The History of Beer Spas – From Monastery Cure to Modern Wellness

The Czech lands and beer – a love story stretching back more than a thousand years. What many visitors do not know is that, in Bohemia and Moravia, beer was not only brewed and drunk but also bathed in. The history of beer spas reaches deep into the Middle Ages, when monks in monastery breweries first discovered the beneficial effects of hops, yeast, and malt extract on the human body. From monastery cellars, beer baths gradually spread to noble courts, then fell into near-oblivion for centuries – and at the start of the 21st century returned in a form that no medieval bath-keeper could have imagined. This is the story of beer spas in the Czech Republic, from the earliest records to the present day.

Medieval roots – monastery breweries and the healing power of beer

Brewing in the Czech lands began in the Middle Ages, in a monastic setting. As early as the 10th and 11th centuries, monks in Benedictine and Premonstratensian monasteries brewed beer as part of the daily diet – in the Middle Ages, beer was safer than water, which was often contaminated. With brewing came the first insights into the effects of brewing ingredients on the human body.

Medieval monks, who served simultaneously as physicians, herbalists, and apothecaries, quickly noticed that people working in breweries had noticeably healthier skin than others. The hands of maltsters and brewers, in daily contact with wort, yeast, and hop extract, were smooth, free of rashes, and remarkably resistant to skin infections. This empirical observation led to the first deliberate attempts to use brewing ingredients therapeutically.

Hops – the key ingredient of medieval balneology

Hops (Humulus lupulus) have been cultivated in the Czech lands from at least the 9th century. While brewers valued them primarily as a flavouring and preservative, medieval healers prized their sedative and antibacterial properties. Hop cones were placed in pillows against insomnia, hop decoctions were applied to skin rashes and inflammation, and hop baths – primitive as they then were – were recommended for people suffering from joint pain, muscle tension, and skin complaints.

The bitter acids in hops – humulone and lupulone – have demonstrable anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Medieval monks did not know the chemical composition of these compounds, but their practical experience matched what modern science would later confirm. Monastic records from the 12th and 13th centuries contain references to "baths of brewer's barm" prescribed to monks suffering from rheumatism and skin disease.

Yeast and malt – a vitamin powerhouse from the monastery cellar

Brewer's yeast was considered one of the most valuable substances of the medieval world. It was used not only in the production of beer and bread but also as a remedy – internally and externally. Yeast poultices were applied to festering wounds, yeast masks were spread on the face to soften the skin, and yeast baths were recommended to women after childbirth for faster recovery.

Barley malt – germinated and dried barley – brought mineral richness to medieval baths: silicon for skin elasticity, zinc for wound healing, and magnesium for the release of muscle tension. Malt extract was added to baths both on its own and in combination with herbs and hop extract.

In the Czech lands, monastery breweries were for centuries the centre of both brewing and balneological knowledge. Monasteries at Břevnov, Strahov, Vyšší Brod, and other sites have been brewing since the early Middle Ages – and it was in their environment that the tradition of therapeutic use of brewing ingredients was born, one that would centuries later give rise to modern beer spas.

Medieval beer baths were quite different from today's. There were no precisely prepared extracts or standardised procedures. Bath-keepers worked with what they had – fresh wort straight from the brew kettle, brewer's barm from the fermentation vessels, and hand-gathered hop cones. Even so, they achieved results that their clients valued enough to return for again and again.

Medieval bathhouses and beer treatments

No Czech medieval town was complete without a bathhouse. Bath-keepers – members of a guild with strict regulations – ran public baths where people came not only to wash but also to be treated. Bathhouses were important social spaces, places of meeting, commerce, and rest. It was in this setting that beer baths moved from monastery cells into the wider population.

Medieval bath-keepers added various substances to baths depending on what the treatment was meant to address. Herbal baths, salt baths, milk baths – and also baths with brewer's barm, hops, or malt extract. Beer baths were prescribed chiefly for back and joint pain, skin rashes, fatigue, and "melancholy" – conditions that we would today describe as chronic stress or depression.

Remarkably, medieval practice corresponds to what we now know about the effects of beer baths on the nervous system. The sedative effect of hops – produced by the influence of humulone on GABAergic receptors in the brain – brings deep relaxation and relief from states of anxiety. Medieval bath-keepers did not know the neurochemistry, but their prescriptions worked.

