Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 60

“A couple of years ago, I wanted to surprise my wife by doing
something different so I had the idea to put seaweed in our hot
tub. The next day she was asking if I had bought a new condi-
tioner, my hair was so soft,” Bogi says of realizing the benefits for
hair and skin.
SeAWeeD, PAD tHAI AND KArAoKe
Located within a short distance of the Blue Lagoon, Bogi says his
bath offers an alternative, a more personal experience. The baths
are filled with fresh seaweed every day, which he picks from the
nearby shore. Relaxing in the warm bath, Bogi explains that each
of the species used in the bath have different properties but all are
great for the skin.
This summer, he hopes to add to the spa experience by open-
ing a restaurant in a double decker bus parked on his lawn—along
with an assortment of quirky statues. “People can come for a bath
and then have some Pad Thai and sing a bit of karaoke,” he says.
While aware of the nutritional benefits, Bogi says he doesn’t
usually eat seaweed. “It’s not traditionally used in Thai cuisine and
I don’t think my wife would want to start messing with that,” he
jokes. “But, this really is a year-round veggie garden we have on
Iceland’s coastline,” Bogi adds of the potential for harvesting sea
vegetables. But, once the water is drained from the hot tub, the
seaweed goes straight on his veggie garden. “It’s a great fertilizer
and means nothing goes to waste,” he says.
uPHoLDINg trADItIoN
Although a number of small seaweed baths have popped up in
Iceland in recent years, Bogi and others are following a long-
standing—but almost forgotten—tradition. According to Eydís,
knowledge about the use of seaweed was originally brought to
Iceland from Ireland but has since been mostly lost.
Seaweed was an essential part of life even in the early days
of settlement. “Back then, seaweed could mean the difference
between life and death, both for people and animals because the
coastal habitats do not hibernate during winter,” Eydís says. Back
then, algae was used for many purposes such as for food and medi-
cine—it was vital in the prevention and cure of scurvy—but also
for animal feed, fertilizer and fuel.
PHArMACy of tHe SeA
Eydís’ love of seaweed also sees her making cosmetics. “My mom
loves to make soap, so I collect some seaweed and we add it. We
have also been testing out making skin creams and I’ve just given
birth to twins so we have been experimenting with baby cream too.
It’s safe to say we use it quite a bit!”
UNA Skincare has been producing creams on an industrial scale.
The company was born after international research on marine
ingredients led by Icelandic scientists identified regenerating proper-
ties in some species of seaweed. According to Eybjörg Einarsdóttir
at UNA, the secret to their skin creams is bladderwrack, a species
of seaweed with especially high concentrations of antioxidants as
well as free radical fighting activity. “It has five times the amount
of antioxidants of green tea,” Eybjörg says, adding that it must be
picked at certain times of the year in order to harness the highest
concentration of vitamins and minerals.
The potential for seaweed utilization outside the home is increas-
ingly being recognized with a number of companies and individuals
receiving grants to research utilization in recent years. Currently,
though, Icelandic companies have not been getting as much value
from the resource as they could have, according to Eydís. “The
Icelandic seaweed industry doesn’t get much money for it because
the seaweed have just been shipped abroad unprocessed. I think
what will happen is that in the future the Icelandic seaweed industry
will try to move up the value chain—it’s at the bottom now—and
start focusing on high value products.”
forAgINg tHe SHoreS
While Iceland’s coastline is mostly clean, Eydís advises picking in
spots outside of residential and industrial areas, where conditions are
likely to be best—at least a lot cleaner than in other countries. “The
ocean is cleaner here than in Europe and Asia where most of the
growing areas [for industrial purposes] are located,” Eydís points out.
Seaweed is relatively easy to pick, Eydís says. “None of the sea-
weeds are poisonous so unlike with mushrooms it’s not like you
will get sick or feel funny by eating any of them. But, before you
go seaweed foraging you need to know which ones you’re going
to pick and what you’re going to do with them. Then you have to
know how to identify them—and you need a tide chart as you can’t
access most of them at high tide,” she says, explaining that differ-
ent species grow at different depths, with the same species growing
together in layers.
Once you’ve returned home, the seaweed can either be cleaned
and used fresh, or dried. “If the weather is good, I just place it on
some sheets on the ground outside and let it dry in the sun. It usu-
ally takes two to three days but I take it indoors at night so it doesn’t
get moist. You can also wash it beforehand but I don’t, I like the
salty taste.” 
58 ICELAND REVIEW
INNOVATION