Hopped Up On Wellness

The beer spa experience is an indulgent contradiction-part wellness, part brewery fantasy, and, as Anita Rao Kashi discovers, entirely fun

- Anita Rao Kashi

ON AN EARLY SUMMER EVENING, in that fleeting window that is dubbed the magic hour, Prague's Old Town Square is drenched in golden light. The Gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady and the striking clock tower atop the Old Town Hall rise dramatically into the blue sky, standing like sentinels benignly watching the passage of time. People mill around, sundry vendors ply their wares, aromas waft from pushcarts and cafes, and iridescent, ephemeral bubbles spew forth from the pipe of a bubble shooter and drift on the wings of a gentle breeze. It is idyllic and tranquil.

After a day of wandering around Prague's Old Town and encountering beautiful sights round every corner, the Old Town Square’s atmosphere sets the tone for the rest of the evening. Heading past the church towards the east, a ten-minute walk leads to Rybna street, which is packed with lovely buttery yellow and pale pink buildings. In the middle of the street is a little nondescript sign for the Original Beer Spa (beerspa.com), a destination that has been anticipated for much of the day.

Liquid Therapy

In Prague, it is difficult to escape beer. The city has a rich history and its cultural identity is very much intertwined with brewing traditions that go back several millennia and owe their origins to monasteries. And so, boards depicting bubbly overflowing mugs, pavement cafes and bars with an array of beer taps, and raucous pedal pubs (mobile party trucks with beer kegs pedalled down streets by inebriated people) are everywhere. A beer spa however, while sounding terribly indulgent, is not only a novelty that attracts curios travellers, but is also an ancient recuperative and restorative therapy. Or so my guide keeps telling me through the day. Pleasantly tired, feet aching from miles of walking on cobblestone streets, the spa feels like the perfect antidote for the day's exertions.