Hvalfjörður has a history dating back to the conquest period, and is mentioned in the ‘Book of Conquest‘ (Landnámabók). The name most likely comes from the fact that there were walruses here when the Vikings arrived.
The area experienced a tremendous rising during the Second World War, when the Allies stationed 40,000 soldiers here, and up to 200 ships filled the fjord. Code names for Hvammsvík were ‘Falcon Crest’ and ‘Falcon Beach’
In Hvalfjörður there is smoke everywhere! Hvammsvík was a hidden gem for a long time, a hot spring used only by the locals. A bath in this hot pot could be quite an interesting experience. Firstly, the landowner did not want traffic on his land, and closed off the road, it was private. But it didn’t help much, because the pool was right down on the beach, and the common law accepts walking by the sea. It was therefore ok to park the car by the highway and go down to the beach to bathe. The other exciting part was the hot pot itself. It was built up in the simplest way, and the hot water came unfiltered and unregulated into the tub via a hose. Sometimes in just perfect temperature, sometimes way too hot. Here you just had to be careful! One solution was to take the hose out of the pool during bathing, to avoid scalding.
Now everything is different! We were in Hvammsvík at the end of September -22, only two months after opening. This is great! The building is constructed in typical corrugated iron aesthetics a la WWII, but in black. The foundation is reuse of a barracks foundation built by the Allies during the Second World War. It’s rough, it’s tough and very stylish.
There are a total of 8 warm pools in Hvammsvík, of which one (the furthest one, at the top) is the old, original one. Another pool is situated just above sea and is flooded by waves and tides. It’s not hot there when the high water splashes over, but fun!
A bath or nine at Hvammsvík is just right! We assume you can guess where the ninth bath is?
After some baths, a gufubað (steam sauna) can be just right. And at Hvammsvík we found the most wonderful steam room we have ever seen. It was big. It was dark (like entering a cave). It was fresh in the air (smell of conifers). It had wooden benches. And it was very, very hot. Recommended!
And if you get hungry after the bath, they have some really good dishes to serve as well. Welcome to Hvammsvík!
