Nothing in the world could have prepared me for the Icelandic locker rooms.
As we drove to one of the community thermal pools ready for a relaxing swim, my mom flipped through her Frommer’s book on Iceland that she had picked up at our hostel. Eventually, she stumbled upon an article and began reading to us the proper Icelandic swimming etiquette. My eyes widened in horror as she read aloud, and my palms began to sweat at the awkwardness of the whole thing. Since the pools are not very chlorinated, Icelanders are very concerned about the spreading of germs.
Four Rules for Visitors to Iceland’s Geothermal Pools
Rule one: Leave all shoes outside the locker room on the racks to keep the floors clean. In America, we tend to keep our shoes on inside locker rooms so we don’t pick up some else’s toe jam.
Rule two: Strip down to your birthday suit and stash your towel and swimsuit near the open showers.
Rule three: Shower off and wash the “specified” areas. Then, put your swimsuit on.
Rule four: After swimming, shower again. This time swimsuits are allowed while washing off.
After hearing the rules, I was less than excited to experience this firsthand.
When we walked into the locker room, I tried to stare straight ahead. It was hard to look for a locker because every time you glanced around, gaggles of naked woman would be undressing.
We eventually found a clothed lady that was friendly enough to tell us what to do. When we found a locker, we undressed and wrapped our towels around ourselves, unlike everyone else. We then made our way to the open showers. No curtains or closed stalls of any kind. But luckily, there were three stalls, sadly without curtains, that we snagged as opposed to open showering.
You could feel the Icelanders and the other Europeans, who were accustomed to this, entertainingly watching our uncomfortableness. After washing ourselves, we made a mad dash for our swimsuits and slipped them on over our wet bodies. With relief, I realized our traumatic Icelandic locker room experience was over. Until I remembered that we were going to the Blue Lagoon, another geothermal pool, the next day (Luckily, there were closed stalls at the next place).
I can sadly say, this is a horrifying memory I will carry with me to my grave. I will never get the terrifying images out of my mind that keep me tossing and turning in bed for hours.
If I ever moved to Iceland, I would never swim again.
On our last day on the way to the airport, my dad asked my mom, Riley and me, “So, what did we do in Iceland?”
“Froze our butts off and saw too many naked people!” I responded. I was truly scarred for life from the dramatic experience, in Iceland.
To read the official guidelines:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/iceland/254363
To visit geothermal pools that don’t require being naked in public, visit Hot Water Beach in New Zealand.
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One time when I was in the 8th grade I went swimming at a YMCA with 3 of my girlfriends from school. The women’s locker room had one big communal shower room with no privacy of any kind, no stalls, just out in the open.
After we finished swimming we walked back into the locker room. The first part of the locker room that you enter when you’re reentering the locker room from the pool is the big shower room, and almost as soon as you walk back into the locker room they have a bunch of hooks on a wall and a sign telling you to take off your wet swimsuit there.
Every time that I had swam there before I had gone with my mom and my older sister. My mom and sister would always take off their swimsuits and hang them on a hook and walk naked through the locker room to our lockers where we would get out our body wash and shampoo and then go shower. I would never take off my swimsuit off until after we showered, and then even at my locker I would dry off and get dressed as fast as I possibly could. It never failed to shock me that my mom and sister could shower in the nude in front of everyone else in the locker room. Although, to be fair the bigger majority of women and girls were also showering in the nude.
Anyway, back to the time that I went swimming with my 3 friends….
As soon as we walked into the locker room after swimming all 3 of my friends took off their swimsuits and hung them on hooks. I hesitated because it never occurred to me that my friends would casually strip down and walk naked through the locker room. I really did not want to get naked in front of anyone else, but I was also afraid that they would think that I was being immature if I was unwilling to be seen nude. So after a long hesitation I took off my swimsuit and hung it on a hook and we walked to our lockers and got out body wash and shampoo and headed to the showers.
After a minute or two I started to relax and I was no longer weirded out by the fact that I was naked.
A year later I started high school. I graduated in 1994. The school system had a rule that if you were on the swim teams you had to shower in the nude in the locker room before you were allowed into the pool. So if you wanted to be on the swim team, and I did want to be, you knew that you were going to have to get naked and shower with the other girls on the team.
That time that I went swimming with my friends wound up helping me to know that I could be brave and shower on the swim team. After you’ve showered and changed into and out of swimsuits in front of your teammates a number of times you no longer feel any awkwardness, so we were all very casual in the locker room. Since we were showering nude before practices and meets we got so used to it that we all just showered in the nude after swimming too.