Beer baths had an established place in medieval bath-house practice. Some town bathhouses offered a "beer bath" as a standalone treatment for a supplement – a more luxurious version of the standard bath, available mainly to burghers and craftsmen. Records from Prague and Pilsen bathhouses suggest that beer baths were most sought after in the winter months, when the combination of warm water and hop extract brought relief from colds and seasonal low spirits.

Noble and royal baths

From the bathhouses, beer baths gradually made their way to noble courts. Czech nobility, who had access to the finest beer from their own breweries, could afford private baths prepared from the highest-quality ingredients. Chronicles mention that Czech noblewomen bathed in beer to preserve a youthful complexion – a tradition with a rational basis in the B-vitamin content of yeast and the antioxidants found in hops.

Legends attribute regular beer baths to certain Czech queens, though the direct historical evidence is disputed. What is not disputed is that brewing ingredients were throughout the Middle Ages and early modern period regarded as legitimate therapeutic agents – and their external application in the form of baths, poultices, and ointments was a common part of Czech folk medicine.

The international context is also worth noting. Medieval beer baths were not exclusively a Czech speciality – similar practices occurred in Bavaria, Belgium, and other brewing regions of Europe. The Czech lands, however, were among those where the tradition lasted longest and where the most detailed written records survived concerning methods of preparation and application of beer treatments.

The Renaissance and early modern period – the golden age of Czech brewing

The Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) brought Czech brewing an unprecedented flourishing. Royal towns, the nobility, and monasteries all held the right to brew – and beer became so important a commodity that it was debated in the regional diet. The number of breweries in Bohemia and Moravia rose dramatically in this period; historians estimate that in the 16th century more than a thousand breweries were operating in the Czech lands. With the expansion of brewing came a growing knowledge of the healing properties of brewing ingredients.

In 1573, the brewery at Chodová Planá – today known as Chodovar – began operations, becoming one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in Europe. This very brewery would, more than four centuries later, become the pioneer of modern beer spas in the Czech Republic. More on that below.

Renaissance physicians in the Czech lands built on the medieval tradition and further developed the balneological use of beer. Herbals and medical writings of the 16th century contain detailed instructions for preparing beer baths, poultices, and ointments. The Czech Renaissance physician and botanist Tadeáš Hájek z Hájku (1525–1600), personal physician to Emperor Rudolf II and author of a treatise on brewing entitled De cerevisia, describes the therapeutic effects of hops and brewer's yeast on the skin, digestion, and mental wellbeing.

Rudolf II's Prague (1583–1612) was a centre of alchemy, science, and medicine. At the court of Rudolf II, Renaissance knowledge mingled with occult learning and interest in natural remedies was enormous. Brewing ingredients – hops, yeast, malt – were in this setting regarded as valuable materia medica. The emphasis on observation of nature and empirical verification, characteristic of Renaissance science, led to a more systematic approach to the therapeutic effects of beer than at any previous time.

Brewing towns and the spa tradition

In the 16th and 17th centuries, brewing and spa culture developed in the Czech lands in parallel. While spa towns such as Karlovy Vary, Teplice, and Mariánské Lázně made their names with mineral springs, the brewing towns preserved the tradition of beer baths – if more in the folk than the professional domain. Women prepared beer baths at home, maltsters bathed in wort at the end of the working day, and bath-keepers offered hop treatments as part of their services.

The Thirty Years War (1618–1648) was a severe blow to Czech brewing and to the bath-keeping trade alike. Many breweries were destroyed, bathhouses fell into ruin, and knowledge accumulated over centuries was partly lost. The hardships of war, plague epidemics, and a deep drop in population led to the decline of the whole system of medieval public baths. Bath-keepers lost their customers, buildings fell into disrepair, and a craft that had for centuries sustained the tradition of therapeutic bathing found itself on the verge of extinction.

Recovery came only in the second half of the 17th century, as Czech brewing gradually regained its footing. The Baroque era brought a new wave of brewery founding – this time primarily on noble estates and in newly built monasteries. The nobility discovered in brewing a profitable source of income and the founding of new breweries became fashionable. With the revival of brewing, knowledge of the therapeutic effects of brewing ingredients was partly restored, though professional bath-keeping never again reached its medieval peak.

