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Hop in the Spa is a new "beer spa" in Sisters, Oregon, that uses hops-infused baths and oils, also pouring pints of beer and wine, of course. (Photo courtesy of Hop in the Spa)

(Photo courtesy of Hop in the Spa)

It seems inevitable, looking at it now, and yet the news still comes as a surprise: Oregon is now home to a beer spa. No, not just a spa that serves beer, but a spa where you soak in it.

The place is called Hop in the Spa, a delightful play on words, founded by massage therapist Sally Champa in Sisters. There, hops are used for relaxation, coming in the form of baths, body wraps, facial scrubs and, yes, in the form of beer.

At what point, I asked Champa, did you know this was a great idea?

"I think from the beginning," she laughed. That beginning came just this past October, starting serendipitously with a man in pain.

HEALING WITH HOPS

Mike Boyle didn't just have a run-of-the-mill car accident - he had a flat out wreck.

Driving back to his home outside Sisters one night, Boyle hit a deer that jumped out into the road. The car went off the road, rolled three times, hit a power pole and burst into flames.

"I shouldn't have lived," he said. "It was quite amazing."

As part of the healing process, he went to a massage therapist (Champa) after a referral from a friend. She helped him like she would any other client, but together Champa and Boyle, who works in marketing, also developed an idea to market an alternative kind of therapy - a bath brewed with hops.

Hop in the Spa is a new "beer spa" in Sisters, Oregon, that uses hops-infused baths and oils, also pouring pints of beer and wine, of course. (Photo courtesy of Hop in the Spa)

It sounds strange, but it's not such a novel idea. Hops have been known to have medicinal properties, used for more than beer since the beginning of civilization. The Romans enjoyed hops as a bitter vegetable, while other cultures saw them as a sleep aid and a remedy for pain - a pillow full of hops was a known cure for insomnia.

"They do this in Prague, they do this in Europe," Champa said. "Since the Middle Ages they've been soaking in beer."

In fact, beer spas are still very much a trend in Europe, offering treatments with oils and baths made with hops. Some places in Scandinavia, Germany and the Czech Republic even offer baths in pure beer, with taps on the walls to drink as you soak.

That's roughly the model for Hop in the Spa - America's first such establishment, they claim - though beer baths are replaced by hot spring water and fresh hops, with a dose of herbs and mineral oils.

"The spa is just a fun, wonderful experience," Boyle said. "We're just starting to get know the true value of hops."

MICROBREW SOAK

So what does a day at the beer spa look like?

It might start with a pint of beer (or glass of wine) before a 25-minute "microbrew soak," or maybe a 45-minute "hops on the body" treatment that wraps you in a sheet steeped in hops and herbs. You might also opt for the "ale foot soak" or "brew and renew body polish" to get a real glow.

The hops have an effect of calming the nerves, Champa said, and moisturize the skin while they're at it. She recommends the spa especially to those with anxiety, insomnia or skin conditions.

Since opening the spa last weekend, she said her phone has been ringing off the hook with people who want to experience the microbrew baths for themselves. That's led to a flurry of expansion at the newly minted spa in Sisters, which will eventually include a beer garden in the back of the building (called Hop in the Garden), a lounge with hops-infused coffee (Hop in the Cup) and a line of take-home bath products (Hop in the Bath).

The burgeoning business has aligned with Deschutes Brewing, based in nearby Bend, which is providing all the hops and beer for the spa.

Hop in the Spa will make a great respite for weary Oregon travelers, and should be a fun (and relaxing) novelty for beer-loving tourists and locals alike - Sisters, it should be noted, is a mere 25 minutes from Bend and an easy three-hour drive from Portland.

"Remember," Champa said. "We're just a hop away."

Please excuse the pun, because this is a business you can't help but admire.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB