Going to the Pool, Iceland Style

When in Rome, right?  Today's adventures included a visit to the Akuyeri Community Pool.  Our airBnB owner says it's what every Icelander does regularly.  So we put on our suits and flip flops, grabbed some towels, and headed on down the road...but that's not what the locals do....

Step 1, pay for admission, and get a locker
Step 2, get naked (fully naked)
Step 3, shower and make sure your dirty areas are not dirty (see diagram below)
Step 4, put on bathing suit (which, in theory, could be dirty as all get out)
Step 5, go swim
Step 6+, reverse the order. 

Part of the departure process included sticking your wet bathing suit in this marvelous machine that somehow vaporizes all of the water from your bathing suit.  Shove your wadded up drenched suit in this wall hung cylinder, hold down the lid, listen for the vibration to stop, open lid, and presto, dry suit in 20 seconds.  Fascinating!

As for the swimming, it's a year round thing for these folks, so the water is quite warm and there were many different pool options - kind of like the non waterslide area of a water park in the states.  Two of the pools were particularly intriguing to me, the 50 °C (122°F) pool, and the 5°C tub (yeah, that's cold).  Again, when in Rome... I started in the hot pool, and holy moly, that's hot.  I sat there in the pool (10ft diameter thing) and just stared at the locals, who said nothing - An odd silence really.  A dozen people just suffering together.  But after a while, I think your body just gives up and you sort of don't notice it.

Now for the cold tub.  This tub is decidedly smaller, only room for two people to submerse themselves with just their heads popping out.  I patiently waited my turn as a younger fella, who has been sitting in there for an astonishing 30 minutes, emerges as though he got out of a pool at the Bellagio without a care in the world.  Perhaps I was still cooking from the hot tub, but when I got in to my ice bath, I had some kind of protective heat shield going.  Didn't notice it much... for about 5 seconds, then the chill set in.  Holy moly, that's cold.  I turned to my tub mate, a law student in the local university, and he chuckled, and said, "if you start getting cold, just stick your fingers out of the water.". I tried, he lied.  Still crazy cold.  But then, as I carried on my conversation, the insane cold subsided in favor of a mild irritation.  After about 3 mins of becoming a popsicle, it's back to 50C pool to cook yourself again.

Now that is a really weird sensation, somewhat the reverse of before.  There is a cold shield and you don't feel the heat.  Then there is a curious tingling all over your skin, and it feels like all your cells start racing inwards to your torso, being replaced by the heat.  Fascinating.  I can see why the locals like to do it, and if we had these pools at home, I would probably make a habit of it as well.