Alcohol isn’t sold in any of the Magnolia retail outlets. The cupcakes at Silos Baking Co. are indeed fantastic, but should you need a bit of liquid refreshment with a kick as you navigate the crowds, you’re out of luck. But now, at least, you don’t have to roam too far from the silos for a hoppy, drinkable souvenir.
In fact, another question you can now ask when in downtown Waco and expect a positive answer is: Where can I bathe in beer around here?
The answer to both of the above questions is Pivovar, a Czech-inspired brewery, bakery, boutique hotel, restaurant and, yes, beer spa.
“We’re just 67 steps away from Magnolia Market’s entrance,” says Steven Beseda, Pivovar’s CEO. A Waco native of Czech heritage, Beseda is proud to offer a dive into European beer culture to the Fixer Upper fans making the pilgrimage to Central Texas.
To be clear, the beer spa at Pivovar (which means "brewer" in a few Slavic languages) isn’t a day spa that happens to serve customers a brew or two during their treatments. This is a real-deal, slip into a tub of the good stuff sort of scenario. But never fear: it's not as though actual beer is being used, just the best parts of beer.
“Our beer spas employ all the hallmarks of beer,” Beseda says. “The barley, the hops and yeast from our tanks get mixed into the hot water in the tub. It’s good for overall health and wellness, your skin and different ailments, and it has really taken off.”
Open for just over a year, Pivovar was dreamed up a few years ago as a brewery only. In 2015 Beseda was an Army lieutenant colonel stationed in Hawaii and nearing retirement. He had hopes of opening a Czech-style brewery in Waco, so he invited a group of prospective investors from the Czech Republic to join him at West Fest, the long-running annual festival celebrating Czech heritage not too far from Waco.
“That visit really put things over the top for us,” Beseda says. “Our investors weren’t aware that a Czech community existed in Texas. They were really shocked.”“Our beer spas employ all the hallmarks of beer. The barley, the hops and yeast from our tanks get mixed into the hot water in the tub." – Steven Beseda, Pivovar CEO
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Soon thereafter, Beseda’s sister sent him some pictures from a traditional Czech beer spa while in Prague for her wedding. The pictures included a pair of large tubs filled with the core beer ingredients, with self-service beer taps stationed between them. It wasn’t something you saw much of, if at all, in Texas, he thought. He was sold on the idea almost immediately.
“My sister influenced me, and I influenced our investors,” he says.
In the United States, beer spas aren’t common, and as far as Beseda knows, there’s not another one in Texas. Most American beer spas stray from the traditional Czech style to amp things up beyond a warm tub of hops, barley and brewer’s yeast to include other ingredients.
A recent Men’s Health article mentions the possible health benefits of a traditional beer spa, stating “The low pH is said to tighten and soften hair follicles while cleansing hair and skin. Brewer’s yeast also claims to provide vitamin B, protein, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium. The beer’s hops, meanwhile, are rich in antioxidants and alpha acids, while their oils and minerals are promoted as having an anti-inflammatory effect on joints and muscles.”
Pivovar sticks to tradition, except in one way that can’t be avoided. According to Beseda, TABC rules prohibit the use of self-service beer taps in the spa, so instead, guests can order a beer flight, a wine flight or even a cheese board to be delivered room service-style to enjoy during the hour-long soak. Of Pivovar’s five house beer offerings, three of them are, naturally, of the traditional Czech variety: a pilsner, a dark lager and a Vienna lager.
The hotel offers a spa room with two tubs on each of its four guest room floors. Guests can book a solo soak or book both tubs for a couple’s treatment. And don’t forget, if you’re not in a hurry to return to the alcohol-free Silos a few steps away, you can hang out in Pivovar’s beer garden and wonder if shiplap is really all that awesome to begin with.
