Your first beer spa visit: a complete beginner's guide

Why a first spa visit needn't rattle you at all

If you have never set foot in a beer or wine spa, it is only natural to arrive with a pile of questions. What should I bring? Will I be sharing the room with strangers? Do I really have to lie in beer? How much does the whole thing cost? And, above all, will I know what to do? The reassuring answer is that a first visit here is one of the most effortless wellness outings imaginable. No prior experience is required, no special kit, no memorising of elaborate rituals. You simply turn up, and we take care of the rest.

In our private rooms in Prague's Dejvice district, the entire concept is built around privacy and calm. You will never bump into groups of unfamiliar faces, never have to share the space, never have to think about how you look. Each booking means the whole room is yours alone - whether you come solo, as a couple, or with a group of friends. That is the fundamental difference from conventional public baths or wellness centres, where you move among other guests.

This guide walks you through everything worth knowing before that first appointment. We will explain how a beer bath differs from a wine bath, how long the treatment lasts, what to bring and what to leave at home, exactly how the evening unfolds step by step, and what each option costs. We will also flag one seemingly minor detail that has a real impact on how long your skin stays soft afterwards - and which most newcomers have no idea about. The aim is simple: for you to arrive at your first booking completely at ease, with a clear picture of what lies ahead, so you can savour every minute from the moment you step in.

Beer bath or wine bath: how to choose

The question beginners ask most often is this: should I try beer or wine? Both baths share the same basic structure and the same length, but they differ in what goes into the water, in atmosphere, and in what comes with the treatment. There is no wrong answer - it comes down purely to which one appeals to you.

The beer bath is the classic that started the whole idea. Into the tub go genuine dark Petrovické zlato craft beer, Saaz hops, brewer's yeast and malt. The water sits at 35-38 degrees C and comes with an automatic whirlpool. Each room has its own beer tap, so throughout the treatment you have unlimited light and dark beer on hand. The beer bath suits anyone after a relaxed, traditionally Czech atmosphere who does not mind the distinctive scent of hops. The active compounds in beer - chiefly the B vitamins and hop substances - are kind to the skin. Prices start from 148 EUR per room in Rubínový pramen for one or two people.

The wine bath is the more elegant, more romantic option. The tub is enriched with red wine, grape seed extract, vine leaf, honey, herbs and French lavender flowers. The polyphenols and antioxidants from grapes are prized ingredients in skincare. A bottle of wine is brought straight to your room, and the whole mood is gentler, with lavender in the air rather than hops. A wine bath in a single tub for one or two people costs from 201 EUR, since the bottle of wine is included.

If you are a couple and cannot agree, there is a neat solution: the combo in Zlatý pramen, where one tub runs with beer and the other with wine at the same time. Everyone gets their own. The combo for two to four people starts from 238 EUR per room.

How to get ready at home

Preparing for a first spa visit really is minimal, but a handful of practical touches will make the evening smoother. Start with the most important point: there is almost nothing you need to bring. Towels, swimwear (which is not required in a private room anyway) and any kind of cosmetics - it is all provided. Every room has its own shower.

Even so, a few simple guidelines are worth following:

• Don't arrive on a full stomach. A warm bath and whirlpool work best when you haven't just finished a heavy meal. A light snack an hour or two beforehand is ideal.
• Come well hydrated. It pays to drink a little water both before and after a warm bath. Water at 35-38 degrees C feels lovely, but it also puts a mild demand on your circulation.
• Plan your journey in advance. We are at Dejvicka 255/18 in Prague 6, just a two-minute walk from Hradcanska metro station. Parking in Dejvice is possible, but the metro tends to be the hassle-free choice.
• Give yourself a little time. Aim to arrive a few minutes before your booked slot so you can settle in calmly rather than rushing.

On the subject of alcohol: beer and wine are part of the experience, but it is not wise to turn up already tipsy. A warm bath amplifies the effects of alcohol, so save the drinks for during your stay and keep things sensible.

