In our Thalasso spa, the sea is ever-present. The sea is found in our heated seawater pool, it is part of our treatments, and our spa products contain marine elements such as salt, algae, and minerals. Seaweed holds a special place in our hearts.

In Varberg, we have a special relationship with seaweed. For hundreds of years, we have bathed in it and scrubbed our bodies with it. Seaweed is a natural source of minerals, vitamins, and trace elements that are beneficial for us. And we find it in the ocean's own pantry.

Seaweed massage is our oldest treatment and somewhat of a signature experience for us. For over 200 years, Varberg has been a place for seaweed baths and seaweed massages. In the past, people would visit the old bath attendants at the Varmbadhuset for seaweed baths, clay wraps, and massages. Since the beginning of Kusthotellet 30 years ago, we have continued to preserve and refine these 200-year-old traditions in our Thalasso spa.

Today, we have similar wooden bathtubs, the seawater comes from the same ocean outside, and the seaweed is still hand-harvested along Varberg's coast.

How does a seaweed massage work?

In our seaweed massage, you step into a wooden bathtub filled with warmed seawater and seaweed fronds. For one treatment, approximately 1.7 kg of harvested seaweed is scalded and vacuum-packed. The seaweed is rich in beneficial minerals, vitamins, and trace elements that are good for our bodies.

The warmth of the seawater contributes to relaxation and increased blood circulation, softening tired muscles and joints. The spa therapist then massages your entire body with the seaweed.

The seaweed massage leaves a tingling sensation on the skin, and once the therapist has worked through your whole body, you can rest for a moment in the warm seawater with the seaweed and oils that have been released into the water.

This treatment promotes a lovely relaxation throughout the body and leaves the skin silky smooth. Afterwards, you can rest in the relaxation room with a cup of steaming seaweed tea.

Sawweed is a resilient species that grows near the surface. It can survive ice during winter, dry out at low tide, and still recover once it is submerged again. In the waters off Varberg, it spreads across large areas beneath the surface.

Hand-picked year-round

Sawweed is hand-harvested from the sea along the Varberg coast year-round by Bosse, our dedicated kelp fisherman. Bo Albrektsson has been harvesting sawweed in Varberg for many years and knows the best spots to collect it. He wades into waist-deep water and cuts the kelp with a knife, ensuring to take the entire frond. The kelp fronds float to the surface, and he gathers them into net bags before bringing them ashore.

Sustainable harvesting and handling

To protect regrowth, he never harvests all the sawweed from a given area, leaving some behind to recover and produce new sawweed. Using GPS coordinates, he keeps track of when he last harvested from various locations.

The kelp is then blanched and vacuum-sealed in bags. When delivering the sawweed, Bosse also collects the sawweed that has already been used in our treatments and composts it. This completes the cycle.

Both seaweed and algae contain essentially the same set of minerals and trace elements found in our bodies, substances that are released when the seaweed is blanched before treatment. The sawweed we use in treatments is a natural source of a wide range of nutrients, leaving the skin silky smooth afterwards.

Sawweed contains high levels of:

• protein
• sodium
• calcium
• potassium
• magnesium

It also contains:

• iodine
• iron
• zinc
• vitamin E
• vitamin C
• beta-carotene