I Visited Iceland’s Best New Social Wellness Spa. Here’s Why It Deserves a Spot on Your Bucket List.

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

The Nordic island nation of Iceland is best known as one of fire and ice. A dip in its naturally warm hot springs (may I suggest Hvammsvík?), coupled with a frigid yet refreshing windchill, served as a friendly reminder of the title during my first visit to the country last spring. Nestled somewhere between Iceland’s scenic landscapes and Instagram-worthy Rainbow Street in its crown-jewel capital of Reykjavík is another gem: the Spa at the Reykjavík Edition.

Inside the city’s first five-star hotel, the spa also serves as Reykjavík’s first-ever proper hammam or bathhouse, encouraging a social wellness ethos that cements it as a must-visit destination. Upon simply entering the serenely lit spa, I immediately felt more relaxed, and after changing into a fluffy robe with matching slippers, it was almost too easy to completely unwind.

In addition to the hammam, the Edition spa also includes three treatment rooms for massages and facials, along with a steam room, sauna, and built-in plunge pool. As a guest of the hotel, I received the Edition Signature Massage, which features a Swedish technique using a blend of oils with the hotel’s signature black tea Le Labo fragrance, which also scents many of the common areas in the building.

After my massage, I had the option to relax in the stylish lounge area, which is basically an interior designer’s dream come true. It features a set of plush white couches, along with an elongated wooden bar that serves healthy snacks and smoothies by day, and champagne and cocktails by night.

“A spa and wellness facility with a bar is something we haven’t really seen before,” Edition Hotels creative director Ian Schrager tells Bazaar. “Going down there and socializing and drinking, and then getting into the thermal waters, is a response to being in Iceland. And combining this in a tasteful and elegant way underpins what the Edition brand is about.”

Some of the most memorable moments from my visit to the Reykjavík Edition were when I could put the nation’s Norse runes and Viking-inspired beauty philosophies into practice. To fully immerse myself in Icelandic culture, I participated in a hammam bath ceremony at the spa led by Dagný Berglind Gísladóttir and Eva Dögg Rúnarsdóttir, co-founders and CEOs of Icelandic wellness company RVK Ritual.

We started with a soothing meditation session, followed by the Icelandic practice of alternating between extreme hot and cold temperatures on the face and body. Starting in the spa’s dry sauna with self-massage, the co-founders used a combination of the scent of local herbs, seaweed, and music to ground ceremony attendees in the calmness of nature. And to further stimulate our lymphatic systems, we cooled off with a number of icy rinses between sauna trips, along with cubes of loose ice and frozen grapes. We ended the ritual with a face mask and sound bath in the hammam, which concluded with a few taps of a gong. Although participating in the ceremony wasn’t particularly easy, I did leave feeling more physically and mentally invigorated than when I entered, once my body finally adjusted to the intense temperature changes.

For those who’ve never visited Iceland, before, exploring a few of the buzziest lagoons in the area is one of the fastest and most enjoyable ways to get acquainted with the country. But for a more intimate wellness experience that lets you bypass the crowds while personalizing your Icelandic beauty journey, look no further than the Spa at the Reykjavík Edition. Depending on when you visit, you may even be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights from the hotel rooftop, like I did.

Treatments at the Spa at the Reykjavík Edition start at $108 USD, and are available to book here.

You Might Also Like

• 4 Investment-Worthy Skincare Finds From Sephora

• The 17 Best Retinol Creams Worth Adding to Your Skin Care Routine