The Sneem Seaweed Baths
The Sneem Seaweed Baths are a wonderful, stress-relieving way to soak in healing waters surrounded by the glories of nature.
I have heard for a long time that seaweed has major health benefits–both internally and externally. This is why one of my goals when moving to County Kerry was to learn more about (and experience) the seaweed that grows so abundantly on Ireland’s west coast.
I started to fulfil this goal almost two years ago by signing up for a seaweed foraging workshop and cooking class in Dingle. Gerhard and I also collected bags of seaweed from a beach that is really close to our home and added it to our new raised vegetable beds.
In addition to collecting and cooking with seaweed, I have also been searching for a business that offers seaweed baths. So I was thrilled when Gerhard went on a 3-day stand up paddle camping trip on the Iveragh Peninsula with Wild Sup Tours that ended with a soak in some seaweed-filled whiskey barrels!
It sounded like fun to me, so Gerhard and I visited the place together last November and had a great time.
How the Sneem Seaweed Baths Work
A lovely man named Brendan Galvin owns and operates the ‘baths.’ They are located on the edge of the Sneem Hotel property near the small village of Sneem. (You can use the hotel’s parking lot and restrooms.) The facility, which is completely rustic and open-air, consists of six whiskey barrels set up among a grove of trees on the edge of the Sneem Estuary. (The estuary flows into Kenmare Bay, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean.)
There are a couple of little shed-like structures where you can change into a swimsuit. After doing so, you walk over to your assigned barrel, climb up the stairs, and slide in! The water is warm, and the barrels are surprisingly comfortable.
Once you are in, Brendan hauls over a big bucket of Fucus serratus seaweed (serrated wrack) and dumps it into your barrel. The water immediately becomes fragrant and oily with healing properties. Over the course of the hour-long soak, Brendan tops up your barrel with nice, hot water so you are constantly warm and toasty.
After you have finished your soak, Brendan completely drains the barrel, scrubs and sanitizes it, and fills it with water again for the next customer.
The Healing Properties of Fucus serratus seaweed
Although almost all varieties of seaweed have health benefits, Fucus serratus is especially prized for its effects on the skin, hair and body. The plant feeds on nutrients in the ocean. As a result, it collects a huge amount of vitamins (including vitamin E), minerals (including iodine), and carotenoids like fucoxanthin and beta-carotene.
Like other brown seaweeds, Fucus serratus contains substances (fucoidans) that impart a healing oil to the water. This oil helps to draw water into the skin and to detoxify, cleanse and revitalize it. This is why the plant has been found to be so helpful for skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, as well as for relieving aches, pains, arthritis and rheumatism.
Perhaps the most beneficial effect of bathing in warm seaweed water is its ability to lower overall body stress. This effect is compounded at Sneem Seaweed Baths by their proximity to nature and the absolutely glorious views.
Besides, the baths are just plain fun. So Gerhard and I definitely plan to visit them often.
The post The Sneem Seaweed Baths appeared first on Nourishing Ireland.