Congratulations, you just booked a long-awaited trip to Iceland, and now it’s time to fill up your itinerary with once in a lifetime activities that can only be found in the land of fire and ice. One of the first things that comes to your mind when you think of Iceland is probably the Blue Lagoon, as it is arguably the most iconic and well-known site in this country. I had the pleasure of visiting Iceland in November 2022, and our very first stop after our red-eye flight from the US was to the Blue Lagoon (yes, before we even had a chance to go back to our hotel or get some breakfast!). While the Blue Lagoon is an incredible phenomena and a bucketlist destination for many, it is also highly touristy and if you’re anything like me, you tend to be wary of whether such well-known activities will truly live up to the hype. I’m here to give you my honest experience and review of the Blue Lagoon and whether or not you should invest in it or skip it on your trip to Iceland. Read on for Blue Lagoon Iceland experience and whether or not I think it was worth it!
Booking our tickets and checking in to the Blue Lagoon
I booked the Blue Lagoon as part of a package through Iceland Air which included airfare, hotel, and other activities, so I’m not sure exactly how much it cost for us, but I do know that a standard ticket to the Blue Lagoon typically starts at around $53. (If you’d like to find out how I booked this package, check out this post!) Because I booked the lagoon as part of a package, I didn’t have a say in my itinerary, which is why we had to go straight from the red-eye flight to the lagoon (I never would have chosen this myself!) Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, we were pretty exhausted from traveling all night, and sadly were not at our best for this activity, but we were still just so excited to be there that it gave us a pep in our steps and we had a good attitude despite our fatigue. We grabbed a quick bite and a coffee when we landed at the airport, and then a tour bus picked us up and off we went to the lagoon! It was about a 30 minute drive from the airport to the lagoon.
Upon our arrival to the Blue Lagoon, we encountered the only truly negative aspect of the activity. The bus dropped us off with our luggage, and we got stuck waiting in a long line outside to drop off our luggage and redeem our vouchers. Keep in mind, it was freezing out, rainy, and super windy, so this was a very unpleasant experience and not the best impression for us to kick off our trip to Iceland nor this famous landmark destination.
When we finally got through the treacherous line, it was luckily all uphill from there. We dropped off our luggage in lockers and were then escorted along a beautiful pathway to the blue lagoon lobby and cafe. We were given robes and slippers and then went to our respective locker rooms, where we were instructed to shower and change into our swimsuits. I did so as quickly as possible as I couldn’t wait to dive into the beautiful pool of warm water that I had been fantasizing about for years.
My Experience at Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
I rushed through my shower and dashed outside. There it was in the flesh– the iconic Blue Lagoon! I stripped off my warm robe and made a run for the water– remember, it was freezing out, and I was not about to linger outside wearing just a swimsuit! My husband, being a guy and much faster than me, was of course already in the water and had a big grin on his face as he welcomed me into the lagoon with him. I plunged into the water ungracefully– who could care about being graceful at a moment as exciting as this?!
I felt instant relief that the water was truly the perfect temperature. I refer to it as “bath tub” temperature– warm enough to be perfectly comfortable, but cool enough that you could stay in it for hours without overheating. Not only was the temperature incredible, but the depth was idyllic as well. The Blue Lagoon is deep enough that your whole body can stay submerged, but shallow enough to stand and to never have to swim or tread water, making it a family friendly activity suitable for all swimming levels. In fact, the deepest point in the blue lagoon is only 4.7 feet. I was also pleasantly surprised that the lagoon was much larger than I had expected it to be.
Luckily, the weather had improved since our dismal arrival– the rain subsided and we got to witness a truly epic sunrise over the water. God was really blessing us that morning, because we were even fortunate enough to see a beautiful rainbow come out. My husband and I swam around the entire lagoon, taking it all in and pinching ourselves in disbelief that we were really there. As I mentioned in this blogpost, our trip to Iceland was fairly spontaneous, which made it even more surreal when we essentially found ourselves floating along the iconic Blue Lagoon! I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and even had a moment where I asked my husband why we were so lucky to be able to experience these luxuries at such a young age. I felt humbled and undeserving, and realized that I was living out a dream that I hadn’t ever really thought was possible for myself. I’ll never forget that moment of complete awe and appreciation for the world around me and the blessed life I’ve been given. Even though we were sleep-deprived, the relaxing nature of the Blue Lagoon provided a great outlet for us to decompress from the long travel day. I found myself floating and silently taking it all in with my eyes closed and thinking that I had never felt so relaxed and content in my entire life! It was a really special and romantic outing and I was so grateful to be able to create such a magical memory with my wonderful husband.
