Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.04.2017, Síða 50

50The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06 — 2017
The Sjávarsmiðjan seaweed bath
How to get there:
Take Route One North, turn onto
Route 60 then Route 607
Distance from
Reykjavík
222km
Bath provided by: sjavarsmidjan.is
We stayed at: Miðjanes (893-7787)
Seaweed City
A trip to the Sjávarsmiðjan baths in Reykhólar
Words & Photos: John Rogers

The crossing from the capital re-
gion to western Iceland happens
suddenly. Past the wind-whipped
Kjalarnes coastal road that winds
north from Reykjavík, Route One
traces a path northwards through
a dramatic and rapidly evolving
landscape. Conspicuous volcano
craters start to appear, surround-
ed by vast, mossy lava fields. Even-
tually, after a discreet turn onto
Route 60, the road ascends rap-
idly into the mountains, where
the earthy spring colours vanish
beneath sheets of glossy snow. To
paraphrase ‘The Wizard Of Oz’:
we’re not in Suðurland any more.
A couple of hours later, we ap-
proach our target for the day—the
tiny coastal village of Reykhólar,
population 135, located at the base
of the Westfjords. Two towering
industrial tanks appear first on
the end of the village’s peninsula,
then a church spire, like a white
scratch against the metallic blue
sea. We cruise through the town,
taking in its smallness. There’s
a diner, closed for Easter, then a
pool, and a couple of quiet resi-
dential streets laid out in a cres-
cent shape reminiscent of a Viking
rune. Past that, some old cars rust
slowly in a run-down industrial
area that’s crisscrossed by steam-
ing geothermal ditches. Other
than a couple of guys standing on
a scaffold repairing a house roof,
we don’t see another soul.
Green powder
The towers, it turns out, belong to
a seaweed processing plant that
stands next to the Norður Salt fac-
tory. After being harvested from
the shore, the ocean flora is dried
in massive quantities before being
reduced to a green powder that’s
mostly used in toiletries and cos-
metics.
It’s also used at Sjavarsmiðjan:
a low-fi seaweed spa dreamt up by
an enterprising local named Svan-
hildur and her husband Tómas.
"It was 2011 when we decided to
try this,” says Svanhildur, as she
prepares us a seaweed bath back in
the town. “We have a lot of hot wa-
ter here—it's used for the houses
and the swimming pool, but I was
thinking of using it for healthy
things. This house was built by my
husband’s father—we put these
two tubs here to test the idea."
We sink into the pleasantly hot
water, enveloped in the steam. The
seaweed powder gives the water
a silken feel, a distinctive ocean
aroma, and a deep green colour. A
pot of seaweed mud stands on the
side of the tub—we rub it into our
skin, which seems to rapidly drink
in the natural nutrients.
“When it's clear you can see the
Snæfellsjökull glacier from the
tub,” says Svanhildur. “We've had
some great responses from people
who camp here in the summer.
Next, we will get a new spa by the
seaside. We hope to start building
it next year—we're saving money,
and talking to investors.”
Farm life
Feeling refreshed and invigorated,
we head down the road to Miðjanes,
a local farm that also operates a
guesthouse. The farmer, Gústaf, is
tinkering with the lighting when
we arrive, and gives us a warm
welcome, producing some strong
coffee and biscuits. He’s owned
the farm since 2003, and started
the guesthouse in 2011. “The house
was built in the 1970s,” he says.
“I’m planning on putting in some
new wooden floors, making it a bit
nicer. More people are coming to
Reykhólar every summer.”
The guesthouse has four com-
fortable bedrooms, and a living
room with large windows that
look out across the farm and down
to the shore. By morning, the
grey clouds have cleared—in the
pink dawn sunlight, the Snæfell-
snes peninsula rears up from
Breiðafjörður, with the distinctive
peak of the Snæfellsjökull glacier
visible at its end. As I take a walk
in the brisk morning air, Gústaf
appears again, bearing a bottle
of milk. He’s been up for hours,
feeding the livestock and going
about his day. He mentions the lo-
cal hiking paths that are popular
with summer tourists, who come
in increasing numbers every year.
We cruise past the town again
as we begin the return journey.
The locals are going about their
Easter weekend, usually marked
by a hike to the summit of the
nearby mountains. Despite having
been in Reykhólar for just a day,
the slow and relaxed pace of life
seems to seep into us, and we head
home feeling rested and relaxed,
taking some of the town’s enviable
peace back with us.
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