My Beer Spa Experience in Brussels: Why We Stayed Twice as Long as Planned

There are some travel experiences you book because they sound relaxing. Others because they sound unique. And then there are the ones that make you say, “Wait...we can sit in a spa tub AND pour our own beer while we're in it?”

That was Bath & Barley for me.

My best friend Amber and I visited the Bath & Barley beer spa in Brussels, Belgium, and it ended up being one of the most fun and memorable experiences of our trip. It was relaxing, a little ridiculous in the best possible way, and completely different from anything we had done before.

We originally booked one hour and ended up staying for two. That probably tells you everything you need to know.

What Is a Beer Spa, Exactly?

First, let me clear up the question everyone asks. No, you are not actually sitting in a giant bathtub full of beer.

At Bath & Barley, the tubs are filled with fresh water along with ingredients associated with brewing beer, including hops, barley and brewer's yeast. So you get the warm, relaxing spa experience without actually soaking yourself in alcohol.

The beer is reserved for drinking, and THAT is where things get really fun.

Each private spa room has its own beer tap positioned right between the tubs, so you can pour yourself a beer without ever leaving the bath. Have a beer. Have 12. Whatever you see fit. You're on vacation!

From the Moment We Arrived, the Experience Was Great

We booked our appointment online ahead of time, and when we arrived at Bath & Barley, the staff walked us through how the entire experience worked. One of the first things we got to do was choose the hop aroma we wanted for our baths before they took us into our private spa room.

Amber and I had a room for two with two separate tubs, which I loved. We could hang out together, talk, laugh and enjoy the experience while still each having our own bath.

The staff prepared everything for us, drew our baths and added the hops and brewer's yeast. They made sure we knew how everything worked and then left us to enjoy our private spa experience.

And sitting perfectly between our two tubs was the star of the show: our very own beer tap.

Unlimited Beer From the Bath Tub? Yes, Please.

I don't know who decided a beer tap needed to be installed between two spa tubs, but I fully support their vision.

Beer is included during your spa session, and you can literally reach over from the bath and pour yourself another glass. We settled into the warm tubs, poured our beers and pretty quickly realized this was going to be one of our favorite things we did in Brussels.

What I loved was that it felt relaxing without being stuffy. This wasn't the kind of spa experience where you feel like you need to whisper the entire time and worry about disrupting someone else's meditation.

We could talk, laugh, drink our beer and just enjoy hanging out together. Two best friends, two spa tubs and a beer tap in the middle. What more do you really need?

Then Our Hour Was Up...and We Weren't Ready to Leave

We had originally booked a one-hour appointment, but as we got closer to the end, neither of us was even remotely ready to be done.

So we called the spa concierge and asked if we could stay another hour. Luckily, they had availability!

He came back into our room, completely refreshed and prepared our baths again, and we added another full hour to our experience. We poured another beer, climbed back into our freshly prepared tubs and enjoyed another hour of pure beer-spa bliss.

By the end, we were extremely relaxed, very happy and maybe just a tiny bit tipsy. Exactly as intended.

And No, You Don't Have to Leave Smelling Like a Brewery

Another thing I really appreciated about Bath & Barley was how well thought out the entire experience was.

Our private spa room had its own shower, and they give you additional time after your actual booked spa session to shower, get dressed and refresh before leaving. You're not spending part of your paid soaking time trying to hurry through a shower, and you don't have to walk back out into Brussels smelling like you've been marinating in a brewery all afternoon.

They also provided really nice spa amenities right in the room, so everything we needed to clean up and get ready afterward was there for us.

The space itself was incredibly unique too. There was even a relaxation area made with hay bales where you could lounge after your bath. The whole thing felt like they had taken the beer theme and completely committed to it without making it feel cheap or gimmicky.

It was different, it was fun, and we loved every minute of it.

Why I Loved This Experience So Much

When you're traveling through Europe, it's really easy to fill every day with churches, museums, walking tours, monuments and historic sites. I love all of those things, but some of my favorite travel memories are the experiences that are simply FUN.

Bath & Barley was absolutely one of those.

We didn't need to learn anything. We didn't have a checklist of attractions we needed to see. We weren't trying to maximize every minute of sightseeing. We were just hanging out together in Brussels, sitting in spa tubs, drinking beer and laughing.

And sometimes that is exactly what a vacation needs.

It also felt very fitting for Belgium. Beer is such a huge part of Belgian culture, so finding an experience that incorporated it in a completely unexpected way made this so much more memorable than simply stopping at another bar for a beer.

Don't worry. We did plenty of that too.

Who Would I Recommend Bath & Barley To?

I think Bath & Barley would be such a fun addition to a Brussels itinerary for couples, friends, girls' trips, birthday trips or really anyone looking for something a little different.

And you definitely don't have to be a traditional “spa person” to enjoy it. I wouldn't even put this in the same category as a traditional spa day with massages, facials and cucumber water.

It's an experience. Come ready to relax, drink a beer (or 12), laugh with whoever you're traveling with and do something you probably haven't done before.

If you don't drink beer, Bath & Barley also offers other beverage options, so you can still enjoy the experience without the beer being the main event.

A Few Things to Know Before You Go

Bath & Barley is a private spa experience, so your room is reserved for you and your party. The staff walks you through everything when you arrive, your spa room has the amenities you'll need, and you'll have time after your actual bath session to shower and get ready before leaving.

Their Brussels location is also right in the historic center, which makes it easy to work into a day of sightseeing without sacrificing an entire day of your trip.

My biggest piece of advice? If you're already thinking one hour doesn't sound like enough, book longer from the beginning.

We were lucky they had availability when we decided we weren't ready to leave. Once you're sitting in a warm tub with your best friend and a beer tap within arm's reach, that hour goes VERY quickly. Trust me.

Would I Do the Brussels Beer Spa Again?

In a heartbeat.

Amber and I still talk about how much fun we had at Bath & Barley. It was relaxing, unique, hilarious and exactly the kind of experience I love finding when I travel.

You can absolutely spend your Brussels vacation visiting historic sites, eating waffles and chocolate, and drinking your way through a very impressive selection of Belgian beers. And you should probably do all of those things too.

But if you have a little extra room in your itinerary, go sit in a beer spa. You might end up staying twice as long as you planned. We certainly did.

If you're planning a trip to Brussels, Belgium or a larger European itinerary and want to include experiences that are a little different from the usual sightseeing stops, that's one of my favorite parts of travel planning.

At Good Trip Travel Co., I love helping my clients build trips that include the major sights AND those random, fun experiences that end up becoming some of the best stories from the entire vacation.

Ready to start planning your Europe trip? Contact Hildy Webb at Good Trip Travel Co. and let's build an itinerary with a few really good stories in it. www.goodtrip.biz/bookwithhildy