I love hot pools, saunas and spas and since I’ve now tried out local bathing experiences in several countries, I thought it was time to gather them all together under the heading of Wellness, as a guide to warm lazy times.
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
I can’t believe I’ve never done this one! In January 2013, I went on one of the most expensive but also one of the most amazing and exclusive day trips I’ve ever done: a superjeep tour out to Landmannalaugar in the snow! At the time, it was either with Grayline or Reykjavik Excursions; the former… More Landmannalaugar in the snow
Part one of a new series: I know a bit about Iceland and it’s time to turn that into something useful. I’m going to start with the Blue Lagoon, since it’s Iceland’s biggest tourist attraction. First, whether you consider yourself a tourist, a traveller or something in between, and regardless of your feelings around “tourist… More The Icelandic Guidebook: The Blue Lagoon
In today’s A-Z of Iceland, we’re off to the spa. F is for Fontana. Considering its position on the edge of the Golden Circle and the fact that it’s used by tour companies on their “Northern Lights and…” nights and also the fact that it’s amazing, Laugarvatn Fontana is surprisingly little-known. It’s the smallest of… More The A-Z of Iceland: F for Fontana
All visitors to Iceland go to the Blue Lagoon. It’s amazing, entirely worth the hype and it’s now so, so expensive. I’ve been several times and I now bring you a short “how to…” blog because apparently I know the answer to a great and mythical secret: How do the lockers at the Blue Lagoon… More How do the lockers work at the Blue Lagoon?
You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve tried and failed to write this post. How hard can it be to tell you about Myvatn Nature Baths, my favourite (one of my favourite?) spa in Iceland? Myvatn Nature Baths is a geothermal spa up in the north east of Iceland. It’s a major tourist hotspot for… More I love Myvatn Nature Baths
It was the summer of 2013. I was in Iceland. I had a bus passport and a little yellow one-man tent and I was circling the Highlands, Iceland’s inhospitable Interior. I’d already lost a day by not reading the bus timetable correctly, although a day accidentally spent at Landmannalaugar is certainly not wasted. And so… More I swam in a volcano, got rescued by Odin and walked into Mordor