So you want to visit a hot spring in Iceland…

One thing that Iceland is famous for is its hot springs and swimming pools. Whether they are natural or not, they are some of the best places to visit on your trip. Want to spend a lot of time and maybe some money to get a full spa experience? Visit something like the Blue Lagoon, the Myvatn Nature Baths, or the Secret Lagoon. But, if you’re looking for a quieter option and are willing to do a little more work, there are hot pots hidden all over the country.

The best way to find hot pots is by talking to locals and asking for recommendations. But if you are too nervous to do that, the internet is a great source. There are loads of blogs and articles about the best hot pots in the country, but my favorite resource has been HotPot Iceland, a website that shows the location of many of Iceland’s hot pots and pools on a map and tells you a little bit about them and how to get there.

Once you’ve found your hot pot or pool, there are some things that you have to know about visiting them.

• Showering is very important before entering a pool or hot pot. Some of the more remote hotpots or springs won’t have a shower, in which case you just go for it, but if there is any mode of washing, do it. And none of this “shower with my swimsuit on” stuff. You have to “bare” it all. You will see Icelanders really scrubbing with the soap to make sure that they are squeaky-clean for the pools. This is a really adorable video about hot pot and swimming pool etiquette.

• Take all of your jewelry off before getting in the hot water! The hot water here is almost all drawn from naturally heated springs, so if your water smells like sulfur in any way, take off any copper or sterling silver jewelry at least! If not it will get seriously tarnished.

• Make friends! These hot springs and pools are best enjoyed with friends I find. My first hotpot experience was alone, and though it was peaceful and beautiful, I had so much more fun when I met other people (Hi Rachel and Robb!).

I visited three hotpots and a swimming pool on my trip, and of all of them, I enjoyed the one at Djúpavogskörin in eastern Iceland the most. You can just put the GPS coordinates in your phone and you will get taken right there. It’s right off the ring road and you will see a little “parking lot.” Walk around the big rock sticking out of the ground and on the other side you will get to enjoy a hot pot at 42 degrees Celsius with a view of the icy Atlantic Ocean. Incredible!