The land of fire and ice should actually be called “the land of fire and ice and water.” Don’t get me wrong. Iceland is beautiful, and its natural beauty of volcanoes and glaciers — the “fire and ice” — should not be missed.
But in between the tour of the Golden Circle (more on this later), trying to see the Northern Lights (we did!) and a visit to one of Iceland’s mammoth glaciers, you should not miss the other love of Icelanders: pools — lap-swimming pools, recreational pools or the relaxing outdoor hot tubs known as “hot pots.”
Not only do pools give tourists a good workout, a nice warmup after being out in the cold, or a muscle relaxer after a ride on the Icelandic horses, but they also offer a chance to meet Icelanders in a natural, friendly setting.
And there are plenty of pools to choose from. Reykjavik offers 16 public swimming pools, nearly all outdoors. And they come complete with hot pots, which are heated to about 104 fahrenheit.
We twice visited the Laugardalslaug pool (about $3), about 1.5 miles from the city center. It is the largest pool in Iceland, and is ranked the sixth most popular attraction by Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor. The main outdoor pool is heated, 50 meters and eight lanes. It wasn’t crowded on either visit — one on a weekday evening, the other on a Sunday morning. It also has a 50-meter indoor pool, the best water slide I have ever slid down, a recreational pool for kids, a whirlpool and steambath. It also has four eight-person hot pots, with each one 2 degrees Celsius hotter than the next, up to a scorching 111F .
As we soaked, we chatted with Icelanders about geothermal heat, global warming, and how one deals with the four hours of daylight during the winter. On the day we left, two locals stepped down into our hot pot carrying a floating chess board. They sat in the tub and played chess, while others gathered around to watch.
Hot pots are becoming so popular that the bus tour we took included a relatively new stop at the lakeside Fontana Steambath, about an hour outside Reykjavik, which offers three steambaths, a sauna and several hotpots.
The most popular tour in Iceland is the Golden Circle, and it takes tourists to the geysers, the massive Gulfoss waterfall and to Pingvellir, a World Heritage site known for two things: the world’s oldest parliament — created by the Vikings — and the site of the growing rift between the two tectonic plates on which Iceland sits.
The biggest and most popular hot pot of all is the Blue Lagoon, located among the lavafields between Reykjavik and the airport. It’s essentially a gigantic hot tub that the owners have turned into a spa, with massages, facials and pots of mineral-filled mud placed around the lagoon for tourists to mask onto their faces. It’s a delightful — though crowded — excursion.
It was entertaining roaming around the giant lagoon, finding hot and cool currents, and talking to people from all over the world. The lagoon offers saunas and a hot waterfall that massages your shoulders and neck as it beats down on you. It also has a bar, cafeteria and restaurant. And visitors can book massages and other spa services for an extra fee. And the gift shop makes sure that you can take some of that silica mud mask home with you.
And yes, the lagoon is amazing shade of blue.