In the 18th century, the Enlightenment brought a more rational approach to medicine. Physicians began distinguishing between "superstitions" and verified therapeutic methods. Beer baths found themselves on the boundary – neither pure superstition (since they demonstrably worked) nor scientifically underpinned practice (since the instruments for measuring and explaining their effects were lacking). This ambivalent status would accompany beer baths until the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The 18th and 19th centuries – the spa boom and scientific balneology

The 18th and 19th centuries were the golden age of Czech spa culture. The Czech lands became one of the most sought-after spa regions in Europe – Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně, Teplice, and Luhačovice drew guests from across the world. Spa medicine professionalised, and the first scientific studies on the effects of mineral waters and balneological treatments appeared.

Beer baths receded into the background during this period. Several reasons account for this. First, mineral spas had strong scientific and social backing behind them. Second, industrialisation of brewing in the second half of the 19th century changed the character of production – large industrial breweries replaced small craft operations, and the personal contact of brewers with their raw materials, and with it the empirical knowledge of their healing effects, faded. Third, the rise of modern pharmacology offered "scientifically grounded" alternatives to traditional natural remedies.

Yet the tradition of beer baths did not entirely disappear. In brewing regions – the Pilsen area, South Bohemia, Haná, and Moravia – it survived as part of folk medicine. Grandmothers and grandfathers still knew that a hop compress helped with back pain, a yeast mask softened the skin, and a warm bath with brewer's barm brought relief from rheumatic aches. In the hop-growing districts around Žatec and Úštěk, it was said that women working the hop harvest had the finest hands in the whole county – an observation consistent with what we now know about the antibacterial and hydrating effects of hop resins.

Pilsner Urquell and the revolution in brewing

The year 1842 marked a turning point in the history of Czech and world brewing – in Pilsen, the first bottom-fermented pale lager was born, and it would become the model for the majority of beers worldwide. Pilsner Urquell set the modern industrial brewing era in motion. The Czech lands established themselves definitively as a brewing power – a reputation that, some 160 years later, would be one of the key factors helping to launch the phenomenon of modern beer spas.

The industrial revolution in brewing brought a paradox: while the quality and availability of beer rose dramatically, knowledge of the therapeutic effects of brewing ingredients gradually disappeared from expert discourse. Beer baths became "old wives' medicine" – something that worked, but that modern science considered too primitive to engage with seriously.

The 20th century – a forgotten heritage

The 20th century was a paradoxical one for the tradition of beer spas in the Czech Republic. On one side, Czech brewing achieved world renown – Czech beers collected medals at international competitions and Czech hops were among the finest in the world. On the other, the therapeutic use of brewing ingredients almost vanished.

During the First Republic period (1918–1938), Czech spa culture enjoyed a golden age. Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně drew guests from across the world – aristocrats, artists, politicians, and industrialists. Spa medicine reached a high level of professionalism and Czech spas ranked among the finest in Europe. Beer baths, however, were absent from this context – mineral and thermal springs dominated the offer, and brewing ingredients as a therapeutic agent were not discussed in professional circles.

The Second World War and the subsequent communist regime (1948–1989) dealt a deep blow to the Czech spa tradition. Spas were nationalised, their operation subordinated to central planning, and the traditional spa culture suffered. On the other side, the regime developed a network of state spas and sanatoria applying a range of balneological treatments – from mineral baths to peat wraps and electrotherapy. Beer baths were not among them – there was neither scientific interest nor the entrepreneurial initiative capable of converting them into a modern spa product.

The seeds of change came in the 1990s. After the Velvet Revolution, the borders opened, foreign tourists began flowing into the Czech Republic, and with them came interest in authentic Czech traditions. At the same time, in Western Europe – particularly in Austria and Germany – the first modern beer spas began to appear, reviving the old Central European tradition. Czech entrepreneurs began to realise that the combination of Czech brewing tradition and spa heritage held enormous potential. The Czech Republic had every prerequisite to become a world leader in the field – the longest brewing tradition in Europe, world-renowned hops, a strong spa culture, and the interest of foreign tourists seeking authentic experiences connected with beer.

2006 – Chodová Planá and the birth of modern beer spas

The decisive moment in the modern history of beer spas in the Czech Republic is the year 2006, when the Plevka family – owners of the family-run Chodovar brewery in Chodová Planá – opened the first modern beer spa in the Czech Republic. Not only the first in the Czech Republic – it was among the first professional beer spas in the world.

