“No visit to Iceland is complete without a stop in the Blue Lagoon.” This is the motto of geothermal spas with this poetic name. It is one of the most visited places in Iceland, thanks not only to the beautiful milky blue color and pleasant water temperature, but also to easy transport accessibility. The lagoon is located in the southwestern part of the island, less than half an hour from Keflavík Airport and a weak hour from the capital Reykjavík.
The Blue Lagoon is one of the essential places you simply have to visit in Iceland. It is located about 45 kilometers from the northernmost capital of the world, Reykjavik, in the southwestern part of Iceland. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula, near Grindavík. Keflavík International Airport is about 20 kilometers away. There is also a shuttle bus between it and the Blue Lagoon, which you can use for a fee of ISK 2750. As you approach the lagoon along the lava field, you will certainly see a huge tow of hot steam rising into the sky in the distance. You come to a geothermal area, where solfatar currents, ie a mixture of water vapor with an admixture of carbon dioxide, reach the surface through boreholes.
Blue Lagoon looks like scenery from some sci-fi movie. Clouds of steam are constantly rising from the hot water, the surrounding black lava fields look like they are from another world, and the background is the austere building of the Svartsengi geothermal power plant. Most visitors believe that the Blue Lagoon is of natural origin. But I must mislead them. Everything was built here by man. The swimming pool is an artificial tank and water is supplied to it from the power plant by a pipe. The complex was built in 1976.
Through geothermal wells, it draws hot steam from a depth of 1-2 km, which then spins the turbines of the power plant. It produces electricity, but not only that. The cooled and condensed steam then passes through a series of heat exchangers, where it still transfers its heat for the purpose of heating households in Grindavík. Water, which has such a temperature (36 ° C – 38 ° C) that it can no longer be used for energy, is the main source of healing baths.
How to get there
First you have to get to Iceland itself. The price of return tickets to Reykjavík usually starts at around 5,000 crowns. However, if you take advantage of the action of one of the low-cost airlines, you will actually get to Iceland in a nutshell. For example, such Wizz Air offers them in promotions from 1200 crowns.
Upon arrival at Keflavik International Airport, just take a bus and take you to the Blue Lagoon, 15 kilometers away, in a few minutes. If you are staying in Reykjavík and plan a trip to the Blue Lagoon, buses leave the bus station regularly every hour.
Opening hours at Blue lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is open from 9:00 to 20:00 and in certain periods even from 8:00 until midnight. When you enter the main building, you have to line up according to what tickets you have purchased, or whether you are traveling individually or as a group. In the past, it was not a problem to buy a ticket on the spot, but today you have to buy it in advance via the Internet for a specific hour when you arrive. The reason is the increasing traffic, which currently exceeds 1.3 million visitors a year. The Blue Lagoon has thus clearly become one of the most visited attractions in the whole of Iceland. No wonder, because the whole complex has appeared in recent years in several rankings as the best spa in the world.
Booking in advance is necessary in Blue lagoon
Because the interest of visitors from all over the world in the Blue Lagoon is enormous and there would be no movement in the artificial lake in a while, the number of tickets is limited every day. Therefore, it is necessary to book tickets at least 2 weeks in advance.
Admission is expensive, but it matches the services
You may feel dizzy about their price. At the beginning of this year, the management of the Blue Lagoon canceled the standard entrance fee and it is possible to buy only the so-called comfortable entrance fee, which includes an entrance fee, a towel, a face mask made of local silica mud and 1 soft drink. All this will cost you 55 euros.
Water with healing effects
Warm water reaching up to 39 ° C is rich in minerals, silica and sulfur, and swimming in the Blue Lagoon is therefore recommended not only as a relaxing affair, but also as a natural remedy for people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The lagoon even has a research center that treats these skin diseases with minerals.
Admission prices at Blue lagoon
Types of entrances to the Blue Lagoon (2022):
- Comfortable: Blue Lagoon from 46 EUR (most often 56 EUR) – the price includes: entrance, silica mask, towel and the first drink of your choice.
- Premium: Blue Lagoon from 60 EUR (most often 73 EUR) – price includes: entrance, essential mask, towel and first drink of your choice, second mask of your choice, slippers, bathrobe, table reservation in Lava Restaurant, champagne for dinner.
- Luxury: Therapeutic spa from 391 EUR (most often 633 EUR) – private part of the spa and your private changing room, unlimited access to the Blue Lagoon and its spa healing part. For more details, see: https://www.bluelagoon.com/.
Tips for visiting lagoon
- Take a shower before entering the pool: as the lagoon is also used for medical purposes, it is necessary to follow basic hygiene habits.
- Drink plenty of fluids: staying in hot water leads to dehydration, so pay attention to the drinking regime.
- Remove jewelry: mineral water can damage jewelry of all kinds, so it is better to keep them in lockers before entering the water.
- Wear sunglasses: especially on sunny days, sunlight reflects unpleasantly from the white color of the water.
- Apply hair conditioner: mineral water can dry out the hair considerably.
Best time to visit Blue lagoon
Although it is open all year round, it is generally recommended to visit the Blue Lagoon in June, when there is constant weather and sunny days. However, many tourists plan to visit in the winter, when there is nothing better than to dive into the beautiful warm water in freezing weather.
Some may be surprised by a little intrigue. Due to the high content of minerals, including sulfur, water sometimes smells somewhat unpleasant. But after a few hours of staying, you get used to it and the smell of rotten eggs seems natural to you.
Showers and locker in Blue lagoon
But now let’s go back. After locking things in the locker room, you go to the showers, where you should take a shower and then put on a swimsuit.
You will also be notified via the instructions displayed on the wall. After leaving this part, you will reach the covered part, where you will find a small buffet and access to the water. Put your towel down and put it in the water. The more hardy ones can go out into the fresh air and descend across the platform into the seemingly electrifying blue water.
The water has a temperature between 36 ° C and 39 ° C and is completely changed every two days. Due to its composition, which is rich in various minerals such as silica or sulfur, it has good effects in the treatment of various skin diseases, including eczema and psoriasis.
Definitely will benefit your skin. In one part, you will even come across a special section where you can apply gray silica mud to your face, which you leave on in this way for a maximum of ten minutes.
Is the Blue lagoon Iceland worth visiting?
I often come across the question of whether a visit to the Blue Lagoon is really worth the money and whether it is not just a tourist trap.
In Iceland, you will find a number of thermal baths, where the entrance fee is incomparably lower, and in many thermal lakes of natural origin, you can even swim completely free of charge.
Of course, admission is unchristianly expensive. It has quadrupled since the financial crisis that hit Iceland badly a few years ago. Nevertheless, it is an experience that is worth it and I can only recommend it.
