A bathing culture….Spas, hot springs and pools

The local natural wonder that is perhaps most ingrained in the fabric of Icelandic culture is geothermal energy, the naturally heated water that powers Icelanders´ lives and heats our homes, baths and pools, public as well as private.

The spa is a relatively modern day invention, but enjoying the health benefits of bathing in thermal baths is a tradition dating back to the settlement of Iceland. Snorri Sturluson, the famous twelfth century historian and author, was a prolific spa enthusiast by modern standards, and had his own thermal pool built so he could soak in hot water whenever the mood struck him.

*Modern reconstruction of Snorri´s pool in Reykholt (no bathing allowed in this one!)*

While fancy spas were not introduced to Iceland until recent times, thermal pools have been relished for pleasure and health benefits in Icelandic society since the first centuries of settlement. Since geothermal energy began to be harnessed in Iceland, the tradition of public bathing has become deeply rooted in the local culture. Rules of hygiene are taken very seriously with regard to the pools and everyone is required to shower thoroughly without a swimsuit before entering the water, whether at a spa resort or in the local public pool.

Geothermal Spas

The luxury of geothermally heated water has been utilized more and more lately to create luxury spas. The most famous of these is the Blue Lagoon, located in a lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near the airport. Here are a few of our favourites (many of which have their own blog post on here):

The Blue Lagoon

The most famous – and by far the most expensive of all the lagoons. The Blue Lagoon is probably the thing that most people who have never been to Iceland know about. Funnily enough, most Icelanders won´t even consider paying the price to go there and dismiss it as a tourist trap. Having said that, I´m glad I´ve been, it was a wonderful experience (we were lucky enough to go during the travel ban at the height of the Covid restrictions so we had the lagoon almost to ourselves). Having been back with family since, it´s been a very different experience and there are many places I would visit in preference. However, the in-water massage which is offered (again, very expensive) is utterly blissful and if money is no object I would recommend it. The water at Blue Lagoon is a milky blue, due to the silica in the water and is very good for your skin (although terrible for your hair – it´s worth keeping your hair out of the water as much as possible). There is a swim-up bar with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, also a mud bar where you can choose from several different mud face masks and skin treatments, which leave your skin feeling wonderful. There are also two very good restaurants there, one of which is Michelin starred. For more information, check out my earlier blog post The Blue Lagoon.

Sky Lagoon

Just a few minutes from where we live in Reykjavík, Sky Lagoon is lovely. The thing that separates it from the other lagoons on offer is its seven-step 'Skjól' ritual - 1. Soak in the warm waters of the lagoon, 2. Refresh and invigorate in the cold plunge pool 3. Embrace the heat of the sauna with its huge picture window 4. Refresh again in the cold mist 5. Exfoliate the skin with the salt body scrub 6. Sit in the steam room and let the salt scrub soak into your skin 7. Rehydrate with a fresh juice made of Icelandic crowberries. Then return into the warmth of the lagoon. With its swim up bar, the long infinity edge looking out over the water to part of the city beyond, and the many little niches where you can sit and sip a drink whilst soaking in the warm water it is a lovely way to while away a few hours. We love it best on a cold winters evening when there is snow on the ground all around you and if you are lucky you can watch the Northern Lights from the warm water. You can buy a six-visit multipass which will almost halve the entrance price – well worth it if you live here. Sky Lagoon has its own small cafe restaurant which we have tried a couple of times but I have found it very expensive, particularly for the quality of the food on offer. Personally, I´d rather spend my time in the lagoon itself and then go to eat elsewhere. Read more about Sky Lagoon here Where the Sea Meets the Sky.

Hvammsvík

Without doubt, our favourite of all the geothermal spas, Hvammsvík doesn´t have a large lagoon like the previous two, but instead offers 8 different pools of varying size and temperatures. The real attraction of Hvammsvík is the stunning views of the Hvalfjörður fjord, surrounded by mountains. This place not only feels luxurious, it is almost impossibly beautiful. You can swim in the icy water of the fjord itself (with seals if you are really lucky) and then jump back into the blissfully warm water of the geothermal pools to recover. There is a small restaurant in the main building which has a selection of lunch-type meals and snacks. There are only a few options on the menu but all are very generous portions and delicious. I have a fuller blog post all about Hvammsvík here Hvammsvík Hot Springs.