The Chodovar brewery, founded in 1573, possessed something that modern operations do not have – Gothic rock cellars carved into granite bedrock, where beer had been lagered for centuries and where the natural mineral water Ilsano springs up. It was in these historic spaces, which maintain a constant temperature and a unique atmosphere, that the beer spa was established: one that is regarded to this day as the largest beer spa in the world.

The concept was groundbreaking: oak tubs filled with warm water and an extract of hops, yeast, and barley malt in the setting of an authentic brewery with more than four centuries of history. Visitors could bathe in brewing ingredients, drink fresh beer from a tap, and then relax on hay beds – all within Gothic cellars that were themselves an experience. Czech brewing tradition and spa heritage came together again after centuries apart.

The success was immediate and striking. The beer spas at Chodová Planá caught the attention not only of Czech visitors but also of foreign tourists and media. Reports appeared on television, in travel magazines around the world, and across social media. The "beer spa" phenomenon became one of the iconic Czech experiences – alongside a visit to Prague, Czech cuisine, and brewery tours.

The visual appeal of the concept played an important role. Beer spas are visually compelling – oak tubs, rising steam, a glass of beer in hand amid historic cellars. These are images that invite sharing. In the age of Instagram and YouTube, beer spas became one of the most photogenic wellness experiences available, and the viral spread on social media drew thousands of visitors to the Czech Republic who might otherwise never have considered a beer bath.

Expansion across the Czech Republic – a timeline

The success of Chodová Planá inspired further entrepreneurs across the country. In the years that followed, beer spas began appearing in corners of Bohemia and Moravia ranging from major cities to picturesque small towns. Here are the key milestones.

2006–2010: The pioneer years

2006 – Beer spas Chodová Planá open in the Chodovar brewery complex. The first modern beer spa in the Czech Republic. Gothic rock cellars, oak tubs, the Ilsano mineral water, and fresh Chodovar beer from the tap. A concept that captivates the world.

2010 – Two new destinations open in Moravia: Lašské pivní kúpele in Štramberk and the Rožnov beer spas in the Rožnov brewery complex. Štramberk brings an accessible price point and Lachian hospitality – a beer bath beneath the legendary Trúba tower at a price that almost anyone can afford. Rožnov takes the opposite route and offers a complete beer ritual with a yeast mask, detoxifying wrap, and dinner in the brewery restaurant – a luxury experience in the historic cellars of a Wallachian brewery. Both destinations demonstrate that beer spas are not solely a West Bohemian affair, and they open the Moravian chapter of this story.

2011–2015: A period of growth

During this period, beer spas established themselves as a recognised segment of the Czech wellness market. The first venues opened in Czech cities – in Prague, Pilsen, and Brno. The Spa Beerland network opened branches in the most popular tourist cities and made beer baths available to a mass audience. Pilsner Urquell, Bernard, Krušovice – famous Czech breweries lent their names and their products to the newly emerging beer spas.

At the same time, the target audience shifted. While the first beer spas aimed primarily at Czech visitors and foreign tourists, a new generation of venues reached out to couples seeking a romantic experience, women wanting wellness with natural cosmetics, and companies buying gift vouchers for employees. Beer spas ceased to be a curiosity "for men" and became a full wellness experience for everyone.

Gift voucher platforms played a key role in this period. They included beer spas in their catalogues of experience gifts and made them available to a wide public. A beer bath voucher quickly became one of the best-selling Christmas and birthday gifts in the Czech Republic – original, accessible, and universal. Gift vouchers brought thousands of people to beer spas who would never have bought a visit themselves but who, after the first experience, became regular guests.

2016–2020: Diversification and regional expansion

The second half of the decade brought regional diversification. Beer spas appeared in towns and regions where no one would have expected them – in castles, in historic breweries, in mountain hotels. Distinctive concepts emerged: beer spas in a baroque castle, in a sub-Krkonoše brewery, in South Bohemia with a peat extract, and in a Český ráj castle. Each new venue brought its own twist – a different beer, a different setting, different additional treatments. A rich mosaic formed in which everyone could find their match.