One more suggestion for a first visit: think ahead about who is coming and which room you need. Our prices are per room, not per person, and the maximum number of guests is set by the tub configuration. For a couple, a single tub in Rubínový pramen is ideal; for a foursome, two tubs in Zlatý pramen. When you know what you want, booking takes barely a minute. If anything is unclear, feel free to get in touch beforehand.

Step by step: how your first evening unfolds

So that nothing catches you off guard, let us walk through the whole treatment from the moment you step into the room. A standard beer or wine bath lasts 90 minutes and comes in two parts: 20 minutes in the tub itself, followed by 50 minutes of rest on a warm straw bed. The remaining time is for arriving, showering and dressing.

When you arrive, staff show you to your private room. It is yours alone - no one else steps inside for the duration of your booking. The natural ingredients are added to the tub right in front of you, so you can see it really is a fresh mix of hops, malt and yeast (for the beer bath) or wine, grape extract and herbs (for the wine bath). The water is heated to a comfortable 35-38 degrees C.

Then comes the bath itself. The first 20 minutes or so are spent in the tub with its automatic whirlpool, which gently massages the skin and helps the active compounds absorb. With the beer bath, an unlimited tap is within reach; with the wine bath, a bottle waits beside you. There is nothing to arrange - simply sink in and enjoy.

After the bath you move to a heated straw bed, where you spend around 50 minutes in complete stillness. Many guests find this the most pleasant part of all - the body is warm through, the circulation is flowing, and the whole system unwinds deeply. In both Rubínový pramen and Zlatý pramen soft warm lamp light fills the room through the evening, lifting the atmosphere further.

If you want to lengthen and elevate the experience, there is a V.I.P. version in Smaragdový pramen that runs 2.5 to 3 hours and opens with a cedar phytosauna - a small cabin of Siberian cedar that encloses the body while the head stays outside. A relaxing massage or scrub follows, and only then the bath itself. V.I.P. Beer SPA for one or two people costs from 293 EUR, V.I.P. Wine SPA from 326 EUR. For a first visit, though, the classic is more than enough - leave the V.I.P. for next time.

One post-bath trick newcomers rarely know

Here comes perhaps the single most useful piece of advice in this guide - and it is so simple that most first-timers break it without thinking. After a beer or wine bath you of course have the room's shower at your disposal, but we actively recommend that you do not wash the beer or wine extract off with soap for roughly two hours after the treatment.

Why? The active substances from hops, malt and yeast (in beer) or the polyphenols and antioxidants from grapes (in wine) absorb into your skin during the bath and keep doing so once you climb out. If you wash them off with soap straight away, you cut the process short and lose a large part of the benefit. Leave them to work, and your skin stays soft and better hydrated for a good day or two after your visit.

In practice that means: after resting on the straw bed, you can rinse lightly with clean lukewarm water, but keep the soap and shower gel for later. Slip into something comfortable and hold off on the usual skincare. Plenty of guests swear by this rule precisely because the difference is something you can feel.

A few more tips for the hour or so right after the treatment:

• Take it easy. Don't schedule anything demanding for the evening after the spa. Your body is warm and relaxed - heading home to rest further is the better plan.
• Rehydrate. After a warm bath, a glass of water is a good idea.
• Wear something loose. Tight jeans on a warm, relaxed body are not the answer - reach for something comfortable.
• Don't rush off. Let yourself drift back into the ordinary day at a slow pace rather than diving straight into the next thing.

This one rule - no soap for two hours - turns a good treatment into a great one. Remember it, because it is exactly what separates the guest who merely lay in beer from the guest who leaves with skin that stays soft for days.

What it costs and how the pricing works

Pricing here works differently from what a newcomer might expect, and it is worth understanding, because it will save you both money and needless deliberation. The key rule: the price is for the whole room, or rather the booking, not per person. That means a couple sharing a single tub pays the same as one guest would for the very same tub.

