Husafell Canyon Baths

The pools sit on the floor of a canyon and are reached only with a guide. There are two hot pools and a cold one, set into the ground with rock walls close on either side. The number of bathers in a session is limited, and the canyon can be empty apart from your own group. The water is not thermostatted: one hot pool can run noticeably cooler than the other, so try both before you settle in. Amenities stop at a towel. There are no showers and no robes, but the changing rooms are heated and dry, one for men and one for women, with a toilet. The guide talks through the canyon and the surrounding land, and carries a limited selection of drinks for sale. Some tours also take in a waterfall nearby.

• Access is by tour only. A guide meets you at the hotel and drives you to the canyon; you do not turn up at the pools by yourself.
• A towel is all that is provided. There are no showers and no robes, so bring everything else you need, swimwear included.
• Around 60 steps lead down to the water. The same climb comes at the end, and the route is not step-free.
• Dress warm in winter. The path down is outdoors, and you walk it before you get into the water.
• The changing rooms are heated, one for men and one for women, with a toilet. The guide sells a limited selection of drinks.

Tours meet at the hotel and drive to the canyon, a drive of about 15 minutes. The last stretch is on foot: a path leads down into the canyon with around 60 steps to the pools, and the same steps take you back up at the end. Changing rooms and a toilet are at the bottom, next to the water, so you carry nothing further than the pools themselves.

Best: the last tour of the day. The group before you has gone, and the canyon can be yours alone for the whole session.

Avoid: arriving in winter without warm layers. The walk down is outdoors and you make it fully dressed, before any of the heat.

Each tour takes one limited group, so the difference between slots is who else is in the water rather than how many people are there.