Pocono Mountains Resort Invites You To Bathe In Beer
By Chelsea Karnash
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – From the dive bar down the street to baked goods, craft beer is everywhere. And at one Pocono Mountain spa, it's literally in the water.
Visitors to The Lodge at Woodloch can now indulge in two spa treatments involving brews from Delaware's Dogfish Head microbrewery – a dream come true for craft beer connoisseurs.
There's the "Royal Revival," a body exfoliation inspired by Dogfish Head's Midas Touch brew that uses hops, barley and honey to smooth skin and is followed by a "tranquil soak in a beer bath" and a massage. Or, for those looking to get their feet in tip-top shape, there's a "Mud and Suds Pedicure," which includes a relaxing foot bath, a hops and barley scrub, and a cold beer for drinking.
"With the exploding trend of craft ales, we wanted to bring this unexpected component to the spa," Woodloch's director of marketing and PR Brooke Jennings Roe explains. "Our desire was twofold -- to share the artisanal components of craft ales through an inspirational partner, Dogfish Head Craft Brews, and to introduce men to the thought of having spa treatments in a non-threatening and un-assuming environment. Beer-inspired spa treatments seemed like a great way to meld the two."
While Woodloch's sporadically offered suds and spa treatments don't come cheap – the two mentioned above are $260-270 and $95, respectively – Jennings Roe says they have been "very popular" since their 2012 inception. Woodloch's annual Craft Ales Weekend with Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione, an event that kicks off a new season of spa treatments, already has a wait list for 2014, though no dates have been announced yet.
And as for the success of marketing spa treatments to men, it's safe to say that more men are coming through spa doors nationwide – the International Spa Association (ISPA) says that 47% of spa-goers are men.
At Woodloch, Jennings Roe says she's not only seen an increase in male visitors, but she's seeing men become increasingly "daring," opting for spa treatments like pedicures and facials that were formerly female-only. And though beer-infused spa treatments can't take credit for that growth, they're certainly taking the concept of relaxing with a beer to a new level.
