Holiday Stress Drifts Away in Herjólfsgufan

Christmas in Hafnarfjörður

“Herjólfsgufan becomes a sanctuary for heart and body in the lead-up to Christmas. A place where the stress melts away,” says Silja Þórðardóttir, steam master and co-owner of Herjólfsgufan, who attended a steam-master course on Snæfellsnes last spring together with her mother, Lára Alda Alexandersdóttir.

Lára, who grew up in Ólafsvík, had planned to drive around her old hometown while her daughter sweated away in the sauna. Plans changed, she unexpectedly joined the course herself, and now leads weekly steam sessions in the sauna for the older age group. Lára describes the experience as invaluable.

“It nourishes us to sit with strangers and talk about anything and everything. To stand outside in our swimsuits and look out to sea.”

Strengthened bonds in the steam

The first steam session at Herjólfsgufan at Langeyrarmalir was held in late May. Silja, who has studied wellbeing sciences, is studying art and welfare at the Iceland University of the Arts, and has completed courses in positive psychology, says that all these disciplines come together in the steam.

“Connection is the common thread in all this research, and those connections deepen in the steam.” The bond between mother and daughter has grown even stronger through the Herjólfsgufa adventure.

“We are very close, my mom and I,” she says, adding that life changed when her father, Þórður, passed away thirteen years ago. Her mother later moved home after more than a decade living abroad — in Washington and Barbados. Silja says her mother has gradually found her path again, and Lára agrees.

Emotional release in the heat

“Grief processing,” says Lára. “I had pushed forward on sheer willpower, but I’ve managed to release the emotions,” she explains. She believes the steam adds something valuable to life in Hafnarfjörður. “Yes, it’s a refuge you can slip into and enjoy a good moment without much planning,” Lára says.

Silja describes the steam sessions as a sensory experience. “Yes, it feels so good to open the heart and let the tension drain away.” Lára agrees: “Yes, the steam brings you back to life. Here at Langeyrarmalir I have the sea and the people. We dip our toes in the fjord, draw energy from the seaweed, and I always look forward to it.”

Mother and daughter Lára Alda Alexandersdóttir and Silja Þórðardóttir trained together to become steam masters. They now harness this in Herjólfsgufan at Langeyrarmalir.