Scandinavia
– SPA Nature
Sigmar B Hauksson
ICELAND
The Scandinavian
(Nordic) countries are
  Denmark
  Finland
  Iceland
  Norway
  Sweden
Characteristics
of these countries:
  High income
  Long, average lifespan.
  Democracy
  Free or inexpensive health-care services
  Gender equality
  High level of education (education is free for the most
part).
  Beautiful and accessible nature
  Scandinavia – Sweden and Norway.
  Finland is in a unique position both historically and
culturally.
  Denmark is more closely connected with mainland
Europe than other Scandinavian countries.
  Iceland is the most unique – far away, island – small
population, enormous natural resources.
  Norway – oil producer, one of the wealthiest
countries in Europe.
  SPA culture practiced in mainland Europe does not
exist in Scandinavia. In regards to Norway and
Sweden, people maintain their health through
physical exercise, rest and relaxation in nature –
cross-country skiing, hunting & fishing, sailing,
ocean bathing and residing in holiday cottages.
  Rehabilitation is free in Scandinavia, so there is no
need to buy such services.
  Finland is similar, although there is a long SPA
tradition connected with sauna bathing.
  Denmark is the most densely populated of the
Nordic countries – it has beautiful nature,
coastlines and woodlands. The Danes are regular
visitors to other countries since distances are
short.
  Iceland is the most unique of these countries: it is
the most thinly populated country in Europe, has
enormous reserves of geothermal water, and has a
1000-year-old SPA tradition of bathing in various
types of thermal baths.
  Scandinavian SPAs are primarily built around
proximity to nature, the sea, woodlands, wellness,
relaxation and various forms of bathing. Finland
and Iceland, however, have different SPA traditions.
  There are 34 SPA hotels in Sweden, and about 12
other companies providing SPA related services.
Most are SPA centres by the sea that place
emphasis on wellness and conference
management. Quality SPA services are provided by
well-educated employees.
  Focus is on relaxation, fitness training, bathing and
massage.
  Denmark is somewhat different to other
Scandinavian countries in that it does not have the
same proximity to nature as the others.
Nevertheless, Denmark has quality SPAs, most of
which are operated in connection with hotels. A
long rehabilitation tradition exists in Denmark, and
in recent years, some of these centres have been
converted into privately operated SPAs.
  Finland’s unique position is its saunas. The
population of Finland is 5.3 million, and there are
3.2 million sauna baths. Finland has about 50 SPAs
handling 2,174,527 overnight stays for 282,303
guests.
  The Finns utilise their SPAs better than most others
in the fields of prevention and rehabilitation. It is
interesting to note that over the centuries the Finns
have developed various SPA treatments that are
unique to them.
  Nature plays an important role in Norway. It is said
that all Norwegians own as holiday cottage and
boat, go skiing, fishing and hunting, or hike up
mountains.
  SPAs are located in many hotels in Norway.
Emphasis is placed on fitness training and
wellness. Norwegian SPA tradition is built on
closeness to nature, physical training and
relaxation.
  Iceland’s uniqueness lies in its vast wilderness area,
the largest in Europe, and huge quantities of
thermal water. The population of Iceland is
330,000. About 550,000 tourists visited the
country in 2010, of which approximately 330,000
visited SPAs. There are about 140 Thermal Pools,
Baths and SPAs located throughout the island.
  Geothermal water plays a very important role in
Iceland in regards to prevention and wellness.
Schoolchildren and pensioners are admitted free to
SPA centres operated by municipalities.
  About 25.5 million people live in the Scandinavian
countries. These residents are in general well
educated, and are interested in prevention, physical
exercise and relaxation. Scandinavia, therefore, is a
very exciting market that should be easy to
approach.
  Traditional SPA treatments common in mid and
southern Europe have not made a foothold in
Scandinavia. The Scandinavian countries have
developed other methods in the fields of relaxation,
rehabilitation, prevention and physical fitness,
which overall are based on being close to and
enjoying nature. This is worth keeping in mind in
this time of pollution and stress.
Native Americans
called nature
“The Great Healer.”
Þakka ykkur fyrir!
Thank you 