Fontana

Located on the shore of Lake Laugarvatn, Fonatana offers several pools of different sizes, depths and temperatures, some looking very natural, others a more basic rectangular or circular shape. The brave can swim in the lake itself before heading back to the warm waters of the pools. There is also a large café with a limited selection of food, mainly soup or open salmon sandwiches on locally made lava bread.

Krauma

Krauma harnesses the power from the incredibly powerful Deildartunghver hot spring (which I think is the most powerful hot spring anywhere in Europe) and offers several different pools, five warm and one cold plunge pool, all offering a view across the valley. Although to me the spa area is less impressive than some of the other lagoons and hot spas around, being a bit less natural-feeling, it nevertheless has a lovely relaxation room heated by a wood burner and with spa-type loungers and also has a restaurant on site with a simple selection of excellent food.

Secret Lagoon

Said to be the oldest swimming pool in Iceland, Secret Lagoon is heated by its own small but very active geyser which spouts every few minutes and bubbles away the whole time. Secret Lagoon, although it is on the tourist route, does feel more like a local (hot) swimming pool than a luxury resort-type spa and is much more reasonably priced than some. A simple large rectangular shape, it is surrounded by meadows and trees and can feel very peaceful. The water here is generally at a higher temperature than most lagoons with some areas of the pool being hotter than others. Read more about it here The (not so) Secret Lagoon.

Geosea

Located in Húsavík right on the edge of the cliffs, Geosea overlooks the bay and the mountains beyond. With its curved infinity edges, it feels as if you are part of the ocean itself, although much much warmer and with a glass of something nice in your hand! With a good mix of locals and tourists, it is a small and friendly place and a favourite of ours when we travel up north. Apparently, guests are often lucky enough to see whales, dophins or porpoises in the ocean whilst soaking in the warm water above them.

Mývatn Nature baths

Marketed as the ´Blue Lagoon of the North´ Mývatn has a similar blue milky appearance to the water, but is much more affordable than the more famous Blue Lagoon. It doesn´t have the same ´high end´ feel to it but is very popular nevertheless, with two large lagoon areas and of course the usual in-water bar offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Vök Baths

Vök is quite unique, with the geometric design of its ´floating´ pools, set in the Urriðavatn lake. The hexagonal shape of the pools is designed to reflect the hexagonal basalt columns that are so common in Iceland. The floating pools have ladders that lead down into the lake so that you can swim in the cold water of the lake then climb back up into the warm pools. Another favourite of ours. A fuller blog post can be found here Vök Baths.

Forest Lagoon

Located on the far side of the fjord from Akureyri and overlooking the city, Forest Lagoon is nestled at the edge of a forest and has a very different feel to most Icelandic spas – let´s face it, there aren´t that many trees in Iceland so this is a bit of a novelty! With two large lagoon pools of different temperatures, with an in-pool bar at either end of the larger lagoon and lovely views of the city, particularly when lit up at night, it also has a sauna with a large picture window as well as the usual cold plunge pool and steam rooms etc. A welcome and recent addition, Forest Lagoon only opened a couple of years ago. For more information about this lovely place, check out my earlier blog Forest Lagoon - Bathing amongst the trees.

The Beer Spa

Now this is something completely different! Not a geothermal spa as such, although they do offer large wooden hot tubs outside that guests are welcome to use, the novelty of Bjórböðin or the beer spa is that you get to soak in a tub of hot beer (with cold beer on tap!). It´s actually a mixture of beer, warm water, hops and yeast that you bathe in and is supposed to be very good for the skin and hair. After half an hour or so in your tub of beer, you are shown to an upstairs relaxation room where you are invited to chill on a bed with a blanket tucked round you and soft ambient music playing. After the warmth of the beer, it´s hard not to fall asleep! Also highly recommended is the restaurant, which is of surprisingly high quality. It is located right up in the north of the country at Dalvík, north of Akureyri. Full blog post all about it is here Bathing in…. Beer??

Highland Base, Kerlingarfjöll

This geothermal pool which belongs to the Highland Base hotel in Kerlingarfjöll can only be used by hotel residents outside the summer season, but during the summer months the general public can use the hot springs, without staying at the hotel or campsite. This is about the only geothermal spring that has views to rival Hvammsvík - but takes a great deal more effort to get to!!! I wouldn´t make the long drive just to use the hot springs, but if staying at the hotel, or camping nearby it is a must-visit! The surrounding mountains are just majestic!

