This is a funny story. I had never heard before about the public swimming pools in Iceland. I imagined them all as the Blue Lagoon, and someone had told me that the sulfur in this pool was so strong, you had to go in naked. So, I only took my towel with me. So naive. Of course, you don’t go in naked. But you need to follow some protocols to go inside the pools.

Arriving at the facilities, you will need to buy the ticket. Most of the public pools have an entrance fee that costs around 1000 ISK (8 euros approximately.) for adults, and most of the children enter for free. To get discounts, you can get the swimming card that each facility provides or you can also use the Reykjavík Welcome Card that includes unlimited visits to the pools.

When you enter, there are lockers for both men and women in each changing room. Here, you can pick your locker to store your personal belongings. Before going inside the pools, you will need to wash thoroughly. Here is where you go naked in front of others. It is okay. You will get used to seeing others, mainly because no one is watching or staring at you. Think about this as something completely natural.

After showering, you will put your bathing suit on and ready to go out to the pools. You can prepare to feel the cold breeze. Don´t worry. You will not freeze out, but to make sure you know this in advance. The temperatures in the pools can differ from 28 degrees to 45 degrees. Some people even choose the small cold pools that are between 5 and 8 degrees. I think you might need to be very brave to get into these. Most of them also include dry saunas, steam rooms, and cold water showers.

We visited two pools in Reykjavík. One was Sundhöllin í Reykjavík and the other one Laugardalslaug. Both of them were nice, and are two of the most visited in Reykjavík. After finishing in the pools, you will for sure feel relaxed, but full of energy. Swimming pools are an essential thing in Icelandic culture, so there must be respect upon everything, for the people and the rules.