I first saw signs for the Muskoka Beer Spa the summer of 2020 as I was driving on the highway to explore the Muskoka area for hiking trails. By doing a quick Google search, it said it wasn’t open yet because of COVID, so I kept this spot in the back of my mind as I really wanted to visit this getaway.
Come June 2021, that’s when I decided to book a surprise trip to the Muskoka Beer Spa as one of my husband’s birthday gifts. I knew he really wanted to visit this spot and we planned to go with a bunch of friends in the future, but I thought it would be a great time to go for his birthday first. And by surprise, I mean that he thought we were just going on a road trip to go hiking for the day until we got to the Clear Lake Brewing Company to check in to our cabin. I actually packed everything for the both of us a couple days ahead of time and put it in the trunk of my car so we had everything we needed. You can check my blog post on 13 Things You Need To Pack For The Cottage – Summer Edition for the essentials.
Luckily, the Muskoka Beer Spa is open now, but the grand opening they’re aiming for is July 1st on Canada Day when the spa with all its amenities is actually finished and ready to be used. The Muskoka Beer Spa will be open year round – even during the winter which will be quite an experience. It is actually the first beer spa in Canada so I’m expecting this to be a huge hotspot. It’s already sold out every weekend for this summer. So at this point in time, it was very quiet with us and 3 other couples on the property as well as some on-site staff. I love that it’s not so popular yet as we were able to get a lot of peace and quiet, as well as privacy.
Here is my entire experience at Muskoka Beer Spa from booking to checking out, leaving no details out!
Booking Our Stay At Muskoka Beer Spa
I started inquiring about our stay about 3 weeks before my intended check-in date. I had emailed them as I wasn’t able to find availability on their online calendar. I originally requested the Thursday and Friday, but was told weekends are fully booked and I would have to visit during the weekday. That was fine with me as long as it fell on my husband’s birthday, I can take a day off work. It also saved me a little bit of money as staying during Sunday and the weekdays costs $125 CAD per person, whereas Fridays and Saturdays costs $149 CAD per person. I had also tried to call them to book and make payment a few times in the span of 2 days, but because there was only one person manning the emails and phones, I wasn’t able to get through. We were already emailing back and forth to confirm details so I left my phone number in our email conversation and waited for their call. Email responses were quick enough as well as them returning my phone call. Overall, the process was very smooth and easy as I wasn’t in too much of a rush. I did email them a few days before our arrival just to check if they did anything for birthdays or if I was able to request a cabin with a better view, but I didn’t receive a response.
Because I booked our stay in less than 30 days of our arrival, I had to pay in full. If you book 30 days from arrival day, the initial deposit for 2021 bookings will be $250 CAD per night per cabin.
The Drive From Toronto To Muskoka Beer Spa
We left at about 9am on a Wednesday from Toronto to start heading to our destination. We stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Barrie to grab coffee and a Chicken McMuffin (so good, by the way) for breakfast. The traffic was smooth sailing and it took about 2 hours and 10 minutes for the whole trip including our breakfast stop. Of course if you’re going on a Friday or the weekend, you may want to give yourself more time as traffic is much busier then.
Checking In At Muskoka Beer Spa
As you drive up to the given address to check in, you actually won’t be seeing any signs for the Muskoka Beer Spa. You will be checking in at the front desk of the Clear Lake Brewing Company, hence why I was also able to pull off this surprise so well. You will be seeing a small blue and white building with a parking lot. That’s where you will start your check in process. It literally is just a brewery so it may throw you off a little bit. But don’t worry, as soon as you walk in to the front desk, you’ll see details of the Muskoka Beer Spa on their desk and all you have to do is tell them you’re checking in.
This is also where their shop to buy beer, snacks, insect repellent, toiletries, clothing, swimsuits, socks, and other souvenirs is. As you walk to the back, this is where you will enter the Beer Garden.
The good thing about Muskoka Beer Spa is that you are able to check in to your cabin before your actual check-in time of 3pm if they have your accommodations ready. If not, you are still free to roam the grounds and use their amenities until you get your cabin. When we went, we were able to check in at 11am right away as no one had been in our cabin prior. Check-out time is at 11am. We were also given 2 vouchers for a free flight of the Clear Lake Brewing Company beer as well as a full breakdown of what will be provided in our cabins, that our breakfast pastries will arrive around 9:15am the next day, as well as all the water equipment we can use.
