I love hot water and so many places have a bathing culture of some kind – from Iceland’s geothermal pools to Georgia’s sulphur baths. I thought I’d collect my experiences together to give you an idea of what hot water can look like around the world.
I’m back from Iceland and I currently have plans for twelve blog posts on the subject! Given that fitting them into my schedule means I’ll still be posting them in June, I might adjust that number as I go along but this one was in no doubt whatsoever from the moment I arrived, so let me… More A snowy morning at Hvammsvík
Today I start the semi-live Blogmas blogs! That is, today is Tuesday and I was still in Frankfurt yesterday! It’s my first solo trip to Germany – I know! – and while I feel a bit like I’ve spent a lot of it not doing much, I’ve managed to come home with plans for five… More What to do in Frankfurt: a day in Wiesbaden
Back in the summer, I had a beautiful spa evening but even while I was enjoying it, I was thinking how much more I’d enjoy it in the winter, when it was dark and cold. So I picked an evening when it would be wintery, when it wasn’t half term or Christmas or Valentine’s Day… More A winter spa evening
I’m excited about today’s post because I’m going to be ranking geothermal spas in Iceland and deciding which is the best. That’s not based on my own thoughts and feelings, it’s based on number of points scored in each category and it means I have no idea which is going to win! The contenders are… More What is the best geothermal spa in Iceland?
You know me. I’m a simple soul. I see hot water and I bathe in it. And in Iceland, hot water is abundant because it literally comes out of the ground and on this trip, I made my first visit to Krauma, a geothermal spa in the west coast region which has been on my… More Is Krauma overpriced and overrated?
If you’ve been reading the blog or following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been trying to get in touch with my inner waterbaby this summer – I’m building up my kayaking skills and confidence, in part through wild swimming, and I swim a mile twice a week in my local outdoor pool. But… More A Twilight Spa at Aqua Sana Longleat Forest
The day after the horse riding and the hike, I did the Golden Circle and made my first visit to the Secret Lagoon. It didn’t start particularly brilliantly. A lot of my stuff was wet from the previous day. My waterproof jacket fortunately dries very quickly and my coat had never got soaked so they were… More The Golden Circle and the Secret Lagoon | Iceland 2022
If you’re going to swim in a delightful outdoors naturally heated geothermal pool in Iceland, you’re going to have to face the dreaded Obligatory Naked Shower. Icelandic pool water comes straight from the ground. They don’t put chlorine in it or any other chemical disinfectant. The way Icelandic pools remain clean is to demand that… More Public nudity post-pandemic | Iceland 2022
The second* thing on my to-do list for my trip to Iceland last month was to go to the Sky Lagoon, Iceland’s newest geothermal spa and it… well, it was good enough that I went back a second time five days later. It takes a lot of what the Blue Lagoon does well and –… More Iceland’s newest spa: The Sky Lagoon | Iceland April 2022
Now we’re back on track! This is my county trip to Switzerland in 2014 and after starting in the wrong place, I’m now getting my days in the right order. Today is Wednesday and I’m going solo, off to my adopted home city of Neuchâtel and for a little spa afternoon at Yverdon-les-Bains. The story… More Switzerland 2014: My day off in Neuchâtel and Yverdon-les-Bains