Drangsnes Hot Tubs

Not a lagoon or spa as such, but three natural hot pots of varying temperatures located in the village of Drangsnes in the Westfjords, right by the coast road, overlooking the beach and the sea. Used by locals and visitors alike these are free and remarkably social. There are a number of places like this, often in the middle of nowhere, where there are hot tubs that one can use for free but I think this is one of the nicest.

Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach

As unlikely as it may sound, Reykjavík sports its own little geothermal beach, with golden sands and warm ocean water (assisted by a little geothermal injection). There is a long hot tub which overlooks the beach and is always popular. The beach is equipped with changing facilities and showers, steam-baths and hot tubs. Hot water is pumped into the man-made lagoon and the outcome is a refreshing swimming area averaging between 15°-19°C in summer. There are also many who swim in the sea itself, which is a very different temperature and not for the faint-hearted! The beach is a favourite of both locals and visitors and a favourite family day out in the summer months.

Natural hot springs

Of course, as well as all the lovely places mentioned above, there are many many places in Iceland where warm geothermal water just finds its way to the surface naturally and forms pools and springs, many of which you can bathe in. Many of these are named and known to be safe, but at times when hiking you will come across hot water in the middle of nowhere. Obviously, if you don´t know it´s safe it is much better not to try dipping your hand in a hot spring as many of these are around boiling point and could cause serious burns! However, if you do a bit of research, you can find a number of places where there are hot springs and pools that are safe to bathe in.

Hrunalaug

One of the best known natural springs, close to Flúðir in the Golden Circle area, Hrunalaug is located on privately owned farmland. The water in the hot spring is rich in minerals that are apparently very good for the skin and muscles. The owners of the land have dug out three distinct areas where you can bathe, the largest of which is like a long rectangular pool, which is where the family used to use in the eighteen and nineteen hundreds for washing laundry and bathing themselves. There is an honesty box at the car park for visitors to make a donation to contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of the pools. There is a little wooden hut on the site where you can change, but no other facilities.

Kualaug

Kualaug is a set of two small natural pools which are located very close to Geysir, but not at all well-known. They are just beside an F road (the F333) which appears to lead only to a small church and are easily found as the smaller pool has been surrounded by a ring of flat stones, with a plank laid across the wet ground, making a walkway to access the pool more easily. There is absolutely nothing else there so you have to be prepared to change in the open and leave your clothing on the grass by the pool. There is some natural algae which can make the stones slippery so it´s worth wearing swim shoes if you have them.

Landbrotalaug

This is a teeny tiny hot pot in the middle of nowhere on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Only big enough for one or two to get in at the same time, it´s surprisingly deep and lovely and warm. Nearby is a large shallow pool, with a hot water pipe that keeps it topped up with warm geothermal water (second picture) where a larger group of people can sit and soak together, but it´s the little pool that is particularly fun to experience.

Sturlungalaug

Now this one really is in the middle of nowhere and is quite hard to find. It is literally a large (but very warm) pair of pools that look like big puddles in the middle of a field surrounded by lava fields and mountains. It´s not on google maps but is at these approximate co-ordinates 64°52'10.6"N 22°17'02.0"W. On the drive there, there will be a couple of gates that you need to go through and close behind you, then when the road seems to peter out you can park and yu will find the double pond nearby. Someone has placed a plank across the middle between the two ponds and there is a metal rail that has been set in the ground which makes it easier to get in to the water. Again there are no facilities whatsoever here so you must be prepared to change in the open.

Landmannalaugar

Near the start of the famous Laugavegur hiking trail in Landmannalaugar in the central highlands, there is a large natural geothermal bathing pool. Facilities such as changing rooms and showers have been built alongside the pool, as this is a much used area and campsite. Given how incredible the scenery is around Landmannalaugar, with its rhyolite mountains, it makes for a pretty special place to take a warm dip.

