Iceland Diary: The Blue Lagoon

If I had to describe the Blue Lagoon in one word, it would probably be ‘heaven.’ Soft blue water, delicate steam rising, endless hours (well, about three) of soaking, the cool breeze above the water, rocky mountains in the backdrop; I couldn’t ask for more from a place.Blue Lagoon 3

Visiting early in the day, arriving before the crowds build up too much, is ideal. We arrived as it was opening (10am September-May, 9am in summer) and the lagoon was almost empty. There was however quite a queue so I would recommend looking into booking online as you get to queue-jump – something we neglected to do.Blue Lagoon 2

Situated just under forty kilometres outside of Reykjavik and only thirteen kilometres away from Keflavík International Airport, the Blue Lagoon is easily accessible by bus. There is the option to visit en route to or from the airport, with a stop-off and onwards transfers. depending on your flights times this could be a really good idea. It didn’t quite fit in with our schedule so we chose to travel to and from Reykjavik, via bus.

We found Bustravel Iceland to be the cheapest at 300ISK return – they also offer a discount for booking online here. You are picked up directly from your hotel then dropped off at the Blue Lagoon, with the option to return on any of their later buses.Blue Lagoon 6

It is not essential to bring your own towels but as there is a charge to rent them (5EUR), if you have your own you may as well take them to avoid an unnecessary spend. Bathrobes are also available to hire for ten Euros; though they would be lovely for the walk between the changing rooms and the pool, it is a very short walk! The only thing I wish I had brought along is a pair of flip-flops for walking around in but it wasn’t a disaster without.The Blue Lagoon, Iceland

At various “stations” within the lagoon, you can find fresh silica mud to use as a face mask. We coated our faces and let it dry for about fifteen minutes. It did make our faces lovely and soft but the best part about this was probably seeing so many people in face masks (they look comical on anyone!) The water itself is rich in minerals, which give it the gorgeous light blue colour, believed to be good for skin ailments.

There is also a bar in the lagoon itself where you can get various drinks, including beer or wine, but we felt so cleansed that it would have felt wrong to have any alcohol so we went for smoothies. You are given a wristband which acts both as your locker key and also as a means to charge any extras ready to pay on the way out – this is a nice touch as it means you don’t have to worry about taking money into the water.Blue Lagoon 4

The lagoon is man-made – the water comes from the next-door power plant, Svartsengi. Calling it “run off” doesn’t sound especially glamorous, but once the geothermal water is brought up from the ground and run around the turbines it then makes its way to the lagoon. Apparently the lagoon formed unintentionally as the station operated leading people to take advantage and start to bathe in it – this turned out to be such a good idea that the lagoon became what it is today!Blue Lagoon 5

Though sometimes written off as a tourist trap or criticised for not being an entirely naturally occurring phenomenon, the Blue Lagoon is 100% worth visiting in my opinion and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything! Not cheap at 5600ISK (35EUR) per person, but unmissable.

What’s the most memorable place you’ve ever bathed?

More in my Iceland Diary:

Iceland Diary

Ways to Explore Reykjavik

Vegetarian Reykjavik

Reykjavik’s Street Art

The Golden Circle

9 thoughts on “Iceland Diary: The Blue Lagoon

  1. Rocco Brown

    Those are great photos, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Natalie Tamara Post author

      Thanks, glad you enjoyed them. And thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  2. Charlie Marchant

    It’s just so gorgeous! I went here many years ago on a geography school trip, thought it was amazing, but appreciate it as much as I would now ~ would really love to go back to Iceland!

    Reply
    1. Natalie Tamara Post author

      Ahh what a place for a school trip though! It’s always amazing going back and visiting places when you’re older – I love spotting things you remember but appreciating far more than you would have done before :)

      Reply
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