Iceland review - 2016, Page 67

ICELAND REVIEW 65
Three years ago, when it was only the two of us floating,
we were just nerds! All the old regulars at the swim-
ming pool said, ‘What are you doing here? This is our
place.’” Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir and her sister Jóhanna were
some of the first people in Iceland to practice floating, the act
of relaxing and meditating while weightless in water. The sis-
ters are joint owners of the organic café Systrasamlagið, which
opened in 2013 next to the Seltjarnarnes pool in the Reykjavík
capital area. Around the same time, their friend Unnur Valdís
Krisjánsdóttir came up with a design for a special cap and leg
supports to help the body stay buoyant while floating. Unnur
says growing up in a country where water is such a prominent
element gave her the inspiration for the design.
SWIMMING CULTURE
Floating has been gaining popularity in the United States in
the past few years. But whereas floating in the US usually takes
place inside a flotation tank and can be expensive, in Iceland,
geothermally heated pools are accessible to all at a low cost.
“We have these beautiful pools everywhere with hot water
and it’s so nice to go to the swimming pool and just relax, not
having to swim or do anything, just lie back and relax,” says
Jóhanna. The sisters, in tandem with Unnur and her design,
recognized the potential for bringing the phenomenon of
floating to a country with such an abundance of water. Iceland
has a swimming pool culture and floating easily fits into that
culture, Guðrún says. In 2013, they began running regular
floating sessions at pools in the Reykjavík area.
RELAXATION