Vök Baths
Floating geothermal pools set into a lake in the east of Iceland.
Wikimedia Commons
- Bathing temperature
- 40°C
- Bathing
- Outdoor
- Established
- 2019
Vök Baths opened in 2019 on Urriðavatn, a lake near Egilsstaðir whose ice-free patches first revealed geothermal activity beneath it. Two pools float on the lake surface, reached by a boardwalk, alongside land-based pools and a cold-water lake swim.
Balnevia view
Why visit
Nowhere else in Iceland can you bathe in warm water while surrounded by the lake itself — and the geothermal water here is clean enough to drink at the tap.
Recommendations
Hotels nearby
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The water
Thermal water
- Source
- Urriðavatn geothermal springs
- Mineralisation
- Geothermal water of drinking quality
- Character
- Warm springs beneath the lake keep openings in the winter ice; the water is clean enough to drink at the tap.
History
The lake's name refers to the "vök", the openings in the winter ice created by warm springs below; the baths were built to use that resource in 2019.
Practical information
Pools sit at roughly 38–41 °C. There is a cold-plunge ladder into the lake, a steam bath and a bistro; swimwear is required and showers before entry are mandatory.
Getting there
Egilsstaðir is a five-minute drive away and has an airport with flights from Reykjavík; the baths are on Route 925 by the lake.
Location
Related places
More thermal baths in Iceland
Grindavík/Iceland
Blue Lagoon
Milky, silica-rich geothermal water set in a black lava field on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Bathing temperature 38°C
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Sky Lagoon
An oceanfront geothermal lagoon on the edge of Reykjavík, with an infinity edge to the North Atlantic.
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Laugarvatn/Iceland
Laugarvatn Fontana
Geothermal steam rooms built directly over natural vents on the shore of Lake Laugarvatn, with pools opening onto the water.
Bathing temperature 40°C