Spas offer “beer baths” packed with skin care benefits

Don’t worry, be happy.

A growing number of spas in the US and around the world are now offering “beer baths” and “beer soaks” for clients to relax and unwind in a tub full of 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 beer yeast.

They claim the ingredients are packed with antioxidants that exfoliate, soften and improve skin elasticity, while the antibacterial properties of alcohol and barley epidermal growth factor can clear up acne.

The drink also touts purported hair benefits, saying it can stimulate growth and add shine.

Meanwhile, My Beer Spa in Orlando, Florida, which opened in 2021, touts that they’re full of B vitamins, minerals, proteins and antioxidants that exfoliate, “cleanse” and hydrate the skin — and make hair softer and shinier. brighter. .

They also clarify that the sips they offer are not in 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 who mixes their signature herbal beer blend specifically to get the most out of the skin and hair benefits.

“Think of it as a giant beer bubble tea – except instead of drinking, you dip into it!” they say.

It might seem unlikely—especially since drinking alcohol is known to be dehydrating and obviously bad for your skin—but there’s some science backing up beer’s skin care benefits.

Hops have polyphenols, a chemical compound found in some 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 skin care products, including quercetin, which appears in toners and serums from Paula’s Choice. There’s also ferulic acid, which is often paired with vitamin C – included in SkinCeuticals, The Ordinary and Tatcha serums.

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 soothing and skin lightening”.

“It’s 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.

Although he doesn’t think there’s enough research to say that beer baths will make a noticeable difference to your skin, he thinks they can’t hurt—just make sure you soak in enough to give the beer a shot. a chance to do her job.”

“While we lack data showing true effectiveness, there is some downside,” he said, dismissing concerns that brewer’s yeast could cause vaginal yeast infections in women.

“However, it is important to rinse the body after soaking to remove any remaining beer that may be on the skin to prevent any possible redness,” he added.

While beer may have some benefits for the skin, 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 instead of sunscreen.

As well as leaving the skin quite sticky, it can also lead to burns, skin aging and skin cancer.

“There are a lot of problems with this idea of ​​tanning beer,” said Dr. Shilpi Khetarpal, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “The first is that if you don’t apply sunscreen, the skin is not protected. It can also increase the chance of sunburn and lead to an increased risk of skin cancer

She thinks it also sounds uncomfortable.

“Besides everything we know about UV exposure and going outside without sunscreen, why would you want to put something sticky and messy all over your body?” she said.