Snacks, coffee, and tea are also provided with our stay and if we’d like more, we can just text them and request it. The snacks in the “Cottage Country” packaging are sold at their stores, so if these catch your eye, they’re actually already stocked in your cabin and you can request for more if you’d like without an additional charge.
At check-in time, you can also request to order a keg for your cabin. 20L and 30L sizes are available and they’re priced at $105 CAD and $120 CAD respectively with taxes. I suggest using your free voucher for a flight of beer and tasting which one you like the best before ordering a keg. I really liked the Cran Radler since I’m not a big drinker and it tasted like juice to me and my husband preferred the Session Ale which was light and crisp. Keep in mind that kegs are delivered to your cabins only until 7pm every day.
Parking And Getting To Our Cabin
After we checked in, we had to drive to the parking lot to our cabin which was a 30 second drive away. You just turn left out of the parking lot at Clear Lake Brewing Co. and make a quick right before the stop sign to the main road, and that’s when you’ll see the large Muskoka Beer Spa sign that’s hidden by a lot of trees. Because we were given one of the lower cabins – Cabin 8 to be exact – it was closest for us to park to the left of the parking lot. There’s a short trail from the parking lot that brings you to the clearing of 4 cabins. It has a large open space with a bonfire setup in the middle where cabin guests can congregate at night if they like.
Our Muskoka Beer Spa Cabin Accommodations
The Outside
As we approached Cabin 8, it looked a little small from the outside but you can tell it was long. There were sliding doors in the front which faced the bonfire. You can use the firepit as you wish and there are self-serve wood stacks nearby. There was also a good-sized deck to the right where the main door was and a sitting area with a clear plastic bin. That’s where your morning pastries will be delivered.
We received one key with a wooden keychain for our cabin, but it seemed like it didn’t work. Even though we “locked” the door, we were still able to open it from the outside with no problem. A strange thing is that there is no lock from the inside, it’s just a flat doorknob so we couldn’t lock our cabin either way. We ended up having to prop a chair on the doorknob at night and set up booby traps of other chairs and standing fans throughout the house to our room to be safe. We actually felt very safe there, but we just wanted to have peace of mind.
There’s an on-site orange cat named Nacho who is always outside and by the docks. He’s pretty old and is very slow but he’s very sweet and calm and will follow you around. There’s also a 3-legged dog and a baby black bear which you’ll need to be aware of. The dog was friendly, but I’ll take a stab at saying that the bear won’t be. I’ve heard that there is also a fox and a pig too but we didn’t see them.
In regards to bugs, Muskoka Beer Spa fumigates their property so I am glad to report that I did not get any bug bites and I probably saw 2 mosquitoes my entire stay. There are quite a bit of dragon flies by the dock. And we found a couple large ants in our cabin. If you plan to have a long stay, you might need to be prepared for that.
The Inside
For those who need Wi-Fi, don’t worry it’s provided in our cabins but it is a little spotty. Same with the outlets, they charged my phone pretty slowly and not all of them seemed to work.
Dining Area And Kitchen
As you walk in from the front door, you are basically in the dining area with a table and chairs.
Our kitchen was already stocked with snacks including 3 bags of chips, microwave popcorn, trail mix, beer nuts, jujubes, and chocolate. There’s a main fridge and a smaller fridge that’s built specifically for a keg with a spout at the top to easily fill your beer glass. There’s also 2 fire starters placed at the top of the larger fridge which comes in super handy for those nighttime bonfires. There was a French Press coffee maker, ground coffee, and a variety of teas. There was also disposable coffee cups and Dixie cups. Other than that, if you’re looking to cook, you’ll need to bring your own kitchen equipment and utensils. Also, from what I heard from our neighbors in Cabin 7, their cupboards were stocked with additional snacks. So when you go, make sure to check yours!
Living Rooms
We had 2 living rooms – one with a large sectional and coffee table facing the kitchen area and another which was where the sliding doors are with a TV and couch, as well as a great collection of VHS tapes. At a quick glance, we had the Alien collection, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, Office Space, and The Terminal.
Bathroom
The bathroom in this cabin was quite small and only had a standing shower smaller than those in a cruise cabin. There was also no light in the shower so make sure you don’t shower too late at night if having light is important. Especially if you close the shower curtain, you won’t be able to see anything. I also found that the towels they provide pills. I realized that I had towel fibres all over my face and hair after my shower when I started doing my skincare routine. Luckily, I had also brought my own towel so I was able to avoid this the next time I needed a towel. You’ll also need to bring your own toiletries as it is not provided.