Reykjadalur hot river

One of the strangest geothermal experiences in Iceland is to bathe in a hot river! Reykjadalur Valley is an active geothermal area and is famous for its hot spring river. There are dozens of hot springs in the hills, the water from which trickles into one body, which is also fed with glacier and rainwater. The mixture of hot and cold water that feeds into the Reykjadalsá river creates the perfect temperature for bathing. You have to work for your hot river experience though, as it is quite a hike uphill from the car park before you get to the geothermal area. It´s easy to know when you´ve got there as once you see the plumes of steam ahead of you, you will notice a long area of wooden decking along the bank of the river which signals the bathing area. The best spots for bathing in the river do vary by the time of year. The wooden decking where people keep their belongings and get changed, generally marks the stretch of river suitable for bathing, but it´s worth trying out different sections to get the optimum temperature. The river is very shallow, but when you come across a little rock wall, you can often find a pocket of warm water of comfortable depth just waiting to be enjoyed. The higher upriver you go, the warmer it gets but do take care - in these upper sections of the Reykjadalur Hot Springs, the hot and cold water don’t always mix as seamlessly as the lower section of the river. There are spots too hot to withstand for an extended period of time, and occasionally waves of cold water will sweep through for a split second. This is because up in this section there are actual hot springs in the river itself so check the temperature carefully before getting in. Full blog post is available here Hot river bathing!

Public Swimming Pools

“The Finns have their saunas, the British have their pubs, the French have their cafes. We Icelanders have our swimming pools.”

Thus reads the description of ‘Sundlaugasögur’ (‘Swimming Pool Stories’) a documentary released a couple of years ago by Icelandic film director Jón Karl Helgason. Swimming pools have a defining social significance for Icelanders. In an attempt to research the topic deeper, Helgason took an adventure around the country, visiting swimming pools from Reykjavik to the Westfjords to the eastern coast. “I think I went four or five times around the country,” Jón says.

Here the swimming pool is first and foremost a communal space. “The swimming pool is your second home,” Helgason says. “You are brought up in the swimming pool.” There may be only 160, or so, swimming pools in the entire country, but every one of them is the essential social hub of a community, large or small, and given that according to Google there are only 76 municipalities in all of Iceland, and only 50 of these have more than 300 inhabitants, you begin to see the importance of the pool to locals.

The swimming pool is a public utility — as critical as the grocery store or the bank. “The British go to the pub, the French go to the cafes — in our culture, you meet in the swimming pool,” says Helgason. Swimmers come from all walks of life, from farmers to artists to clergymen to celebrities. “You can have 10, 15, 20, 30 people in the pool — they’re talking about politics and about their lives.”

*Sundhöllin pool and hot tub - a favourite place to hang out and chat*

Indeed, in our travels around Iceland I have on more than one occasion come across settlements of homes in the middle of nowhere that have no shop, no bar or restaurant, often not even a cafe but there, in the centre, will be a public pool with a slide for the kids, steam rooms and several hot tubs. Apparently, only around 2% of the swimming pools in Iceland are heated using electricity — the rest use geothermal water, thanks to the abundance of geothermal energy caused by the volcanic landscape.

A year or so ago I started swimming regularly in my local pool in central Reykjavík. Sundhöllin Public Baths, the oldest in Reykjavík, opened in 1937, seven years before the modern Icelandic republic came into being. A lovely art deco building created by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson who designed the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church just a few metres away, Sundhöllin has both an indoor and an outdoor heated pool, a cold plunge pool, several hot tubs of various sizes and temperatures, a sauna and a steam room. The water is always gloriously warm, so outdoor swimming is a year-round pleasure – there´s something bizarre about swimming lengths with the snow falling and not being cold!

*Sundhöllin´s outdoor pool early on a winter morning*

I now try to go to the pool most days before work. I turn up at 6.30am when the pool opens and there are always a dozen or so people waiting for the door to be unlocked. I´ve got to know many of them, some of whom go, as I do, for some serious lane swimming, but some for the hot tubs and the company. In Iceland the pools are free once you are over 67 so the pool becomes even more of a social hub. Having said that, swimming is one of the cheapest things you can do in Iceland. Normal adult entry is only a few pounds but if you get a yearly or a six month pass it becomes ridiculously cheap. I worked out that if I were to swim every day on a six month pass it would cost me 27p a time – it´s no wonder that everyone goes to the pool!

Of course, there are pools and pools and some of them are pretty special. Many of them are geared for families with slides and chutes, along with multiple hot tubs and even sunbeds for the odd occasions when it is warm in Iceland! However, so far, the loveliest swimming pool we have found is the pool in Hofsós right on the north coast. Set on the edge of the cliffs, with views out to the fjord and ocean beyond it really is a special place to go swimming. We have maybe just been lucky with when we have been there but we have never found it crowded (I cannot imagine why!) and have even had the whole place to ourselves early on a Sunday morning. A public pool with a difference, it is well worth a visit.