyjafjörður. Here you can enjoy the unique sensation of immersing yourself in a tub filled with a mixture of warm beer, water, yeast and hops at 38 degrees Celsius. The mixture is very beneficial for skin, hair and overall health, according to the website.

Bjórböðin is part of Kaldi Brewery, the oldest working microbrewery in Iceland. When Kaldi Brewery opened in 2006, there were no microbreweries in Iceland. Kaldi brews are unpasteurized, without preservatives or added sugar and made by the centuries-old Czech brewing method – using Icelandic water from a spring at Sólarfjall mountain nearby, giving it a fresh taste full of flavor.

Each tub is complete with a private beer draught, available to anyone over the Icelandic drinking age of 20 years old. Although the beer spa itself has no age limit, children under 16 must be with adult supervision – although the tub’s contents are not drinkable. Each tub is suitable for two people at a time, perfect for a romantic date. There is also an outdoor sans beer hot tub with excellent views of mountains and fjörds.

The recommended soaking time is about half an hour, followed by another half an hour in a relaxing recovery room. The spa includes a restaurant with local ingredients and classic Icelandic dishes of lamb and fish. Spas similar to this one are not uncommon in Germany and the Czech Republic, for example, where the owners found their inspiration. With beer culture booming in Iceland in general and now a beer spa, things have certainly come a long way since 1989 – the year the ban was lifted on beer in Iceland.

Öldugata 22, Árskógssandur, 621 Dalvík +354 466 2505