How have I never written this before? Laugardalslaug, the big public pool in Reykjavik, the best swimming pool in the country, a place I make a point of visiting whenever I’m in Reykjavik and yet have never written about? Might be because you’re not allowed to take cameras in, so I have no photos. Nonetheless, it deserves a post of its own because it really is amazing.
Iceland has an abundance of hot water. Seawater slips into the cracks in the Earth, spring water pops up, and the geothermal heat from the hotspot underneath and the constructive tectonic plate boundary means it’s really hot underground. That hot water is used in a practical way, for generating electricity, for heating homes and because they can, for keeping streets and runways ice-free. But there’s plenty of it so it gets used in pools too. I’ve talked a lot about the ten geothermal pools, lagoons, spas, hot springs etc aimed at tourists (I’ve got an entire series of videos underway on the subject) but I don’t talk so much about the public swimming pools. In short, any village or settlement that’s got more than about ten inhabitants will have a swimming pool. It’s like pubs in the UK. It’s where you go to hang out. A lot of them are outdoors because when you’ve got hot water popping out of the ground, why not build your warm swimming pool outside? Obviously, when the majority of the population lives in and around Reykjavik, that means there are a lot of pools in and around the capital but there are three that are mainly going to concern tourists. The first is Sundhöllin, which is right in the heart of downtown Reykjavik, and much improved after its 2016/17 outdoors extension. That’s the one I tend to end up at because it’s very easy to get there by foot. If I’m being determined, I’ll go to Vesturbæjarlaug, which is kind of behind downtown but a bit awkward to get at because of a one-way system with the buses that means you can hop on right outside the pool but have to hop off a couple of streets away and find your own way. But if I want to spend a few hours, I’ll go to Laugardalslaug.
Laugardalslaug must be the biggest pool complex in Iceland. It has a 50m outdoor heated pool, I understand there’s an indoor 50m pool too but I’ve never seen it. There’s a play pool attached to the shallow end of the outdoor pool so you can play basketball and come down the slides and just enjoy the reasonably deep water. Opposite, there’s a social pool full of steps and rocks so that lots of people can sit comfortably in lots of places. Along the edge of the outdoor pool there are four sunken hotpots of various temperatures and at the end, a saltwater spa, which is another hotpot but this one is tiled rather than lined and there are three or so steps up to it rather than down to it – and of course, it’s salty. There’s a steam room, although again, I’ve never seen it. There’s a cold tub for quick dips between hot tubs. There’s beach volleyball, minigolf, a running track and play equipment. And how much does this cost? An adult session is 1,330kr which works out at £8.60 / €8.82 / $9.65 at time of writing. As far as I know, there’s no time limit on that, under 15s go free (15 being not actually 15 but being born before August 1st of the year you turn 15) and 16-17s are only 210kr (£1.20 / €1.39 / $1.52). Honestly, if you want to enjoy Iceland’s geothermal water but balk at the prices of the Blue and Sky Lagoons, a local pool is a great option and Laugardalslaug might be right up your street.
It’s a little awkward to get at, which is why I default to Sundhollin on quiet evenings. Laugardalslaug is out of the city centre, a 35-45 minute walk from downtown Reykjavik. However, you can jump on bus 14 (bound for Verzló) from either Lækjartorg, the square just down from Harpa, or from Hlemmur, the food court at the end of the pedestrianised shopping street) and it’ll get you there in about 10 minutes. Reykjavik’s city buses usually have an LCD display and an announcement so it’s easy enough to know when to jump off at Laugardalslaug. Coming back, you just go to the bus stop on the other side of the road and jump on the 14 bound for Grandi and get off wherever downtown you fancy. You can buy tickets on your phone, get a multi-trip pass from the supermarket or you can drop 630kr in the plastic box by the driver at the front of the bus. Ouch, last time I looked it was 450kr. That’s quite a jump. For more details, see my post “How to use public transport in Reykjavik“. If you have a car, you can put Laugardalslaug in the satnav or you can call a taxi. I opt for the bus, myself.
