Iceland's famous lagoons are wonderful, but the country also hides some delightfully original places to bathe. If you have soaked at the headline spots and want something with a story, these unusual baths add real character to a wellness trip, and most are quieter and more personal than the big names.
A bath made of beer
In the north, near Akureyri, Bjórböðin Beer Spa lets you soak in warm tubs of young beer, water, hops and live yeast, said to be lovely for the skin, before resting in outdoor hot tubs over the fjord. It is playful and a little indulgent, a perfect change of pace from the grand lagoons and a fun stop on a northern loop.
A soak hidden in a canyon
In the west near Húsafell, the intimate Húsafell Canyon Baths hold only a handful of guests at a time. Reached on a short guided walk into a sheltered gorge, the two stone pools sit beside a stream with the highland silence all around. It is bathing as a quiet, private ceremony.
Pools that float on a lake
In the east, Vök Baths are built right out onto a cold, clear lake, with warm pools that seem to float on the surface. You can climb from the warm water straight into the bracing lake for a natural hot and cold ritual, all framed by the calm of Fljótsdalshérað. They are Iceland's only baths certified for naturally clean source water.
Warm baths above the sea
At Húsavík in the north, GeoSea fills its infinity edged pools with warm geothermal seawater, looking out over a bay where whales often pass. The mineral seawater feels different from a freshwater lagoon, and the view turns an ordinary soak into something you remember. Closer to the capital, the tidal pools of Hvammsvík shift with the sea on a quiet fjord.
The lagoons are the icons; these are the baths with a tale to tell.
How to fit them in
Most of these sit naturally along a touring route, the beer spa and sea baths on a northern loop, the canyon baths in the west, the floating pools in the east. Spread across a longer trip they give each region its own signature soak, and they pair beautifully with the better known lagoons nearby.
Something different
Add a beer bath, a canyon soak or a floating lake pool to your journey. Checkout is handled securely through Bókun.
Explore the hot springsKeep exploring with the best hot springs in Iceland, the steaming north in our geothermal guide, or the quiet side in East Iceland hot springs.