The Blue Lagoon in Iceland made headlines this week when Kacey Musgraves posted an Instagram video of her visit to the spa during a wind storm making it for a not-so relaxing day trip.
The post reminded me of my trip to the Blue Lagoon last winter. I took a trip with PhotoQuest Adventures to see the Northern Lights in Iceland in December 2022. The only thing that I wanted to add onto the pre-planned trip was a visit to The Blue Lagoon resort and spa in southwest Iceland. The spa is just a 20-minute drive from the Reykjavík airport which makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.
In 2012, National Geographic released a compilation of the “Wonders of the World,” which they aptly subtitled as “Earth’s Most Breathtaking Destinations.”
National Geographic honored 25 natural marvels, categorizing them into three distinct groups: Sky, Land, and Water. The “Sky” category showcased the splendor of California’s towering redwood trees and the majestic Mount Everest. The “Land” category recognized landmarks like Arizona’s Grand Canyon, North Africa’s Sahara Desert, and Hawaii’s volcanoes.
In the “Water” category, the Blue Lagoon earned its place among esteemed companions, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Norwegian fjords, Siberia’s Lake Baikal, and southern Africa’s Victoria Falls.
Immediately upon arriving in Iceland after an overnight flight and checking into our hotel in downtown Reykjavík we got directions to the bus that takes you out to the Blue Lagoon. It is an easy 45-minute bus ride to the spa on a luxury coach from the center of the capitol city. Upon arrival you feel like you are on another planet with the stark scenery of black volcanic rock and baby blue aquamarine pools of volcanic water.
The day at the spa was my absolute favorite part of the whole trip to Iceland and I will return. I took a friend’s advice and booked The Retreat Spa. The upgraded experience gives you five hours of access to the Retreat Spa areas that include private lagoons, relaxation rooms where you can lay down and relax by fires, a private shower and changing room along with the Blue Lagoon Ritual.
The Ritual is an exhilarating cycle of wellbeing and skincare based on Blue Lagoon’s trinity of natural wonders: silica, algae and minerals. In a spacious sanctuary of three interconnected dark candlelit chambers, you cover your body with the treasures of geothermal seawater. You can move between cold and hot waterfall showers as well to improve circulation between treatment applications.
Since I was splurging for the day I also signed up for a float therapy massage and it was hands down the best massage of my life. It is hard to explain the massage and I felt like I almost went into a trance while floating on a pad in the water getting the light massage. I literally felt like I was seeing stars at one point as I opened my eyes while floating on my back in the hot water. It was one of the most calming and stress alleviating experiences I have ever had. I highly recommend the massage experience if you visit The Blue Lagoon.
Visitors can also have a snack in the Spa restaurant during the visit with the Retreat Spa package. I stopped by the restaurant at the end of my visit for a desert to top off my day.
The normal spa day at the Blue Lagoon costs $64/person and the upgraded Retreat Spa is approximately $270/person. Prices do vary based on time of day and time of year of your visit. The spa is open from early in the morning until late at night. I went during the popular hours of 9 AM to 2 PM because it was winter time and there is only 3-4 hours of daylight.
We were lucky to have the sun come out just in time for a beautiful sunset with black lava views to end our beautiful day at the spa.
Bathing suits are required at the Blue Lagoon so make sure to pack your suit for your trip. You can rent suits onsite at check in but it is recommended to bring your own. It is also recommended that you do not get your hair wet with the mineral rich lagoon water so a bathing cap is also recommended. I did not follow this advice and my hair was submerged during my massage and it did get damaged and brittle and required hot oil treatments to repair after the visit.
You can take a little bit of the volcanic minerals home in the form of the world-famous skin care products purchases at the store in the lobby of the spa. Products can also be ordered online from the US as well if you are missing a little of the magic of your spa trip back home.
Overall we highly recommend a trip to The Blue Lagoon if you are in Iceland. The next time we visit we will be checking out the hotel and staying onsite because the only downside to our visit was that five hours wasn’t long enough.