Vesturbæjarlaug Pool: Results of public consultation on saunas
The city consulted with service users at Vesturbæjarlaug about the design of the new saunas that opened Dec. 2, and the results are now available.
Consultation following renovations
During renovations to the oldest section of the pool, which were done to improve accessibility and safety, an opportunity arose to design a new sauna area based on detailed feedback from users. This spring, guests were invited to submit ideas and a total of 75 suggestions were received. Following this, 618 guests answered a survey that compared four options:
- One sauna quiet, the other allowing conversation.
- One sauna with fragrance, the other without.
- One sauna for women, the other for men.
- One sauna hotter than the other.
Close results – majority favors two options
The results were very close, but a majority supported:
- One sauna being quiet while the other allows conversation.
- One sauna being hotter than the other.
Notably, the most popular option was different temperature levels (1,643 points) while the option with the fewest points was fragrance (1,456 points). Gender-specific saunas received both the most individual "best" and "worst" responses, which explains the close overall results.
The chosen design reflects these results: the quiet sauna is hotter, while conversation is allowed in the other.
Theme days may come later
Although fragrance and gender-specific saunas did not receive majority support for daily use, clear desires for variety emerged. These options have not been ruled out for the future, for example through theme days, infusions or temporary gender separation. The facility will continue to seek feedback from service users about the future of the saunas.
The new infrared sauna at Vesturbæjarlaug.