We spent around 3 hours totally floating around the lagoon, and for the first hour or so we did not bring our phones with us as I wanted to be fully present for this once in a lifetime experience. I remember being disappointed looking around and seeing 9 out of 10 people carrying their phones and gopros and documenting the entire thing. While I understand the desire to capture such an activity– I eventually got my phone out and did the same thing– I couldn’t help but feel like they were robbing themselves of the full experience. I think there can and should be a great balance between being fully present and getting pics for the gram, but it really seemed like most of the visitors spent the whole time holding their phones above the water and posing. I was so glad I spent that full first hour completely device free so that I could swim about freely and just focus on taking it all in with my husband.
What’s included with a Blue Lagoon ticket
Also included with a standard Blue Lagoon ticket is a free mud mask and a drink. We swam to the bar in the middle of the lagoon, where we had mud masks applied. It was a silly and fun touch that added to the uniqueness of the experience. Admittedly, I wished I had had my phone for this moment, but this occurred during my phone-free hour, so I never got photos of this! We then floated over to the bar, but since it was still morning and we felt like we were doing such a holistic activity, we weren’t in the mood for alcohol, so we opted for some fresh juice which was the perfect healthy pick-me-up after our long travel day.
After about three hours of exploring the lagoon, we noticed that the facilities included a sauna and a steam room. We had been so preoccupied with the lagoon that we had overlooked these features. But of course upon making this discovery, we were eager to mix things up so we spent some time sweating out our travel exhaustion in the sauna, which was honestly such a great way to decompress from traveling and is a travel hack I would definitely like to do again!
Wrapping up our time at Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
Despite all the fun we were having, our exhaustion and hunger really started kicking in at this point and the thought of a warm, cozy bed waiting for us was sounding more and more appealing, so we decided to call it a day. We would have loved to have spent a bit more time at the lagoon, but like I said, our itinerary wasn’t ideal so we had to just work with what we were given. We felt like we had experienced all of what the lagoon had to offer, so we didn’t feel too bad about leaving early. We returned to the locker rooms and got dressed, and were relieved when we came out and saw that there was a shuttle already there waiting to take us to our hotel.
We checked into our hotel, made our way to our room in an exhausted daze, and proceeded to take the deepest, most satisfying nap of our lives. We woke up ready for dinner, recharged and excited to kick off the rest of our epic trip in Iceland.
Back at our hotel- nice and cozy!
Warning about your hair and Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
*One important thing to note that I WISH someone had told me– do NOT put your hair in the lagoon! The lagoon contains high levels of silica, which truly does a number on your hair, transforming it to a stiff, dry, difficult to manage mess! I was horrified when I woke up from my nap and saw the state of my mane, and I of course did a quick internet search to figure out what the heck was going on. I was relieved to learn that silica does not damage your hair but it does change it temporarily, and my hair didn’t go back to normal for at least a week. This is why my hair looked so bizarre in all of our Iceland pictures, but it also added some nice volume and texture so there were times where I actually kind of enjoyed this unexpected effect! But please, learn from my mistake and resist the temptation to put your head under the water in the Blue Lagoon!
So, is the Blue Lagoon Iceland experience worth it?
While the Blue Lagoon is in fact a touristy, crowded, and somewhat costly activity, I think it is a rite of passage in Iceland and is such a bucket list destination that I couldn’t have imagined missing out on this experience. That being said, Iceland is full of natural hot springs that are not only free but also completely uncrowded if you are willing to go off the beaten path, so this is most likely what I will opt for if I am lucky enough to visit Iceland again. So overall, the Blue Lagoon was definitely a highlight of our Iceland vacation that I am very grateful for, but I’m content with letting this activity be a one-and-done.
I hope this provides valuable insight into the Blue Lagoon experience and helps you decide whether to add it to your Iceland itinerary! Whether or not you opt to visit the Blue Lagoon on your Iceland travels, you should definitely include soaking in geothermal pools or visiting a geothermal spa on your Iceland itinerary. Let me know in the comments if you have ever been and what your opinion on it was. As always, thanks for reading and I will see you guys in the next post! If you’d like to read more about our trip to Iceland, check out this post!
Xoxo,
Jensen