Bedrooms
There were actually 2 bedrooms in our cabin. One bedroom had a little gift bag with several eucalyptus steamers which you can place at the bottom of your shower. As you take a shower and the water starts to steam, it’ll give off a rejuvenating and refreshing scent. It’s Muskoka Beer Spa branded but I did not see this at their store so I’m not sure if they sell this separately if you’d like more. I’m sure if you ask, they will restock for you like they do the snacks.
We chose to sleep in the bedroom closer to the bathroom but when we went to bed at night, we realized the door would only close halfway. Maybe because of the wooden floors that were swollen, the door couldn’t be moved past a certain area. The second bedroom was just slightly smaller but the door worked much better and was able to close. The beds, bedding, and pillows were comfortable enough considering we’re staying in a cabin and my body didn’t hurt when waking up so that was a plus.
Temperature & Noise In The Cabin
Since we went in the month of June our cabin temperatures are probably different than the other seasons. As we first enter the cabin, we were surprised at how cold it was even without air conditioning or fans. It got a little more comfortable throughout the day as we started getting used to the temperature. In the middle of the night however, it got really hot for some reason. I’m usually cold all the time and need to wear layers even when it’s warm for most people, but if I’m waking up in the middle of the night because I’m hot and sweating, for sure it’s too hot for other people. Luckily the cabin provides a fan in each bedroom as well as one in the living room. Once we turned on the fan in the bedroom, it immediately cooled the room down and we were able to sleep better.
Since we were in the lower cabins, we have baseboard heaters with individual thermostats but we actually never touched this. If you’re in the upper cabins, your source of heat is the fireplace and you’ll be told not to turn them off.
At night, even when people were congregating by the bonfire, we barely heard them from our cabin. And I knew it was pretty loud outside since we just left from there. Also, there are train tracks nearby so you can really hear this when you’re at the Beer Garden and the cabin areas. We heard it when we were sleeping at night but it wasn’t bad at all and it passes pretty fast.
Food And Water
As you might already know, cottage country usually does not have drinkable tap water. That is true at the Muskoka Beer Spa too! I brought enough water to last the duration of our stay. But if you don’t, you can bring a water bottle or container to the brewery and the staff will fill it with drinkable, filtered water. If you do decide to use the tap water in your cabin, remember to boil it.
You can either bring your own food to make during your stay or you can visit the 2 restaurants on site: Beer Garden and Kitchen and The Cottage Pizza Place.
The Beer Garden is where you would get your free flight of beer. They also have a decent sized menu here with a variety of foods to choose from including wings and Mac and Cheese, which we got for lunch. You can find the full menu here. It’s a nice outdoor area with lots of space between tables.
The Cottage Pizza Place is at the other side of the parking lot facing the brewery. As you enter, you’ll see The Bottle Shop where you can buy more beer and snacks (that are available in your cabin). To the right will be the entrance to the restaurant. We ordered the Clear Lake Beer Cheese and Buffalo Chicken Gorgonzola pizzas for dinner and they were actually very good. We took our pizza and went to the Beer Garden to eat with our neighbors in Cabin 7. At this time, it was much more busy than at lunch time. A lot of locals come here as there’s not too much else in town so it gets really busy. If you want a spot, come early!
It seems that on Fridays and the weekend, the menu slightly changes and has some better options than the weekdays, but you may have to double check this in person as I didn’t see it on the website.
There’s also an ice cream hut beside the pizza place if you’re looking to cool down during the summer or just something sweet to eat. However, this is only opened during Fridays and the weekend.
And finally, you can order charcuterie boards on Fridays and Saturdays but you’ll need to submit your order by Thursday using this menu.
Overall, we thought the food was great, it wasn’t overpriced and it was super convenient. From the brewery to our cabin, it was a couple minutes’ walk.
Clear Lake And Water Activities
After we ate, the first thing we did was change into our bathing suits and head to Clear Lake. Our cabin was actually closest to the trails and the lake so we only had to walk about 2-3 minutes to get there. The “beach” is very small so you won’t’ be able to lie down or anything. This is also where all the water equipment are placed and you can use them as you wish. Some life jackets are provided as well and you will be told to wear them whenever you go on the lake.
