This is a transcript of the interview broadcasted on Radio Loiz on 15/06/2020.
So you are behind the project. My first question is obviously: what is the Good Beer Spa?
So, Good Beer Spa will be a unique beer wellness experience in Belgium. What we offer is a moment of relaxation in a jacuzzi filled with water, beer, hops, yeast and malt, for an hour. And in addition, during this relaxation, you can help yourself to a beer on tap: a tap is available for this purpose.
You know that since the Middle Ages, the virtues of beer for the skin and hair are well known. It was already used as an ingredient in bathtubs. Even to this day, some people still know about the use of beer in cosmetics and shampoos for example, but this use has almost been lost in Belgium. With the Good Beer Spa, precisely, I want to revive this tradition which allows to benefit from the virtues of beer and hops in its cosmetic and well-being use.
How did you come up with the idea of creating such a spa? And above all, why with beer?
5 years ago I launched a clothing brand called GoodBeer, t-shirts inspired by beer and hops. Then I extended the range to wooden accessories, like bottle openers, but also glasses and even wooden watches. This project is going well, and I have been looking for a store for some time, where in addition I can offer the public a truly original experience, related to beer.
Then two years ago I discovered the beer spa in Prague, and it seemed like the perfect activity to combine with the store. This is an opportunity to highlight these beneficial effects of beer that we have forgotten here in Belgium. Beer spas are very popular in the Balkans, for example there are 12 in Prague, and they are even found in the United States, Canada, Iceland and Japan. So it was time to introduce the concept here in Belgium.
Concretely, what does the interior of a beer spa look like? It’s like a “normal” spa, but with beer instead of water?
So, for the interior we focused on hops and wood. For the moment, an architect is making the plans. There will be two private rooms, each comprising 3 double beer baths. There is therefore room for a maximum of 6 people per room. And we automatically rent a room, either for one person or for 6. So it’s really a private spa.
The spas themselves are hot tubs filled with body temperature water and massage jets. We add the ingredients of the beer and the beer itself, but in an ideal proportion to benefit from the virtues that we talked about. You will certainly not have your head spinning entering or leaving the spa. However, you can enjoy the fresh and spicy aroma of the hops that emanates from the jacuzzi. Hops are known for their relaxing properties.
Also important: in a normal spa we use a lot of chlorine, with us it will not be used. Each jacuzzi is cleaned and disinfected before and after each session, and the water is renewed for each session. You know that chlorine damages the skin, and in addition it has an environmental impact. So our way of working will precisely avoid the harmful use of chlorine. We only use natural products.
How is a session going?
So, a session lasts an hour. Upon arrival, we will guide you to your private room. One or more jacuzzis, depending on what you ordered, will already be filled with lukewarm water at body temperature. We give you a little explanation while we finish preparing the baths: indeed we add only at the last minute the ingredients: hops, yeast, beer and malt.
You see that we are waiting for the arrival of the customer to add the ingredients, so that you can take advantage of all their active ingredients. In the meantime, you can already have beer directly from the keg in your private room. Then, you will have 50 minutes to relax in the jacuzzis.
There are showers inside the room, but you do not smell beer at the end of your session: a beer spa does not make the skin sticky, on the contrary even: your skin comes out soft and gives off a slight herbaceous scent thanks to the hops. It’s the same with hair. It is therefore a private, relaxing experience that is beneficial for the body and the mind.
What beer are you going to use for this spa? Where is it going to come from?
We are still negotiating with a few breweries, but it will certainly be a Brussels brewery, as I believe that the local product is important. It will be a light and light beer, maximum 5 degrees whose quality is very important
Filling beer baths for 1 hour sessions, isn’t that a bit of waste? What have you planned in relation to this?
It’s true that filling the jacuzzis entirely with beer would be wasteful and unaffordable. No, we fill the jacuzzis with water at 37 degrees, and then we add the main ingredients of the beer and the beer itself but in optimal quantity to benefit the virtues precisely, which we talked about.
Your project should see the light of day in Brussels in the fall of 2020, right?
Exact. I plan to open the spa on October 1 in Brussels, near Madou. In the meantime, I have pre-sold the sessions at a very reduced price. The link can be found on the goodbeerspa.com website. There you will also find links to Facebook and Instagram if you want to keep up to date with this project.
Well, I hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you soon at the Good Beer Spa in Brussels!