I know that this may sound strange to you! But it’s actually pretty liberating after a while to be able to shower and change in the locker room with no embarrassment at all.
My sister and I take my little girl and my sisters 12 year old daughter swimming once a week at the same YMCA, and all 4 of us shower in the nude afterward with no embarrassment.
Kaley, thanks for reading and sharing your story! 🙂
[…] in geothermal water, then you should definitely visit Iceland’s Blue Lagoon. But be sure to read Iceland’s locker room rules […]
[…] When we first got there, I was glad that the parking lot was only half full. I liked that the facility was nicer than the kid-friendly pool we had visited the day before. I hoped that meant that there would be shower curtains in the locker room where you take the required pre-swim shower. It turns out, it did have shower doors, but that still didn’t erase the previous day’s horrifying experience (read more about the locker rooms in Delaney’s post). […]
Natalie and I just laughed and laughed at your horrifying but yet hilarious story! Thanks for the heads up. We will NOT be swimming in Iceland anytime soon–thank goodness. 🏊😜
We have just read many entries and are so enjoying the blog. Y’all are some awesome writers! We miss you terribly but are so happy to live vicariously through you!
We love you!
Thank you for reading! We miss y’all so much too. Keep us posted on the book tour, we want to follow along!
Delaney
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That…is…hilarious….
You guys be safe!
Hi Mr. Morris! Thanks for reading my post. Glad to hear from you. I miss A block math, homeschooling is NOT fun. Tell the class hello for me, thinking of you all!
Delaney
Sent from my iPad
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Haha that’s great. I felt the same way (I’m American) my first time in an Icelandic changing room, but after a few months of living here, I’m so used to it. It’s kindof free-ing. And I can always spot the American tourists (this is perfectly normal for the rest of Europe as well) as soon as they come in because of the uncomfortable glancing around to make sure they really are supposed to strip down in front of everyone. And the delightfulness of the heated pool is so worth it.
Hi Hannah. Thanks so much for commenting. It’s great to hear from an American-turned-Icelander! I was glad my daughter wrote that post because it was so funny to hear it from a 14 year old girl’s perspective. I’m also glad to know that you do eventually get used to it.
So how are you doing learning the language? Now that’s a real doozie!
Oh, that’s funny! I thought you had written it. It makes so much more sense coming from a young person! She has a very mature writing style! My parents traveled and lived around the world with my brothers and I when we were young, and it was one of the greatest influences and experiences they could have every given us. What you’re doing is amazing. I’m getting there on the language.
For my graduate studies I have intensive Old Norse/ Old Icelandic, which is very similar, especially when it comes to the grammar. That helps a lot.
Friend of your grandparents, Russ and Janet and really enjoy reading about your adventures. I laughed but Delaney I admire your courageous spirit. I don’t think I could have done it. Keep the posts coming and enjoy your adventures.
Pat
What an entertaining post! We loved reading this over breakfast in Christchurch, NZ as we head on to Rotorua, NZ this morning. Thanks for the laugh 🙂 Hope your travels are good……. The Fagans from Birmingham, AL
I enjoyed reading about your Iceland experience. I have to agree with you that swimming would no longer be a hobby of mine 🙂
Hope you are having fun!
Stephanie Holcomb
I caught myself laughing out loud as I read your post, Delaney! Glad I’m experiencing it vicariously rather than first-hand. 😉 And I loved the way you summed up your stay in Iceland: “Froze our butts of and saw too many naked people!” Classic!
Oh, the things we learn by traveling. The scarring will subside, but the memories will be forever. I hope you guys are having a blast. We miss you guys at LPM.
I would be horrified too, Delaney! (I can’t decide which post scares me more— the giant cockroaches or no shoes in the locker room!) I am, however, glad you braved the nakedness and were able to enjoy the geothermal pool! I’m enjoying reading about your journey and hearing all about your experiences. You should reread “East” while you’re in that part of the world!
Love this post Delaney! And I had NO IDEA….. About the shower thing. Glad u survived it! Keep these great stories coming. Love love reading them
We are laughing SO hard! Don’t know if we could have done it, Delaney! Don’t think we could handle those pictures in our minds! Just look at the picture of the Blue Lagoon before bed each night! Ha! Ha! You and Riley are such good writers! Keep it up! Kids are wanting to know about Harry Potter World so you will have to post about that! Have a great time!!!!!
Wow! What a memory– I am truly enjoying your adventure!! Keep it coming ..
Sanderlin Holmes