You’ve probably already heard about this place and it’s probably the one place you might think of first when you hear about Iceland. Blue Lagoon is one of the geothermal spas to find in the country, with there being a lot of them. Before I came here, I’ve been told it’s “overrated” because it attracts more tourists than you can count.
This comes down to the burning question if you are planning on visiting Iceland for your first time, “should I skip Blue Lagoon or is Blue Lagoon actually worth it?”
Although coming to this place, you will definitely see how popular it is by looking at the volume of people that are in the spa pools. Don’t let that make you feel like it is just another tourist attraction because there are some really good pros to visiting Blue Lagoon. And if you read towards the middle, you will see how I truly feel about this place!
Watch me explore this!
Coming soon on my YouTube Channel. Subscribe for now to be notified when the video is up!
It’s seawater and freshwater with a bunch of healthy minerals and more
The water from the Blue Lagoon is one of a kind that you won’t find in just any hot spring. Before I came to visit Blue Lagoon, I saw this place featured in an episode of Down to Earth with Zac Efron and hearing about the story behind why the owner created this place made me reallyyy want to one day see this.
The water is pumped from a nearby power plant called Svartsengi, which you can see when you first arrive there. Iceland is known for using geothermal power to heat the cities from their households to doing simple things like cooking too but this plant with its mineralized waters can not be used through pipes.
The geothermal plant pumps hot boiling water, mixing in seawater and freshwater with minerals and then it is released into the porous lava field. The water also creates silica that is separated once it’s cooled down and the silica is supposed to be beneficial to one’s skin because it is essential in the formation of collagen and has other benefits too. The silica also gives the water its milky blue look.
So no, the water does not come from a natural hot spring, although you can consider it like soaking in a hot spring due to the very warm nature of the water. The water is also renewed every 48 hours so Blue Lagoon can ensure to make sure its waters are clean.
There are also algaes to be found in the blue waters, which also has wonders for the skin and body.
It is named as one of the 25 Wonders of the World, according to National Geographic.
A place with this much novelty may get you to want to see it. Upon hearing about this wonderful fact, I was thrilled to know it’s a place unlike anywhere else and going there, you’ll feel amazed at the scenery around you and how the blue waters instantly calms you. If that’s not enough to put it on your bucket list, seeing Iceland as a country should be as it was for me.
So, is the Blue Lagoon worth it?
If this was what you came for in my article… to hear my answer, I have to say to soak in it… YES! My friends and I truly wanted to take our time there so we explored all the areas of the lagoon, which surprisingly is bigger than you can imagine (there are also saunas and walking bridges). We stayed there for about 5 hours. We also enjoyed a couple of drinks from the floating bar.
I have to say it was especially worth it because I swear on the results from being there days later. Not only did it relax my tensed muscles and notice it could be a great start to your Icelandic vacation where you may find yourself walking and hiking a lot in nature, but it did wonders for my skin.
In 1981, the first person to bathe in the Blue Lagoon was a psoriasis patient, Valur Margeirsson, and he noticed it helped cure his disease symptoms.
Although I do not suffer from psoriasis, I do have very dry skin. I noticed by the end of my trip, my skin was super soft, almost like baby soft. Even without putting any body lotion on it! I’ve never felt my skin this soft for many years.
If you suffer from any skin problems, GO HERE. I don’t know about any other conditions and what it can do for those, but Blue Lagoon’s minerals and algaes are something you won’t find elsewhere to help relieve your skin.
Blue Lagoon also has a shop that you can go into inside the building where you check-in and for the locker rooms. The products they sell are facial masks, lotions, soaps, hair shampoo and conditioner, and more. The geothermal spa company did indeed make its own beauty company too.
Don’t panic if you think you won’t find a store like this again if you decide not to get anything on your visit there (which I do not blame because it can be very pricey!!!) because you can find them somewhere downtown in Reykjavik, which is 30 minutes away, and even in the international airport of Keflavik, which is only 15 minutes away. You can also shop online.
Pro tips for soaking into Blue Lagoon
If you decide to give this place a go, there are some important things you should consider before going into those blue waters.
- You are advised to quickly shower and leave conditioner in your hair. Why should you do this? Because the minerals and silica can damage your hair and make it frizzy and dry!! I’d also be cautious if your hair is color-treated.
- You should tie your hair up if it’s long. I regret not doing this and I had to deal with crunchy dry hair for a while (still do). It seriously almost damaged my hair and I’m still dealing with the consequences. If the case happens where your hair still feels crunchy, frizzy, and dry, I recommend buying the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner Spray Product. It is a hair saver!!! And I say that after suffering from alopecia, which is hair loss. If you already have this, bring it to your trip and leave it in before you go into the Blue Lagoon.
- Blue Lagoon can make you very tired and too relaxed, so make sure to do it at the end of your crazy activities of the day. I would save doing this as the last thing after you had to do some intense activity like hiking or from doing work on the day of. You will want to soak in there as long as you can handle it and it’ll make you have a great sleep.
- Never go underwater. It’s advisable for any hot spring to not go under! The water is hot and can breed in bacteria regardless of what minerals are in there.
How much does it cost?
I got my ticket as part of a tour package I booked for my trip. You must reserve ahead about 3-6 months ahead because so many people are booking a stay here!
There are three tiers of Blue Lagoon packages and those are comfort, premium, and retreat spa. I got the comfort one and I have to say it was STILL worth it and still felt like a premium, unless you are willing to pay for the extra things that premium has, then go for it. The only thing my ticket came with was that I only had 1 free drink, 1 free mud mask to use (silica mud, did not have a choice from the other options), use of a towel but no robe to use.
Now, how much does it cost to go into the Blue Lagoon? Well, according to their site, these are the prices per tier:
- Comfort: $53
- Premium: $68
- Luxury/Retreat Spa: $448
Now the question is up to you, does the Blue Lagoon look worth it to you?
