BEER & BEAUTY AT THE KINGSMILL RESORT SPA
http://www.beercook.com/articles/kingsmillspa.htm
Sure, it's a girly thing to do with a room-temperature brew, but the supermodels all swear by it, at least according to Kate Mearns, director of the Spa at the Kingsmill Resort.
A bottle of beer poured through your tresses after your shampoo sets your curls and adds shine. It's true - there's even photographic proof. I swear it works. Really.
Of course, for most women, having a beer poured on your hair is an accident. So I've been told, last time by an overzealous fan at Wrigley Field who jumped up from his seat behind me and splashed me with beer. All purely accidental, I was assured.
But equally reassuring was Ms. Mearn's advice about my first Budweiser shampoo. "Your hair won't smell like beer after the blow dry - it all evaporates."
At $70 for the 45-minute "hair, hands and hops treatment" at the spa, it's a splurge beyond what most women think of as a beer-budget beauty boost.
"This relaxing hand, hair and scalp treatment incorporates select ingredients with the Anheuser-Busch tradition in mind," promises the brochure. "After a cleansing shampoo and a deep conditioning treatment using our unique Kingsmill Plantation Collection, which contains hops, lemongrass, rosemary and chamomile, and a relaxing hand massage to promote deep relaxation and renewal, a final rinse of Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser beer will add shine and manageability to your hair."
Most of the women I spotted there were opting for saner beauty treatments, such as manicures, pedicures, hair cuts, sports or reflexology massages, makeovers, and such. The woman sitting next to me in the hair salon looked slightly shocked as the suds cascaded down my wet hair.
But even though I felt a bit silly, I really enjoyed the beer-infused beauty treatments. Kingsmill's own private label Plantation potions include hops extracts for their relaxing and aromatic properties. My hands felt soft and not a bit beery or sticky after applying the hops lotion. And my hair, as promised, was full, shiny and manageable, and not reeking of beer after the blow-dry.
For more information about the Kingsmill Spa's more than 40 beauty services, look at
www.kingsmill.com.