Day 2: Our Day Spent at the Spa

Part of our Wellness Package, as it was called, included two all day passes to the spa in Reykjavik. We agreed that we would like to try that the following day, which was Sunday. It was about a twenty minute walk from Loftleidir, located just off the major highway in a gym. 

We spent close to five hours there. It was an exquisite experience. In Iceland, everyone is required to bathe at the facility before entering bodies of water because the water is not treated with any chemicals. It's all natural so they try to keep it as clean as possible. We showered and then entered the spa. How to describe it? It was dark, providing just enough light so that no one was stumbling around but really everyone just looked like silhouettes sitting in saunas, rinsing in the Arctic waterfalls, wading in the hot tubs and meditating in what I called the Bonfire Room. That one was my favorite. 

A large fire burned and crackled away in the center of the room while red lights glowed from one corner. Otherwise it was dark. Lounge chairs were situated along all sides of the room and the faintest music suggested itself from hidden speakers throughout. It was so warm that I began to fall asleep, lying in my chair under the red lights. After awhile Wynene and I wandered around and took our time to experience everything and return to the rooms we particularly enjoyed. As much as I tried I could not handle the saunas; they were absolutely stifling to me, but Wy liked them. She also tried the Arctic water but I was too chicken to have frigid water poured on me. 

After some time passed, we decided to try to find the outdoor heated swimming pool. We found it easily enough and it was a cool experience to play in warm water while it was so terrifically cold outside. We waded and bobbed around in the shallow water. While Wynene explored the area where people were doing laps, I practiced my underwater handstands, which I probably hadn't done since swimming class in high school. Having practiced and performed a handful to my satisfaction, I went searching for Wynene. We swam a couple of laps on the Olympic side, then mosied to the hot tub. We ended the whole experience by each taking a turn going down the water slide before exiting the pool and the facility. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that day. It was calm and relaxing and sleepy and fun. 

By the way: the picture featured at the top was our Minority Report experience. When we received our locker keys and signed in, the girl at the counter had us stand before a device that somehow recorded an image of our retinas or something. That was how we were to access rooms throughout the spa. So when it was time to enter the spa section, we were required to stand before a machine that scanned our eyes. When we were recognized a woman's mechanical voice would tell us so, then the door would automatically open. As cool as it sounds, it was often annoying: you had to stand perfectly still and not too close to the machine and actually Wy was a little too short for it, so it was easier if I got us into rooms.