Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.06.2018, Side 20

20 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2018
I am floating in total darkness; naked, in
a formless void where I can’t see, hear, or
feel anything. The darkness is completely
the same whether my eyes are open or
closed. I have no idea how much time
has passed, no idea even if I’m awake or
asleep, and I’ve lost all sense of my body.
I am just an undefined blob of conscious-
ness in an endless expanse of absolute
nothingness. And it’s the happiest I’ve
been in a long time.
This is part of what it’s like to use
the flotation tanks at Hydra Flotation
Spa, a newly opened flotation tank facil-
ity at an unassuming corner location
at Rauðárstígur 1, just a few seconds’
walk from Hlemmur. The business is
the brainchild of Ryan Patrekur, a man
who has spent a long time working in
the tourism industry but wanted to try
something completely new.
"I really wanted to create a real expe-
rience, an authentic experience, that's
guaranteed no matter what the day or
the weather,” he tells me. “Something
that couldn't be found anywhere else in
Iceland, but is authentic; not a plastic
prop or a video screen. Something real."
Basically for
everyone
There really isn’t one ideal
customer for these flota-
tion tanks. They are
very large — roughly
exceeding the size of a
king-sized bed — and
half-filled with Icelan-
dic water that has been
heavily saturated with
epsom salt. This provides
not only the necessary density
to float comfortably; it is also
rich in magnesium, a mineral absorbed
by the skin and in which many people are
deficient. The water is skin temperature,
rather than body temperature, which is
also important — it not only helps create
that feeling of being weightless rather
than floating on the
surface of something,
it’s also not so warm
that you become
uncomfortable.
"I've thought about
therapeutic flotation
tanks a lot over the
past few years,” Ryan
says. “It just kept
clicking. For creative
types, jet-lagged busi-
nessmen, all of my Reykjavík neighbours
who have the soul of an Icelander and
can't get out of the city but need a break
from the phones, the screens, but don't
necessarily go to a yoga salon or a crossfit
studio."
Ryan makes no medical claims about
flotation tanks, but he does recount
some customers who, having experi-
enced back pain or other joint ailments
for a long time, finally experience some
relief during their sessions.
The psychological appeal
For my part, I have no such physical
ailments, but I do often find it difficult
to relax, concentrate, and really sort my
thoughts. After the lid on the tank was
closed and the lights went off, it took
a few minutes for my mind to adjust
to the almost total absence of
sensory input. I admit, it
was a little bit scary
at first. But once I
let go, wonder-
f u l t h i n g s
happened.
T h e
brain is
a really
marve-
l o u s
thing. In the absence of sound or light,
in the absence of even most tactile input,
it wasn’t boredom that descended upon
me — it was fascination. Early child-
hood memories that I had long forgotten
came to the surface. I was able to see,
hear, even smell these
memories again. I let
a stream of conscious-
ness course through
me as I considered a
serious problem I was
having with a short
story I’m writing. I
meditated on a couple
of personal issues, and
found greater clarity
and insight than I’d
been able to get staring out the window
on the bus.
It was, in short, like taking a nine-
day vacation within the span of a little
over an hour.
The altruist
Ryan isn’t in it for the money. His moti-
vations are more altruistic, as he genu-
inely wants to help people, and continues
to find satisfaction in the results.
"My vision is to provide the exact
amount of comfort and service, both in
personality and facility, for what the area
desires,” he says. “I love seeing people
when they come out."
You can book a time at Hydra Flotation
Spa through their website, hydraflot.is,
or reach them for question through their
Facebook page, facebook.com/
hydraflot.
As you may have noticed if you’ve been
following our Meet The Smiters series,
Hannes “Wild Claws” Halldórsson—
Iceland’s number one goalkeeper—is
also a film director. Hannes is currently
in Russia, where his focus lies on prepar-
ing for Iceland’s opening game against
Argentina on Saturday—but in the seven
months before leaving, he also directed a
rousing Iceland-themed World Cup Coke
commercial that was released today.
Eiður Smári and Nelson
The ad features some locations view-
ers might be familiar with, alongside
cameos from Icelandic sportsmen and
football-related figures such as Eiður
Smári Guðjohnsen, martial artist Gunnar
Nelson, weightlifter Sara Sigmundsdót-
tir, and famously frenzied commentator
Gummi Ben.
Never feel alone
“We wanted to make an advertise-
ment that touched the people,” said
Hannes, in a statement accompanying
the video’s release. “An advertisement
that would remind everyone that we’re
on this journey together. There may be
only eleven players on the field, but we
never feel alone—we feel that all Iceland-
ers are standing behind us.”
You can watch the video itself on our
website, grapevine.is.
Into The Void: A Trip To
Hydra Flotation Spa
Trepidation leads to release
Bad Ass Goalkeeper
Directs Rousing Ad
Trepidation leads to release
Words: John Rogers Photo: Art Bicnick
Ryan and Fríða Rakel, who run the place, share a reflective moment.
“It was, in short,
like taking a
nine-day vacation
within the span
of a little over an
hour.”

Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photo:
Art Bicnick
More than just a goalkeeper