Iceland - Blue Lagoon

On our last morning in Iceland it was raining. It seemed to bring the weather cycle full circle. The trip began with snow, moved on to a nice day, then a super windy day, and ended with rain. We pressed on with our plans, anyway, and went to the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon is one of the 25 Natural Wonders of the World according to National Geographic (still searching for a good link to verify this statement, other than Blue Lagoon tourist information) and pre-booking is required.

We are not spa people. Our time in the Fontana Spa was probably enough, but as a friend pointed out, when traveling it is good to see the iconic places. Nothing in Iceland seems more iconic than the Northern Lights and the Blue Lagoon (both of which are on that list).

The shower area was a lot more private than the one we went to two days earlier. There was a fully dressed employee inside constantly reminding us not to drip water in the dry area and mopping up water that did happen to drip. No photos from the locker rooms.

We upgrade for a towel, a drink, and an extra facial for about $15. Next time I would just bring my own towel, though the drink was nice. I had a Green is Good drink with kale and veggies. Ashley had a strawberry smoothie. We both thought we made the right choice. Children are free, which is a bonus. Surprisingly we did not see oodles of children at the spa, though we did see a school group.

I think we expected the Blue Lagoon to be, well, blue. The sky was so grey, the water was more greenish than blue.

Parts of it were really hot, and parts were chilly. We did not have a thermometer with us, so I can't even guess at actual temperatures. Parts of it were so shallow we were kneeling through it to stay warm. Parts of it was so deep Don carried Ashley on his bath, and we had to float our way through it. It is really hard to tell how deep a place is when it is covered with water.

Ashley and I enjoyed swimming up to get our facials. Don gave his facial to Ashley. First we put white goop on our faces for 20 minutes. Then they gave us an anti-aging one for another 5-10 minutes that was green. Ashley was advised not to leave hers on long since she is only 13 and does not need it. When in Rome and all. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth my face felt.

Due to their policies of pre-booking, it was not at all crowded. I thought it would be a great spot for a bachelorette party. When we were leaving, we saw a bunch of guys arriving for a bachelor party. I was close.

The Blue Lagoon is undergoing construction to make the place even more posh. While we'd love to return and try the local places, this one was not our speed. I think we needed more friends to bump into to make it more fun. Sunshine instead of pelting rain would have also added to the ambiance. I think it would be really neat in the snow, though.

I loved they have the opportunity to get in the water inside, and then walk outside in the water. Beats the 6 second of screaming as you leave the toasty warm building to go out into the hot water. 

We took a couple of pictures, then put the camera away for safe keeping. Sometimes in life you have to stop and enjoy the moment and not photograph it all for later.

Inside the cozy cave

They also had a sauna and a steam bath. The steam bath had a full wall of glass so you could watch people outside. The sauna was too dry for me. I found it hard to breath in it and was amazed at the people who seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe I should have checked their pulses?

Construction cranes in the background

The swim up bar

The area between the building and the water.

This is a great stop on the way to the airport. With flights to the US happening around 5 PM spending a couple of hours relaxing before being crammed into a tin can for 6 hours is quite appealing. Next time, though, I think we'll use that time to wander around Reykjavik, maybe seeing one of the many museums. 

I'm glad we went once. It was a good use of a rainy day.