Blue Lagoon: Iceland

The Blue Lagoon is a very short trip from the airport and not far from Reykjavik. Flybus takes you to and from there, and you can typically get an open ticket (stay as long as you like and catch another bus).

The lagoon is seemingly in the middle of no where, and they have created a spa-like atmosphere to highlight the tranquility of the hot spring (while maximizing their profits).

Walking down a corridor of rocks, you can feel the anticipation of the Blue Lagoon. Then you get a brief view of the hot spring before entering the modern looking building, complete with a souvenir shop (of course).

Easily one of the best sites to see in Iceland, the lagoon boasts state of the art lockers, where you use a bracelet to lock and unlock your locker.

Like many places in Europe, you have to remove your shoes prior to entering the actual lockers, but then a sign states that “they” arenot responsible if your shoes are stolen. So I just took mine off and put them in the locker instead of on the shoe wrack.

The Blue Lagoon has a fancier restaurant, a casual dining area, and a snack bar. The snack bar is very conveniently located right next to the hot spring, and you can charge your order to your bracelet, and then pay at the front desk when you leave–very convenient to not have to carry around a wallet. There also was a bar out in the water, but this was not open in March.

The Blue Lagoon is about 4 – 4.5 feet deep in most places, going slightly higher or lower depending on where you are. Along the edges are seats made out of rock, while within the center of the spring there are various platforms that most people cozy up to and have a chat.

Many people like the spring beyond the niceness of being in a large hot tub. They say it has healing powers and makes your skin look younger. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to see people with various gels on their face, although not everyone does this.

There is a cave, a man-made waterfall, and three sauna’s at the Blue Lagoon. The waterfall feels great to stand under, allowing the water to massage your shoulders and it sits in between the saunas (which many people didn’t realize existed, so keep your eyes peeled).

There is a regular sauna, heated by throwing water on boiling stones, a steam sauna, and an Icelandic sauna. This Icelandic sauna is a cave that has a wooden floor and through the slits in the wood, steam rises from the heated water below, and creates a sauna. Mind your feet–if you’re not used to sauna’s, your feet can definitely feel the steam.

Here is a youtube video of the Blue Lagoon and some things it has to offer.

See my other posts on Iceland by checking out Reykjavik Iceland, The Blue Lagoon, The Golden Circle, The National Museum of Iceland, and Accommodations in Reykjavik (Boholt Apartments mainly).

I attended a conference called the Nordic Educational Research Association (NERA). See the Keynote Speakers or my research on Preschool Teacher Retention.