This period also saw a deepening of collaboration between beer spas and local breweries. Craft breweries supplied fresh ingredients for the baths and simultaneously offered their beers for consumption during the treatment. A symbiosis developed that strengthened both sides – the spas gained access to quality ingredients and the breweries gained a new sales channel and exposure for their brand.

2021–present: A mature market

In the early 2020s, the beer spa market in the Czech Republic is developed and mature. Across the country, more than twenty specialist destinations operate – from Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně in the west, through Prague and Central Bohemia, to the Beskydy mountains and South Moravia in the east.

Beer spas have become one of the best-selling experience gifts in the Czech Republic and interest in them grows each year. Christmas, Valentine's Day, and birthdays are the seasonal peaks, but beer spas operate year-round and in recent years have been successfully smoothing seasonal fluctuations.

Today's beer spas are worlds apart from medieval tubs of brewer's barm. They offer precisely prepared extracts of hops, yeast, and malt, modern oak or larch tubs, professional service, and a wide range of additional treatments – from massages and saunas to yeast masks and detoxifying wraps. At the same time they preserve what is essential: authentic contact with brewing tradition, natural ingredients, and an unmistakable atmosphere.

The geographical spread is also worth noting. Beer spas can now be found in every corner of the country – in the Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Liberec, Ústí nad Labem, Central Bohemian, South Bohemian, Zlín, Moravian-Silesian, and South Moravian regions. The highest concentration is naturally in Prague and the traditional brewing regions, but smaller towns too offer beer spas of high quality. This decentralisation is one of the reasons Czech beer wellness has been so successful – visitors do not need to travel to the capital to enjoy a quality beer bath.

Chodová Planá – the brewery that started it all

The story of beer spas in the Czech Republic cannot be told without a closer look at the place where everything began. The Chodovar brewery in Chodová Planá near Mariánské Lázně has been brewing continuously since 1573 – more than 450 years. It is one of the oldest family breweries in Bohemia, which survived wars, fires, nationalisation, and privatisation and remains to this day in the hands of the Plevka family.

Beneath the brewery lie unique Gothic rock cellars – spaces carved into granite bedrock where beer was lagered for centuries at a constant temperature. These cellars became the cradle of modern beer spas. In 2006 the Plevka family built the spa here, and it now ranks among the most visited beer spas in Europe.

What makes the beer spas at Chodová Planá unique? Beyond the brewery complex itself, with its history of more than four centuries, it is the natural mineral water Ilsano, which springs up directly beneath the brewery and forms part of the spa treatment. The combination of brewing ingredients and mineral water creates a balneological experience with no equivalent elsewhere in the Czech Republic or the world.

The story of Chodová Planá is proof that successful innovation does not have to mean inventing something entirely new. It can be enough to look back into history, find a forgotten tradition, and give it a contemporary form. The Plevka family did not need to invent anything – they simply connected what had been beneath their feet for centuries: a brewery, rock cellars, mineral water, and the Czech brewing tradition.

The science behind the tradition – why beer baths actually work

Medieval monks and bath-keepers knew that a beer bath helped – but they did not know why. Modern science has been able to underpin their empirical findings with concrete mechanisms.

Hops and the nervous system

The bitter acids in hops – humulone and lupulone – act on GABAergic receptors in the brain, the same system targeted by modern anxiolytics and sedatives. During a beer bath these substances are absorbed through the skin and bring deep relaxation without the side effects of synthetic drugs. Xanthohumol, a flavonoid found exclusively in hops, is additionally a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and potentially anti-tumour properties.

Yeast and the skin

Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) contains the full spectrum of B-group vitamins – from thiamine (B1) through biotin (B7) to folic acid (B9). On contact with the skin, these vitamins support cell regeneration, hydration, firming, and overall rejuvenation. Enzymes in the yeast also assist natural peeling – gently dissolving dead skin cells. It is no accident that medieval brewers had a reputation for the finest skin in the whole town – their hands came into contact with yeast every day.

Barley malt and minerals

Malt extract is a source of silicon (skin elasticity), zinc (healing and immunity), magnesium (muscle relaxation), and beta-glucans (hydration and skin protection). It is magnesium, absorbed transdermally during the bath, that is responsible for the sensation of deep muscular release that beer spa visitors mention so often.

