 i have a bit of a paranoid question about the bubble pools / hot springs in iceland. are they all safe to go in? if a hot spring is nice and warm and seems like a great idea, is there a chance it will spontaneously heat up and cook me alive like a lobster? are there signs posted as to which hot spings are safe and so on or is it a try at your own risk kinda thing? maybe silly but better safer than sorry  thanks!
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.JPG) I think the ones which are 'volatile', are obviously so - geysers etc. There are a few, near Myvatn which once were used regularly, which have got hotter than they were - but over years. I managed to get in one for a very hot dip, but my companions found it too hot. Another cooler in the caves near there was supposed to have a bug in it and not recommended by the guide books anymore. There are still ropes for access though - didn't stop me - fun swimming alone undergound in warm water  There were sometimes signs where we went (5 years ago) - but not always.
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I heard of someone jumping into a pool and being boiled to death. I can't remember which one. Best to check with your elbow first! One place (Hverddageddi? )I went to you could choose any temperature you liked, simply by dipping into the stream closer or further from the hot springs: superb.
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do u know what temperature would be comfortable? obviously below 80 degrees but wondering if even 50 degrees is ok?
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 .....is there a chance it will spontaneously heat up and cook me alive like a lobster? ..... Wasn't that in an opening scene from 'Supervolcano', a drama/documentary type film about the eruption of Yellowstone?
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it was also in a flick called DANTES PEAK where 2 teenagers boiled like lobsters. needless to say my GF thinks that is gonna happen to us and i will hear about it everytime i mention we should dip into a bubble pool over the next 6 weeks in iceland. awesome
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 body temperature - 37C - is considered warm. above this it tends towards hot.
at 50C you're probably ok but getting a bit close to scalding.
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 Here in Japan hotspring ideal temperatures seem to be between 42C and 45C. For me the lower end is comfortable, and the upper end just bearable. Even at the lower end, prolonged bathing at these temperatures can cause heat stroke so a few minutes at a time is recommended. These temperatures are for typical 'onsen' i.e. paying spas. Natural hot spring have a much greater variance in typical temperature, but I have never heard of a hotspring which varies quickly - usually its more of a seasonal thing, if even that. Of more concern may be natural minerals dissolved in the water. These vary depending on the local geology, and in some cases the spring can be quite caustic or even radioactive. For the Japanese this actually seems to add to the attraction - they have even evented 'electric' baths, which run current through the bath water in order to stimulate the occupant. I have never tried one but apparently they have enough current to make bathing something of an endurance challenge.
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There are a few, near Myvatn which once were used regularly, which have got hotter than they were - but over years. I managed to get in one for a very hot dip, but my companions found it too hot.
I pretty sure the one I was in was quoted as 50 degrees in the travel literature - just bearable for a short time (took me a couple of minutes to get in it - like a hot hot hot bath), but it was signposted as too hot to be safe for human use..... All the others we encountered were a fair bit cooler and much more fun.(e.g. Hveravellir)
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There are several that are tourist attractions, the Blue Lagoon being one. It can get crowded depending on when you go but is definately worth doing . Personally i'd stick with those since you know they are safe to use. Wouldn't want to be miles from anywhere with severe burns.
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well just came back from 4 weeks of biking round iceland and sure, there are a few hotsprings to check out but they are heavily touristed IMHO.
was looking for a little hole off the beaten path but most geothermal areas are developed into power plants or public pools.
sadly i couldn't any pools like in that iceland tourist video floating around on youtube. maybe with a car you could find one, not sure?
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