Don’t worry, be hoppy.
A growing number of spas in the US and around the world are now offering “beer baths” and “beer soaks” for customers to kick back and relax in a tub full of literal beer — and they claim it’s packed with benefits for your skin.
Piva Beer Spa in Chicago opened in 2019 offering massages, salt rooms and beer soaks in which they fill a tub with hops, barley and brewer’s yeast.
They claim the ingredients are filled with antioxidants that exfoliate, soften and improve the elasticity in skin, while the antibacterial properties of the alcohol and epidermal growth factor in the barley can clear up acne.
Piva also touts its supposed benefits for hair, saying it can stimulate growth and add shine.
Meanwhile, My Beer Spa in Orlando, Florida, which opened in 2021, raves that their soaks are full of B vitamins, minerals, proteins and antioxidants that exfoliate, “purify” and moisturize the skin — and make hair softer and shinier too.
They also clarify that the soaks they offer aren’t in literal beer, but water infused with common beer ingredients.
Oakwell Beer Spa in Denver, Colorado calls their treatment “beer bath hydrotherapy,” and has an in-house herbalist mixing up their special herbal beer blend specifically to get the most out of its skin and hair benefits.
“Think of it as a giant bubbly beer tea — except instead of drinking, you soak in it!” they say.
It may seem unlikely — especially because drinking alcohol is known to be dehydrating and decidedly bad for your skin — but there is some science to back up beer’s skincare bona fides.
Hops have polyphenols, a chemical compound found in several studies to prevent skin aging and fight certain skin diseases and hair loss.
In fact, some of the polyphenols derived from hops can be found in popular skincare products, including quercetin, which shows up in toners and serums from Paula’s Choice. There’s also ferulic acid, which is frequently paired with vitamin C — including in serums by SkinCeuticals, The Ordinary and Tatcha.
Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a New York City dermatologist, tells The Post that hops are “loaded with antioxidants to calm inflammation,” while brewer’s yeast “contains high levels of B-complex vitamins, which have skin soothing and brightening activities.”
“It is unclear how much beer you would need in the bath water, but I would assume that the more concentrated the bath, the more effective it would be,” he said.
Though he doesn’t think there’s quite enough research to say that beer baths will make a noticeable difference in your skin, he figures they can’t hurt — just make sure to soak long enough to give the beer a chance to “do its job.”
“While we are lacking data showing true effectiveness, there is little downside,” he said, rejecting concerns that the brewer’s yeast could cause vaginal yeast infections in women.
“However, it is important to rinse the body after soaking to remove any residual beer that may be on the skin to prevent any potential rashes,” he added.
While beer might have some skin benefits, it should be used wisely — and definitely not as a tanning lotion. Earlier this year, social media users went viral for “beer tanning,” in which they poured beer over their skin in place of sunscreen.
In addition to likely leaving skin quite sticky, it can also lead to burns, skin aging and skin cancer.
“There are many issues with this idea of beer tanning,” said Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “The first is that if you’re not applying sunscreen, the skin is not protected. It can also increase the chance of getting a sunburn and lead to an increased risk of skin cancer.”
She thinks it also just sounds unpleasant.
“Besides everything we know about ultraviolet exposure and putting yourself outside without sunscreen, why would you want to put something sticky and messy all over your body?” she said.