What sets the price and the maximum number of guests is the tub configuration, not the name of the room. Here are the most common options:

• Beer bath, one tub (for 1-2 people): from 148 EUR. Usually in Rubínový pramen.
• Wine bath, one tub (1-2 people, bottle of wine included): from 201 EUR.
• Two beer tubs at once (2-4 people): from 190 EUR, only in Zlatý pramen.
• Two wine tubs at once (2-4 people): from 268 EUR, only in Zlatý pramen.
• Combo - beer in one tub, wine in the other (2-4 people): from 238 EUR.
• V.I.P. Beer SPA (1-2 people, 2.5-3 h) in Smaragdový pramen: from 293 EUR.
• V.I.P. Wine SPA (1-2 people): from 326 EUR.

For a first visit as a couple, one simple rule applies: a single tub is the cheapest choice. Two tubs running at once (from 190 EUR for beer) only make sense when there are four of you and everyone wants their own tub - for a couple it would be an unnecessary indulgence. In other words, don't be thrown by the 190 EUR option; for two people the right answer is a single tub from 148 EUR.

If massages appeal to you too, those take place in Safírový pramen, a salt cave holding ten tonnes of salt. A relaxing massage of 30 minutes costs from 33 EUR, 60 minutes from 50 EUR. The full list of treatments is on our menu page.

How to book and when a voucher makes sense

Booking is the final step before your first visit, and it really is straightforward. You reserve your slot online through the booking form on our website - pick a date, the number of guests and the type of bath, and the system shows you the available times. The whole thing takes about a minute. Right now we are open every day from 10:00 until 4:00 in the morning, so even a proper late-night spa session fits your schedule. And if you come between 10:00 and 12:00, you get 10% off everything.

A few practical pointers for a first booking:

• Book ahead. Friday and weekend evenings in particular are popular. If you have a specific date in mind, say an anniversary or birthday, it is best to reserve it early.
• Choose the right room for your group size. A couple only needs one tub; a group of four is best suited to two tubs in Zlatý pramen. Larger groups can be split across several rooms - the maximum capacity at any one time is eight guests across the bathing rooms.
• Not sure? Don't hesitate to get in touch and we will help you choose.

Gift vouchers deserve a special mention. If you are buying a first visit as a present - for parents, a partner, or a friend who has never tried the spa - a gift voucher is the ideal choice. The voucher is digital, valid for 12 months, and lets the recipient pick the experience themselves. So there is no need to guess whether they prefer beer or wine, or to lock in a particular date. They choose everything themselves, whenever it suits them.

A voucher is also a great answer when you are unsure of a date or want to leave the decision to the recipient. With twelve months of validity, there is no rush. For completeness, all the conditions, including any contraindications, are set out in our terms and conditions, and we recommend a quick read before a first visit. Whether you book directly or hand over a voucher, the outcome is the same: a calm, private evening you can enjoy from start to finish.

In short: a first visit without the worry

Let us come back to where we started. Nerves about a first spa visit are unfounded, because the whole concept is designed to be simple and welcoming to newcomers. Here is the essence, in a nutshell, so you leave with a clear head.

First, you decide between a beer and a wine bath - both share the same 90-minute structure (20 minutes in the tub, 50 minutes resting on a straw bed) and differ only in ingredients and mood. The beer bath is the more traditional and costs from 148 EUR per room; the wine bath is the more romantic and costs from 201 EUR with a bottle of wine included. If the two of you cannot agree, there is the combo in Zlatý pramen.

Preparation is minimal: arrive hydrated, not on a full stomach, with a little time to spare and your journey worked out (we are two minutes from Hradcanska metro). On site you get your own private room, the ingredients go into the tub in front of you, and we handle the rest. And do not forget the one piece of advice that really matters - after the bath, don't wash the extract off with soap for two hours, so your skin stays soft.

Prices are per room, not per person, and for a first visit as a couple the best value is always a single tub in Rubínový pramen. You can book online in a minute, and if you are buying the experience as a gift, reach for a gift voucher valid for a full year.

That is all there is to it. No complicated rules, no stress, no unpleasant surprises. A first spa visit is one of the easiest ways to give yourself genuine peace and quiet in the middle of Prague. When you are ready, just pick a slot and come along. And if any further question has surfaced while reading, we are happy to answer - drop us a line or browse the full list of treatments. We look forward to welcoming you for your first visit.