Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2023, Side 20

i8 Gallerí
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
Iceland
info@i8.is
+354 551 3666
www.i8.is
19.01.23–04.03.23
Kathy Butterly
Eggert Pétursson
Reykjavík
Art Museum
One museum
Three locations
Open daily
listasafnreykjavikur.is
artmuseum.is
Hafnarhús
Tryggvagata 17
101 Reykjavík
Kjarvalsstaðir
Flókagata 24
105 Reykjavík
Ásmundarsafn
Sigtún
105 Reykjavík
Support the Grapevine!
View this QR code in your
phone camera to visit our
tour booking site
In the past few years, a particularly
entrepreneurial spirit has swept the
country, inspiring millionaires of
all stripes in the throes of religious
epiphanies to begin monetizing
Iceland’s geothermal springs into
dark castles devoted to the worship
of cosiness. Where locals and tour-
ists alike can slip out of their peas-
ant garments and into terry cloth
robes to laze around in carefully-
constructed recreations of Icelandic
nature. But with the spa label being
tacked onto everything from swanky
lagoons of the Blue, Sky and Forest
varieties, to the hot tub in some guy’s
backyard — how do we know what
to choose?
What type of spa are you look-
ing for? A posh spa? A sporty spa? A
ginger sp…this Spice Girls analogy
doesn’t really work does it?
Here’s the Grapevine’s guide to a
wet and wild ride through the best
hot water money can buy.
From splashy
community centres
to luxury retreats
Every Icelandic town with more
than a 1000 people has a munici-
pal swimming pool, complete with
jacuzzis and plastic beach loungers.
Unlike many European countries,
the Icelandic swimming pool is not
rooted in hydrotherapy as much
as it is a place to stage mandatory
swimming lessons (smart, as we’re
an island) and a warm puddle for
elderly gents to wax polemic about
“those damn clowns in Alþingi.”
The pools were never the sort of
Budapestian havens where an 18th
century Austrian poet would go to
recover from heartache and light
scurvy. No, these were and always
should be farty-water community
centres.
The international conception of
spa culture invaded Iceland’s shores
when the Blue Lagoon got upgraded
from a thinly-disguised industrial
run-off site into a tourist mecca. Of
course there were some early adopt-
ers, like the spa in the hotel formerly
known as Loftleiðir (now, Reykjavík
Natura) but, let’s not kid ourselves,
it’s the rise of the Blue Lagoon
that helped cement the Icelandic
geothermal spa as one of the first
things visitors associate with our
little homeland.
.
The best kept secret
360° Boutique
Hotel & Spa
This charming luxury lodge is at the
end of a dirt road and not visible
from any major tourist route. If that
isn’t exclusive enough, the spa does
not take walk-ins and visitors will
need to book a stay at their luxury
lodge. Thankfully, it’s a welcoming
romantic getaway, with each room
offering a clear view of the bright-
orange skies on a freezing afternoon
in southern Iceland. Add to that a
skilled chef and a pair of adorable
Icelandic sheepdogs, and it feels like
a warm hug on a winter morning.
Spa-wise, you have a choice between
an indoor pool shrouded in steam,
a provincial infinity pool extending
into a koi pond, or a pair of hot tubs
sitting atop a hill with a 360 degree
view of the rolling countryside. The
geothermal spring is naturally high
in mineral salts, which excludes
the need for chlorine, and run-off
water is channelled back into the
surrounding nature. While it may
be slightly less polished than some
of the others, it more than makes up
for it in good food, stunning views
and that aforementioned doggy duo.
HOT TIPS: Don’t miss the hot tub on
the hill, as you can lose sight of it on
a winter night. Do take advantage
of the little floaty mats, you deserve
weightlessness.
Honourable Mention:
Natura Spa
One of the first on the spa scene, but
often forgotten. This lovely blue-lit
lounge spa is located in the base-
ment of Reykjavík Natura hotel,
making it an easy-to-access treat
even for 101 rats.
To take in the nature
Hvammsvík
In a highly-contested category, the
newly-opened Hvammsvík Hot
Springs inched ahead as the front-
runner. Hvammsvík offers gorgeous
views that blend seamlessly into the
waters of Hvalfjörður and the jagged
peaks encircling it. Key features
include a hot tub on the pebbled
beach, which is nearly swallowed
by the sea at high-tide, along with
a range of other hot tubs at varying
It’s Spa O’Clock
The best places to steam, soak and shhh
Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photos: Archival
TRAVEL
20The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1— 2023