Modern studies confirm that a beer bath has a measurable positive effect on the skin (hydration, antibacterial action, reduction of eczema), the musculoskeletal system (relief from joint pain, muscle recovery), the nervous system (reduction of stress, improved sleep), and overall immunity. The medieval monks were right – they simply lacked the scientific vocabulary to say so.

Bath temperature – the key factor

The temperature of the beer bath plays an important role. In modern spas it is maintained at 35–37 °C. At this temperature, the pores in the skin open, which significantly increases the transdermal absorption of active substances. At the same time, blood vessels dilate (vasodilatation), tissue circulation improves, and muscle tension releases. Medieval bath-keepers estimated this temperature empirically – and arrived at it with remarkable accuracy.

The combination of warm water and brewing extracts creates a synergistic effect that is stronger than any of the individual components acting alone. Temperature assists the dissolving and activation of hop resins, accelerates the enzymatic action of yeast on the skin, and increases the bioavailability of minerals from the malt extract. This is why a professional beer bath in a spa is considerably more effective than a home attempt with a bottle of beer in the tub.

The Czech Republic as a European leader in beer wellness

The Czech Republic is today one of the foremost beer wellness destinations in the world. With more than twenty specialist venues, it offers the highest concentration of beer spas in Europe – and very likely in the world. This success is not accidental. It rests on three pillars that come together in the Czech Republic in a unique way.

The first pillar is brewing tradition. The Czech Republic is the country with the highest per-capita beer consumption in the world, and brewing is an inseparable part of Czech culture and identity. Czech hops – especially the Žatec (Saaz) semi-early red variety – are among the finest in the world and in 2023 were inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. This tradition lends Czech beer spas an authenticity that cannot be manufactured artificially.

The second pillar is spa heritage. The Czech lands are one of the historic centres of European balneology. Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně have been inscribed since 2021 on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the "Great Spa Towns of Europe." Teplice, Luhačovice, Jeseník – further names that resonate across the world. Czech society is accustomed to the concept of spa care and regards it as a natural part of a healthy lifestyle.

The third pillar is entrepreneurial creativity. Czech beer spa operators have succeeded in connecting historical tradition with a modern wellness approach and creating an experience that appeals to a wide range of visitors – from couples seeking a romantic weekend to groups of friends wanting shared fun, to individuals who want to do something for their health in a natural way.

The result is a phenomenon without equivalent in the world. No other country offers such a dense network of beer spas in such a small territory. No other country can offer a beer bath in the Gothic cellars of a four-century-old brewery, in a baroque castle, in a mountain chalet, and in the centre of a city of a million people – all within a single day's drive. The Czech Republic is simply in a league of its own for beer wellness – and its history shows why that is.

From the Middle Ages to the 21st century – what changed and what remained

When we compare a medieval beer bath with today's, the differences are of course enormous. A medieval bath-keeper would be astonished by custom-made oak tubs, precisely prepared extracts, digital booking systems, and the fact that people voluntarily pay for something that was once part of basic hygiene. The setting has changed, the technology has changed, the whole context has changed – but the essence has not.

The core remains the same. Warm water enriched with hops, yeast, and malt. Three simple brewing ingredients that for centuries have benefited the human body. The moment of complete release when a person sinks into a fragrant bath and the world outside ceases to exist. That is the essence of the beer bath, unchanged since the Middle Ages – and it will not change in the future either.

What has changed is the context. The medieval burgher went to a beer bath because his back ached and he had no other treatment available. Today's visitor comes seeking an escape from everyday stress, quality time with a partner or friends, or something beneficial for their health through natural means. The beer bath has been transformed from a necessity into a luxury – but its effects on body and mind remain as real as they were seven hundred years ago.

The ingredients, paradoxically, have also changed for the better. Modern beer spas use precisely prepared extracts from cultivated hop varieties with a higher content of humulone and xanthohumol, pure cultures of brewer's yeast with an optimal vitamin spectrum, and malt extracts from specially processed barley. The medieval bath-keepers were right in principle – but today's execution is an order of magnitude more effective.

The history of beer spas in the Czech Republic is a story of how ancient knowledge gets lost and then found again. How the empirical findings of medieval monks are confirmed by modern science. And how from a single visionary project in the Gothic cellars of the Chodová Planá brewery, an entire industry is born – one that today employs hundreds of people and brings pleasure to tens of thousands of visitors every year.