I’ve been there many times. It’s possibly at its best on a miserable cold day, when you don’t feel like putting on ten thousand layers and huddling up to see the scenery. I was there last February when it was snowing. It was too cold to go over to the lane pool or even over to the hot tubs, which are a little further, so I stayed in the social pool the entire evening. I was supposed to be at Laugarvatn Fontana and then looking for the Northern Lights on the way home but Reykjavik Excursions happened and as compensation for their mess-up, I got delivered to Laugardalslaug so I at least got my evening of sitting in hot water with snow swirling around me. I was also there on a baking hot bank holiday Monday in April 2022 when half of Reykjavik decided that the place they really wanted to be was sunbathing by the poolside. Yes, sunbathing in April. One man sat on the windowsill of the glass airlock between out and in and read a book while wearing shorts that he hadn’t noticed weren’t entirely doing their job, so that was nice.
I keep referring to the 50m lane pool as “heated”. If you’re expecting something like the hotpots, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s the sort of temperature your local council-run indoor pool in the UK would be, except it’s outside in Iceland. Straight from the hotpots, it’s going to feel chilly but if you think about how cold that pool would be back home and how cold this country is, you’ll soon realise that this is actually a pretty warm pool. It’s split into about seven lanes, organised by swimming speed and there’s a sign at each end to tell you which direction to swim your lengths. I’ve rarely seen it very busy, never more than three people in a single lane. People come here for the hotpots and the social pool. I like to swim a few lengths – it would be ten at home in a 25m pool but it’s awkward to do five because you keep having to get in and out of the deep end – and then jump in the hotpots.
The hotpots are labelled with their respective temperatures, by the way. From shallow end to deep end, they go 38°, 42°, 40°, 44°. I know, I’d put them in increasing temperature order myself. But you can tell which is which because the hottest ones are always and almost exclusively occupied by men with leathery-red skin so if you don’t want to boil half to death, avoid those pools.
This being a public swimming pool, certain rules exist here. First, take your shoes off outside the changing rooms and leave them in the racks.
Second, no photography at all. There’s no photography in the changing rooms in the entire country, obviously, but the ten tourist pools, lagoons, spas etc encourage pictures in the water, even going so far as to sell waterproof phone cases to facilitate this. Absolute no-no at public swimming pools. Very annoying if you’re writing a blog post about it! If you want to see what it all looks like, All Things Iceland did a special video there last summer nearly two years ago and got all the access.
Third, you are going to have to shower naked and in public here. Most of the expensive pools have private shower cubicles, or at least curtains, because they recognise that their clientele heavily features tourists from countries that don’t do public nudity. Here, you’re going to have to go for it. There’s a poster on the wall with areas marked in red and you need to wash these areas with soap before going in the pool. Many pools even have an attendant who will yell at you if you try to go in the pool without your obligatory naked shower. I know, it’s difficult but you’ll come to realise that absolutely no one is looking, this is as much a part of Icelandic life as breathing and putting on your warm hat in December. Yeah, there are a lot of flawless Nordic beauties wafting around and they have a habit of putting on their makeup before putting on their clothes. But they’re not paying any attention to you and when they’re around, neither is anyone else. Endure it for two minutes and then get dressed and scurry out to the pool. If you need it, there are private changing rooms but they’re not merely for ordinary tourists who are uncomfortable changing in public, they’re for people who might not feel welcome in the gendered changing rooms or people with disabilities or who need assistance or extra space.
Fourth, leave your towel rolled up in the rack here. You need to dry in the shower area before you can go out to the changing area and the attendant won’t love you if you drip in the changing area. That’s for changing, not for drying. Therefore, also leave anything you’ll want in the shower afterwards in your cubbyhole with your towel. The pools provide soap for washing and it’ll do for your hair but if you want your conditioner or your special shower gel, pop that in with your towel. Don’t bother taking your towel outside to the poolside. There’s not really anywhere to put it and Iceland being Iceland, there’s a good chance it’ll get rained on.
Fifth, you don’t need a coin for a locker key. I can’t remember whether you get an electronic wristband here or whether you just take the key and its elastic band from a vacant locker but either way, no coins or tokens required. I think it’s electronic. Press the doorknob, press your wristband against it and it locks. Lockers come in various sizes, so if you need a bigger one, prowl around until you find one.
I think that covers everything I could possibly tell you about Laugardalslaug. It’s a great pool, it’s an affordable way to get to experience Icelandic geothermal water and I highly recommend it.