Why Irish seaweed bathing is the newest wellness trend to try

If any nation has unlocked the full potential of seaweed, it’s Ireland. The earliest records show the sixth-century monks living on Skellig Michael off the southwest coast already made use of it, collecting wild dulse to eat and fertilise their rocky terrace gardens. By around the 1800s, west coast farmers had made a new discovery: while gathering seaweed to fertilise their crops, their skin ailments and arthritis miraculously improved. And so, the art of seaweed bathing was born.

The Victorians were pros, the practice leading to the creation of some 300 seaweed-dedicated bathhouses across the country. Bathers would submerge in tubs filled with near-boiling Atlantic seawater, to which fresh, local seaweed would be added to be steamed. This allowed the algae’s essential oils to infuse the water, and a long soak soothed bathers’ skin. Around the mid-1900s, though, seaweed bathing fell out of fashion with both locals and travellers — defeated in part by a collective drift away from the coasts. Just over a decade ago, only two bathhouses remained.

Studies have since shown the practice does, in fact, hold weight: seaweed’s bioactive compounds, released as oil when added to boiling water, can indeed soothe the skin. And, thanks to a renewed focus across Ireland on celebrating traditional heritage, seaweed is back on the menu — appearing everywhere from Waterford to Donegal and in hotel spas to simple bathhouses.

In County Sligo, Kilcullen Seaweed Baths is the oldest of its kind: a fifth-generation, family-run operation that hand-harvests wild wrack, just as it has since opening in 1912. The venue that sparked the latest revival is Voya Seaweed Baths, which opened in Strandhill in County Sligo in 2000, launching an award-winning line of seaweed-infused products.

In the past few years, they’ve been joined by a bevy of openings. At Wild Atlantic Seaweed Baths in County Clare, you can soak in whiskey barrels beside the Cliffs of Moher. Beachside Dingle Wellness, on its namesake peninsula, has organic seaweed treatments, while Connemara Seaweed Baths in Clifden offers the treatment alongside saunas. Hotels including The Twelve in Barna village, County Galway are expanding their spas to offer the experience, too. Seaweed’s popularity may have started with a colony of hardy monks, but the humble marine algae is now riding a wellness wave.

More seaweed experiences

Ireland

Alongside beautiful accommodation, West Cork’s award-winning hotel Native offers unique workshops in kelp craft and coastal foraging walks, with local seaweed expert and artist Sam Keane. You can learn to make ink from golden kelp, or follow the tide to harvest deep-green seagrass and sea spaghetti. You’ll hear about the traditional uses of your finds before cooking them over a campfire.

Wales

Swansea Market, which dates at least to the 17th century, is a great place to try the Welsh delicacy laverbread. Made from dark crimson sea algae gathered along the west coast, it’s boiled into an iodine-rich paste and then mixed with oats and fried. It’s a breakfast item so beloved that it has protected status and its own national day on 14 April. Check fishmonger stalls for authentic varieties served ultra fresh.

Norway

Located in its namesake archipelago, Norwegian brand Lofoten Seaweed sells beauty products, spice blends, chocolate and more infused with sustainably harvested Arctic seaweed. Its storefront, The Ocean Shop, in the village of Napp, is a must-visit to learn about the team’s work in the local community. You can sample some of the products, which are served in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe.