Iceland review - 2007, Page 14

12 ICELAND REVIEW
IN REYKJAVIK
MUD TO THE MASSES
The renowned Blue Lagoon is a freak accident. The runoff from the nearby
geo thermal power station created an azure haven of warmth, massage and
exfoli at ing silica mud in the otherwise bleak expanse of lava that makes up
much of the Reykjanes Peninsula. But successful businesses cannot rely on
luck alone, so the Blue Lagoon has teamed up with Hreyfing Fitness Club to
build the first Blue Lagoon spa that is nowhere near the actual Blue Lagoon.
Situated next to the Glaesibaer shopping center in Reykjavík, the new spa will
offer a spacious gym, a comprehensive selection of classes, hot pots, steam
rooms and a gamut of massages and beauty therapies. For the Reykjavík party
people, the complex will offer 50-minute sessions of flotation tank relaxation,
a therapy never before offered in Iceland, which is considered equal to eight
hours’ sleep. Or so enthusiasts claim. The new complex opens at the end of
December and hopes to attract a mix of locals and tourists with both monthly
and daily memberships available.
GLAESIBAER, 104 REYKJAVÍK
EIFFEL ExPATRIATE
Talk about a Renaissance era. Little France has finally arrived in Reykjavík
in the form of a traditional French bistro, authentic right down to the last
floor board. Le Rendez-vous opened on Bastille Day, or for the historically
chall enged, July 14, France’s National Day. It was former engineer Jean-
François Guy’s decades-old dream to open a bistro and less than a year
after visiting Iceland for the first time, he up and moved his family from
Paris and voilà, the doors opened.
Other than the crêpes and confit de canard, the crowning highlight on its
small but selective menu is the fois gras, handmade and specially imported
from France, and served with mango-apple flavored chutney. There is
nothing ersatz about this bistro’s intimate feel: the tables are small, the furnis hi ngs
rich and the French wine plentiful. Guy imported everything from his mother-
land, right down to the paint, the custom-made chairs and the chandelier
hanging in the sunroom dating back to 1922. The only thing that’s not
imported is a lovely date to accompany you to a suitably sophisti cated
dinner.
KLAPPARSTÍGUR 38, +354.517.0078