We were able to spend our 10 days in Iceland on a relatively affordable budget, scrimping and saving almost wherever we could, however, on day five of our Ring Road adventure, we simply couldn’t resist doing a little splurging.

Goðafoss

We started the morning by heading out to one of my favourite waterfalls in Iceland – Goðafoss – which translates to the Waterfall of the Gods. It obtained this name after it became the site of one of the most important events in Icelandic history.

In the year 1,000 the law speaker of the Icelandic Parliament named Thorgeir Thorkelsson had an enormous decision to make. The Icelandic Parliament was to decide whether Iceland should continue to practice Norse Paganism or convert to Christianity.

After a day and night of mediation and reflection, Thorkelsson (a Pagan) decided that the country would be better off converted to Christianity.

As a symbolic act of this conversion, he visited all the nearby Pagan churches and collected all of the Norse statues and symbols before throwing them into this waterfall. As a result, the name Goðafoss seems rather fitting.

Despite being rather busy, the appeal and beauty of Goðafoss just can’t be denied! I also couldn’t resist getting far too close to the edge… typical Elle.

Bjórböðin Spa

That afternoon was where we decided to do a little splurging.

After being cheapskates for the past five days we thought that our thriftiness deserved some rewarding, so we decided to spend the rest of the day at Bjórböðin Spa, however, Bjórböðin isn’t just any other day spa.

Upon arriving we were greeted with quite possibly the most scenic hot tubs in the world. The skies were blue, the sun was shining, the mountains looked epic and we were brought drinks whenever we liked – how indulgent is that?

After we had downed our beers, it was time to shower and head inside for our ‘treatment’.

So what treatment does Bjórböðin specialise in?…

Beer baths!

Yep, you read that correctly! At this spa you can spend 45 minutes soaking in a bathtub full of beer – it is supposed to be good for your skin, but honestly, I more wanted to do it for the novelty!

Also, during your bath, there is a separate keg next to you, and you can drink as much beer as you like.

The beer bath is quite pricey at 7,900 ISK ($94 AUD) but considering that a single pint of beer in Iceland can cost as much as $15, it seemed like an appropriate cost.

This fee also gives you access to the sauna and steam room.

Two of us left Bjórböðin in a rather inebriated and jolly state, though one had to be the designated driver. We stayed long enough to witness a phenomenal sunset and then headed back into town to go back to our scrimping and saving ways.

Our indulgence was short, but it was so fricking wonderful.

THE LOWDOWN

Getting to Akureyri: The largest town in Northern Iceland, Akureyri is well connected via domestic flights and Route 1
Bjórböðin Spa: A single beer baths costs 7,900 ISK or the outside hot tubs can be accessed for 2,200 ISK if you aren’t down to soak in beer – click here to find out more
Car Hire: We rented a small car through Blue Car Rentals as they are competitively priced and trustworthy
Akureyri Backpackers: A bit of a party hostel, but the free welcome beer is a nice touch. Dorm beds start at around $55 AUD per night, click here for more info
Camera: Images captured with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 in conjunction with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 and M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 lenses
Remember: Bring your bathers when you come to Iceland, you’ll need them more than you think!

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