Hot springs

There are many natural hot springs around the world. Especially in countries like Japan, Iceland and New Zealand. Here I will document my favorites.

Japan

in Japan, hot spring baths are called onsen. Try to go to one of the local (non-touristy) public onsen. They are affordable and an authentic experience. No need to stay in a fancy resort to use the onsen!

Iceland

Hidden spring behind Seljavallalaug

Update: I went again in October 2024 and the small makeshift pool was nowhere to be found. However there was a lot of water in the river so it might have been under water. I saw hot smoking water drizzling down the mountain side so the spring is definitely still there, however the pipe that I saw the first time seems to be gone. :(

Most people have heard about the Seljavallalaug pool. Its temperature is lukewarm and some people advise against swimming there because of bacteria/algae in the pool. However if you go a couple hundred meters up the river, you will find a pretty cool makeshift hot pool right next to the river where you can do cold dipping in the glacial river followed by 42C of pleasure.

GPS coordinates 🗺 63.567221, -19.606444