Enjoying Iceland’s Toasty Sapphire: The Blue Lagoon

Last updated on February 22nd, 2022 at 11:47 am

One our first trip together as a couple, we made some pretty sketchy choices. However, planning to arrive at the Keflavik airport at a godawfully early hour, pick up a rental car, and head straight to the hot springs of Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon was absolutely NOT one of them. Seriously, there’s no better cure for jet lag than floating in a silica-rich geothermal pool 😍 But we definitely had concerns before we arrived, because we’d seen people on places like TripAdvisor complaining about what a tourist trap the Blue Lagoon “actually” is. So, here’s our take on Blue Lagoon tickets and if they’re actually worth it.

What’s so special about a hot spring? And why is the Blue Lagoon blue?

The first somewhat special thing about the Blue Lagoon is its proximity to the airport. We actually went to the spa before we drove to Reykjavik, because we’d arrived in the early morning and our AirBNB check-in time wasn’t until much later in the day. And the 20 minute drive from Keflavik through the lava fields surrounding the Blue Lagoon is startling, and indicates really quickly that this isn’t a run-of-the-mill landscape. In fact, it looks like something out of Lord of the Rings: no trees, just lava rocks covered in bright green moss as far as the eye can see.

And this isn’t just any hot spring. The spring the Blue Lagoon draws from is somewhat unique in that it’s incredibly rich in silica. This gives it its breathtaking milky blue hue, and some lovely benefits for your skin. Decades ago, it was a secret the locals treasured. Now, the site boasts a luxury hotel, an upscale restaurant, and an incredibly popular spa.

Blue Lagoon tickets: what you get for your money

Before we left the States, we booked our tickets to the Blue Lagoon. After all, we’d heard about people who had been turned away from the spa when they’d arrived as walk-ups, and we didn’t want to have that experience. (Note: in a post-COVID world, pre-booking is required!)

Happily, even though missed our pre-booked, hour-long window by almost an hour (thank you, rental car BS 😒), we were still admitted. We received colored wristbands to denote the package we’d purchased, as well as the robes and flip flops that came with the Premium package we’d chosen.

As you would expect from a luxury location, the Blue Lagoon makes sure you have access to all the amenities you might need in each locker room, from towels, to hair dryers, to heavy conditioner to protect your hair from the silica (just in case you didn’t bring your own). The facilities are very well-kept, and the locker room experience really preps you for a visit where you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth:

• Blue Lagoon offers an in-water juice, smoothie, and beer bar. The beer selection is limited to the likes of Gull (*gag*) but their skyr smoothies are really quite tasty. With certain packages, you get your first drink free, so just scan your wristband and go.
• They also offer an in-water facial bar, where you have access to an exfoliating silica mask, refined from the naturally-occurring silica onsite. If you have a mid- to upper-tier package, you can also try out their green algae mask, which is really quite nice and soothing. Each stays on for about 10-15 minutes, and then you can rinse it off in the pool.
• If you want lunch or dinner during your visit, they have a couple of small cafes and an onsite restaurant called Lava. Our package came with sparkling wine and a reservation at Lava, and we very much enjoyed the food, the wine, and the view (even if the service was a little lackluster).
  • Note: Luke could NOT stop raving about the lamb, and ordering the chocolate mousse is also not a mistake.
• The final premium service that I’m so thrilled to have been able to splurge on for us was the in-water massage. Guys. If you’ve never laid on a floating mat, been draped in a wet towel (it sounds awful, but the weight of the wet fibers is actually super soothing), and gently massaged for 30 minutes while you float, YOU ARE MISSING OUT. Once your time is up, they float you over to a little inlet where you can rest and leave the massage area at your leisure – and just about everyone I saw took as long as humanly possible to hang out.

Should you visit the Blue Lagoon? Is the Blue Lagoon a tourist trap?

Honestly, yeah… it’s a little bit of a tourist trap. Like, if you’re in the witness protection program, this is not the spot for you. If you arrive at a crowded time, prepare yourself for selfie-sticks, waterproof smartphone cases, and GoPros galore.

BUT. At the same time, it’s a posh place where visitors from all over the world have the opportunity to mingle and enjoy the 104-115 F silica-rich waters. And while there are places like the facial kiosks or the juice bar that get a bit smothery during peak times, there are still plenty of quiet corners where you can go to bob along quietly at your own pace and enjoy that excellent feeling of having a chilly face and a very warm body.

I think where people run into disappointment is when they expect the Blue Lagoon experience to be exactly like some of the influencer pics we see on Instagram. Is it possible that you can get there very early and feel like you have the place to yourself? Sure. A former coworker of mine had that exact experience pretty much by accident. But the fact of the matter is that this is a busy place with all sorts of amenities and experiences to offer, and it’s very much what you make of it.

However, if it’s really not your cup of tea, please don’t worry. In fact, Iceland is full of geothermal pools – from places like The Secret Lagoon just off the Golden Circle/Ring Road, to each town’s equivalent of the YMCA. You don’t have to look far to find a lovely, lobstery experience.

Would we visit the Blue Lagoon again?

Absolutely! You can make this stop as energetic or relaxed as you want, which is perfect for relatively quiet travelers like us. As an initial taste of what Iceland has to offer – and a way to de-stress in luxury after an overnight flight – I can’t recommend the Blue Lagoon highly enough.

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