Rolling in the Deep: Blue Lagoon Edition

I can say with some certainty that Shaun and I generally are not spa people. For some reason (and it may be really great marketing on Iceland’s behalf), the Blue Lagoon is one of those places that I couldn’t get out of my mind and really made us want to visit Iceland. When you think of Iceland, people normally think of the Blue Lagoon and nothing else.

The whole experience was nothing like I thought it would be. To be honest, the sheer number of people going in and out of the place was astronomical. The line was long, and while not a budget experience, definitely one you should have while you are there. A towel, a robe, and a wristband were handed to us to make our way to the showers before heading into the lagoon.

I think this is when being American puts you at a disadvantage when it comes to modesty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many naked older women in one spot (or ever) than I had before. Granted, I did think that if they weren’t worried what other people thought, there is definitely no reason I should be. While I am no spring chicken, gravity has still not taken hold of very important part of my body to that extent.

So fresh and so clean (clean) I headed out to a robed Shaun and we looked out into the lagoon together.

“Well, we’ve made it.”

I was a bit concerned due to the reviews that our road trip buddy M had given having to do with the number of geriatric clients that could be found in the steamy water but looking around, I think we got the best crew out of anyone I talked to.

So here are a few things that you do need to know:

When you are driving out to the Blue Lagoon, your turn off does NOT say Blue Lagoon. It says Blaa Lonid. I swear we didn’t pass it. *cough*

The lagoon is lukewarm. You have to find the good, steamy hot spots to wade around in if you want to have a hot tub experience.

The booze is nowhere near the hot spots. But there is booze! I had no clue I would be able to enjoy my Icelandic beer while chillin’ out.

The wristband they gave you upon entry can be used to charge booze and food onto. That is kinda cool but it is very hard to keep track of how much you spend.

Going at noon makes it a bit hard to see with glare due to the sun but the truckloads of afternoon soakers start at about 1:30pm.

The clay that you put on your face is not at the bottom of the lagoon. You can find it in small boxes with what looks like spoons you used to lick cookie dough off of.

The experience of the Blue Lagoon can vary greatly depending on how much money you want to drop. They have massages. They have a cafe.

They have freeze dried algae and lava rock that you can rub on your face yourself. It made me feel fresh and my skin was tingly. It also scraped away the top layer of my skin because I went a little too aggressive with it.

The staff is really awesome and will take pictures for you while in the lagoon. I would suggest that rather than what we did – carefully balancing our camera while holding it over your head and snapping away.

Did we like it? Oh yeah.

Was it our favorite Iceland experience? Oh no.

There are so many amazing natural wonders that the Blue Lagoon, being a man-made geothermal spa (the water is piped in from the nearby geothermal plant), just doesn’t compare to the beauty of the countryside. That being said, make sure to hit it up on the way into your Iceland experience. It is a really great starting point to your Icelandic journey and it will leave you rejuvenated and tingly.

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Disclosure: We were guests of the Blue Lagoon by the awesome people over at Visit Iceland, however all opinions are our own.