husavik – Darden Travels

Opened in 2018, GeoSea Is one of the northern-most geothermal baths located on the cliffs of Husavik, overlooking the Skjalfandi Bay. It was the last thing we planned before getting back on the ring road. What was the temperature? Yep, it was that cold. It was early afternoon.

While drilling for hot water in the mid-20th century, hot sea water was found. It was mineral-rich and heated from the earth’s core – unusable for heating houses. Instead of letting this hot water go to waste, a barrel was installed for the residents to enjoy the health benefits of hot seawater.

There is a long traditional of geothermal bathing in Iceland. There is where locals gather to socialize, find out what’s happening and catch up with the latest news. Every town has a pool, or it’s not considered a town. Bathing occurs year around.

But there are rules about bathing etiquette. Quite frankly, by now we’ve gotten used to it until I started sharing updates with friends in the states and remembered, oh yeah, those outside of Iceland tend to be uncomfortable with the rules. What are they?

First, prior to entering the changing area (yes, separate for men and women) shoes are removed. There are shelving units to set them on.

~Shower time! Soap and water, scrubbing your body. This is not the time for a quick rinse. Why? There are no chemicals in the geothermal waters, so a clean body is essential for sanitation. Sounds okay – right?

~These are communal showers. Time to strip, put your clothes in a locker, secured with your electronic water-proof bracelet and walk to the showers, along with anyone else in the locker area. Body scrub was provided.

~Instructional signs are posted in multiple language so no one can’t say they didn’t know or understand. BTW – it was also discussed when you checked-in for your reservation. They are serious about this.

~Dry yourself off. We needed to rent a towel for each of us and that was always an option available.

~Put on your swimsuit and you’re ready to go out to the geothermal pools. Here’s a tip I discovered. After putting your swimsuit on, get back into the showers, warm up with the heated water before heading outside.

~Go to the pool, there’s no jumping or messing around. This is a place to relax and chat with people.

Enough talk, let’s get wet.

There are a couple spots where you can see and feel the water seawater bubbling up in the pool. Not sure if you can tell, but this is another infinity pool.

The day prior we were whale-watching in the bay.

The water spills over the edge before dropping down into the bay. No lie, it was windy enough that occasionally the water was coming back into the pool!