Iceland is having a moment, New Yorkers. If you don’t have a friend who’s gone Northern Lights hunting or on a group tour, chances are your Facebook feed has recently lit up with someone posting gorgeous photos of the midnight sun or the ’round-the-clock daylight Iceland gets basked in during the summer. Not to mention that cheap flights abound from NYC, and it takes roughly the same amount of time to get there as it does to many locales on the West Coast.
Well now, there’s a new incentive to book your trip thanks to the arrival of Bjorbodin, which opened this June in Árskógssandur, and is the country’s first beer spa. When you tire of soaking up the land’s natural splendor, soak up suds in a massive bath of beer, water, yeast and hops, which is supposed to work magic on your skin, according to the spa owners. The restorative concoction is also heated up to a warming 100 degrees Fahrenheit to help you soak up the benefits further and relax any muscles that are tense from city stress.
After you’re done letting magical yeast particles rub their goodness into your dermis for 25 minutes, slink into the welcoming embrace of a relaxation room, where you chill for an additional 25 minutes. To really absorb the mixture’s purported healing benefits, it’s advised you don’t wash yourself for at least four hours after the treatment.
They’re not expecting you to skip out on tasting the suds, though. Only available if you’re over 20 years old, the tub comes tricked out with a private beer draught (you don’t want to drink the tub water, folks). The spa also boasts a restaurant on the property so you can keep that buzz going with some hearty Icelandic comfort food, and yes, more beer. We think we’ll pass on the traditional horse and ram’s testicle, but all those hoppy beverages are pairing pretty darn well with the spa’s spectacular mountain views.
