Beer and the Czech Republic go steadily together, and so do vacations and spas. But what happens if we combine it all? Where does this tradition come from and how popular is this type of R&R nowadays? Let’s hear from Karolina Kubantová, Operations Manager of Original Beer Spa, the #1 Spa on TripAdvisor and this year’s winner of Luxury Lifestyle Awards.

Karolina, to some people, the idea of beer and spas brought together may seem exotic and even weird. Where does this tradition take its origins?

Beer baths, during which people also consume beer, have long been part of folk medicine; for many ailments, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers recommended brewer’s yeast, which has been used for healing purposes since ancient times. As such, a beer spa is a perfect combination of relaxation treatment for both body and mind. It isn’t that unusual, but rather a return to a proven tradition.

What did you have to do to integrate this into the contemporary Czech vacation attraction?

Czech beer is the most famous beer in the world and is considered to be a Czech symbol.
The Beer Spa is therefore a combination of an original and luxurious experience with the consumption of a traditional Czech beverage.
Both our Czech and foreign guests go home happy from the beer procedure, which combines relaxation and fun.

Your website says that your spas also offer some old medical procedures. What are they? Who would they be most suitable for?

The beer spa contains many ingredients that have been used in medicine since ancient times. Guests bathe in the natural extracts used to brew Czech Krušovice® beer: brewer’s yeast, selected varieties of Žatec hops, malt and the beer itself.
The high content of hop oils helps open pores and contributes to overall vitality; the high doses of vitamin B and active enzymes in brewer’s yeast have a salutary effect on skin regeneration. This unique combination of natural ingredients and the magical effect of royal oak, a long-famous symbol of longevity and immunity, stimulate metabolism, help remove harmful substances from the body and ease fatigue and stress, thus resulting in the ideal mental and physical relaxation for everybody.

To us, this type of business seems very original, but how intense is the competition in this area in the Czech Republic? What are your company’s strategies for remaining #1?

Our strategy is to provide a high standard of services. The quality of service combined with the unique design of our Beer Spa creates a feeling of perfect relaxation and a unique experience.
For example, all spa equipment comes from the Czech Republic and is made of natural materials.
Our handmade wooden vats from royal oak are an important part of the relaxation procedure, and the other interior furnishings are likewise honest Czech handicrafts.
The Beer Spa staff welcomes each visitor with freshly baked homemade bread and offers unlimited consumption of Czech light and dark beer.
Happy guests, along with satisfied employees, are the most important thing for our company.

This year Original Beer Spa became the Grand Trophy Award winner of Luxury Lifestyle Awards. Your company was distinguished as one of the leaders in the category of Extravagant Luxury Experience in the Czech Republic. How do you feel about this recognition? Which new stimuli does it give you?

Receiving the Grand Trophy from Luxury Lifestyle Awards is a great honor for us.
For the entire Original Beer Spa team, winning such prestigious awards is great motivation and an incentive to continually improve our services and focus on every detail.
We are aware that the details are the most important thing in a luxury product, and therefore we are very happy to work on their improvement.

As of now, you have 3 locations. Are you planning to expand or launch any new services in the near future?

Our ORIGINAL BEER SPA concept is a great attraction for franchisees thanks to the quality of our franchise manuals. That is why our colleagues, responsible for the development of our chain, are working on the construction of two franchise branches in the Czech Republic. We are also currently taking steps to successfully integrate our ORIGINAL BEER SPA concept into major European cities.