If life is getting you down, look to Iceland for a solution. In their great wisdom, Icelanders have a magnificent cure-all: lay your head in water, they say. Whatever the issue, if you’re having a bad day, if you’re stressed about life, if your wife has left you or you’re confused about something, Icelanders advise you to head to your local pool and go swimming. It’s better than a therapist, it’s better than beating yourself up about it: the combination between exercise, relaxation and sinking into something natural has a powerful effect.
It’s an approach I took literally when I decided to spend a year swimming in the cold seas of Scandinavia to see if I could figure out how to lead a less stressful life. Burned out with office work, I threw myself into iceberg-filled seas in Greenland, Viking spas in Iceland and on beaches, harbours and off piers all over Norway, Denmark and Sweden. All year long, I swam with friends and strangers, with mermaids and adventurers, in cold water and in hot, and it’s been nothing short of a revelation.
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My book, The Year I Lay My Head In Water is a story of adventure and connection and it’s for anyone who feels stuck in a rut and wants to rekindle a lust for life. If it makes you want to lay your head in water too, these are my favourite Scandinavian and Nordic spots for restorative and energising dip.
Laura Hall is the author of The Year I Lay My Head In Water, published by Icon Books. She is based in Copenhagen. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.