There’s also a long dock leading to the water with several Muskoka chairs to lounge in. The end of the dock kind of dips into the water so it can get quite wet if that’s something you’re trying to avoid. The water is extremely clear but as you get farther, it gets so deep that you can’t see anything at all. It was also a bit cold to me, but much warmer than the waters at Bruce Peninsula. I was also surprised that as the sun was beaming down into the water, for a second I felt like I was in the Caribbean.
I loved how secluded, private and quiet it was. When we went kayaking and paddle boarding in the lake, we were literally the only ones there. I think that was my favorite part of the trip.
Night Time Skies
Since the Muskoka Beer Spa is part of the dark zone in the Torrance Barrens Dark-Sky Preserve area, lighting here is kept to a minimum so you can see all the stars in the sky. The Torrance Barrens Conservation Area is the world’s first permanent Dark-Sky Preserve and is only a 10 minute drive away. We wanted to visit this at night, but we went back to our cabin around 11pm and the sky was still not dark enough where our cabin was so we weren’t able to see the stars this time around.
We did drive to the Torrance Barrens area the next morning just to see what it was like since it’s great for hiking, but the entire road leading up to the conservation as well as the conservation itself was infested with the Gypsy Moth Caterpillar infestation we are currently having in Ontario. Given that I’m not a fan…we left. But we do plan to come back!
Check Out Process
We made a quick stop to the lake to catch the sunrise around 5:30am. It was so nice being able to see the beautiful sunrise as I usually never wake up early enough to see it. I’m always grateful and excited to catch the sunrise or sunset so it was nice to leave on this note.
We actually left at 8am so unfortunately we missed the morning pastries this time around. Since the brewery wasn’t open at this time, we dropped our key in a box beside the door and left. It was a simple process.
Overall Experience At Muskoka Beer Spa
We had an amazing time aside from our cabin not being able to lock and the trouble with doors. Everything else was great and much better than I expected. The staff was also really helpful and pleasant throughout and the other guests were very nice.
The Muskoka Beer Spa really provides a sanctuary for drinking of course, and being able to enjoy nature, and the peace in this area. We were really able to kick back, relax, and get away from the city stresses. It really felt like a vacation, especially by the dock.
We definitely plan to come back to experience all the amenities the Muskoka Beer Spa has to offer with their pool, hot tubs, sauna and more with their beer-infused spa treatments. I look forward to staying during the winter time to see how that experience will be like.
For more details on my experience here, you can read my recent blog post on 13 Things You Need To Pack For the Cottage – Summer Edition. These are the essentials I brought with me to our trip to the Muskoka Beer Spa and I’m so glad that I did!
To see a video of my stay at the Muskoka Beer Spa, head over to my Instagram.
UPDATE – December 2023
Two years later, I’ve returned to Muskoka Beer Spa and this time, in the winter! We were invited for a Think Tank Session to get feedback on the purchase and revival of Bala Bay Inn in exchange for a complimentary night’s stay. It was a great opportunity and I was looking forward to see how the beer spa has changed.
This time, we stayed in Cabin 5 with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. They seemed to have upgrade the locks to electronic keyless locks which was great since last time we couldn’t even lock our door. Our front door was also missing blinds so we just put a towel to cover the window at night for privacy and safety. Regarding the rooms and bathrooms, they have wooden doors which don’t close very well and have some gaps in them so if you think you’re getting privacy, there won’t be too much of that.
What I also noticed right away was how cold it was and it wasn’t even the peak winter temperatures yet at around -5°C. There was snow on the ground since it’s about 2 hours north of Toronto, but I’d advise to wear winter boots and be careful as our cabin was far from the parking lot and the walkways were not salted so it gets quite slippery.
They had provided a heater for the bedroom which actually kept us quite cozy during the night after having it set up for a few hours, but the living room, dining area, and kitchen is very chilly. Like the summer with no air conditioning and only fans, there is also no heat available in the winter unless you have a portable heater.
Breakfast pastries are no longer included, but they have a full breakfast menu for you to choose a hearty breakfast. The amenities available now includes the swimming pool, hot tub, steam room, and saunas which is a great perk for some R&R. But during the winter, only the saunas were available for use due to the lower traffic during this time. And during the winter, you can have massages at their cabanas and other spa services.
After having visited Muskoka Beer Spa in both the late spring or early summer time and winter, if you are planning to visit, I would recommend going during the late spring or early summer and to bring a group of friends who love to drink and have fun with games and movie nights as it’ll make the cabins much cozier.