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TAKE THE WALK TORONTO sTAR

The smartest thing I did during my recent trip to Reykjavik was line up for the free two-hour walking tour....

The second smartest thing was take the advice of the amusing, informative tour guide, whose shortlist of must-dos could be boiled down to one firm, unequivocal recommendation.

Reykjavik, Iceland–The smartest thing I did during my recent trip to Reykjavik was line up for the free two-hour walking tour that sets out daily at 1 p.m. from the Tourist Information bureau near the harbour at the bottom of the main commercial street, Laugavegur.

The second smartest thing was take the advice of the amusing, informative tour guide, whose shortlist of must-dos could be boiled down to one firm, unequivocal recommendation. "Go to one of the swimming pools," he insisted. "Visiting Reykjavik and not using a swimming pool is like going to Finland without having a sauna."

In my case, no further prompting was required.

As a dedicated swimmer who uses the pool at YMCA in Toronto at least three times a week, a trip to one of Reykjavik's seven famed geothermal facilities already ranked high on my itinerary.

The experience vastly exceeded my expectations – so much so that I went to the pool every morning, sometimes for as long as two or more hours. If that seems like an awfully long time to devote to a single activity, consider that each of the facilities I visited was equipped with outdoor hot tubs and steam baths – and in at least one case, multiple hot tubs set at different temperatures (38C, 40C and 42C), some with muscle-relaxing agitation and some without.

Icelanders take their swimming seriously and have done so since the capital's oldest pool, Sundholl Reykjavikur, opened in 1937. Although the city has larger, better-equipped facilities, the 25-metre Sundholl remains the "classic," in the estimation of my knowledgeable tour guide, and its attractive interior and central location makes it an appealing and convenient destination.

By contrast, the vast aquatic facility at Laugardalslaug features two 50-metre Olympic-sized pools – one indoor and one out – a children's pool and an 86-metre water slide, along with the requisite hot tubs, steam bath and even a massage centre.

The water, heated by Iceland's vast reservoirs of underground steam, is set at a constant 29C and is purified with a combination of chlorine and salt.

Partly because of the reduced reliance on chlorine, Icelanders are sticklers for hygiene. Prior to entering the pool, all swimmers are required to take a soapy shower in the nude. "Showering naked with strangers may be a little off-putting for some visitors," advises one tourist information site (www.visitreykjavik.is), "but Icelanders take it for granted – and rest assured nobody is looking."

The entry fee includes access to a secure locker. Towels are available for a fee, but since the cost of renting a small, relatively unabsorbent towel is roughly the same as access to the pool, borrowing one from your hotel is a better option. Bathing caps are not mandatory.

Icelanders pride themselves on their society's egalitarian sensibility. The home number of the country's president, Olafur Grimsson, is listed in the Reykjavik phone book. It is at the swimming pool, however, where the politicians, leading business figures, blue-collar workers and retirees routinely rub shoulders.

In the words of one Icelandic lawyer, the swimming facilities "are to Iceland what pubs are to England: crowded places to hang out and chat with friends."

To visitors, they offer an authentic, refreshing and healthful insight into how the locals live.

Vit Wagner is an entertainment writer at the Star .
http://www.thestar.com/article/481445