The Chodovar Brewery is located in the small town of Chdova Plana in the Czech Republic’s west Bohemia area. This region is known for its health spas with natural mineral waters, especially the Czech Republic’s biggest spa, Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad). The Chodovar Brewery already operated a pub and a hotel when they decided they could offer a whole new package vacation by incorporating a nearby mineral spring and creating a wholly original spa treatment in the ancient cellars of the brewery, which has been operating since 1573. Guests pay around $140 for weekend packages with several health treatments available including beer wraps, beer massages, beer cosmetics and the pièce de résistance, the beer bath. A nurse greets clients behind a bar and dispenses the free beer that comes with your spa treatment.

The brewery spa website describes the beer bath as:

An original curative spa therapy connecting a soothing hot bath, the spring of healing mineral water IL-SANO, the unique dark Bathing Beer and rejuvenating effects of beer yeast with a mixture of hops and dehydrated curative herbs.

There is a bathside bar so you can enjoy a glass of beer while you’re relaxing in your beer. The full description at their website is very detailed.

Of course, if you don’t have an entire weekend, a single beer bath session, including the free beer, will set you back about twenty dollars. Too bad it’s not closer. But if I ever get to west Bohemia, this is definitely on my to do list.

(AP Photo/CTK, Petr Eret)

Jana Tymlova, left, enjoys a soak in the Real Beer Baths launched by the family brewery Chodovar in Chodova Plana, Czech Republic, Thursday, March 23, 2006.

The bath consists of water and mineral water IL-SANO, but the major bath ingredient is dark beer which is produced in a traditional way based on the copyright original method and made by the main brewer of the family brewery only.