The Blue Lagoon
Taking our first steps into the lagoon
The Blue Lagoon has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember and was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Iceland in the first place. So it’s safe to say I was a little excited when Matthew told me he was taking me there for my birthday. We were to spend the whole day there, on their premium package and the day even included a massage. I actually cannot think of many better ways to spend a birthday than that!
I don’t know why, but I had imagined that the Blue Lagoon would be somewhere up in the North of Iceland in the middle of nowhere and that it would take hours to get there…. Not a bit of it. It is only around 40 minutes from the centre of Reykjavik, in fact we had passed the road to the lagoon on our way from the airport when we arrived. I think because the pictures of it look so other-worldly I had somehow assumed it would be miles from civilisation. When Matthew told me how close it was, I have to admit I was a little worried that it would be absolutely heaving with people and, to be fair, I think there are times when it is very busy indeed. But on this occasion luck was on our side in the most unexpected way; due to Covid and the fact that travel restrictions were still in place across most countries in the world including the UK, we experienced the lagoon as very few people do; quiet, peaceful and with hardly anyone else there!
One or two people had warned me beforehand that the Blue Lagoon was overrated and there were other places that were far better - and I suppose if you have had to queue to get in, with a timed arrival slot and crowds of other people there, it will affect your impression of the place, particularly as it is not a cheap day out. But I can only speak from my own experience and I found the whole day absolutely wonderful.
The excitement begins before you even get to the lagoon itself as you can see the clouds of steam rising up from the earth from quite a distance before you arrive. And indeed it is quite other-worldly to be driving through quite a barren looking lava field, approaching the plumes of steam and then noticing little streams and pools of bright milky-blue water by the side of the road steaming gently in the sunshine. It just doesn’t quite seem real.
Natural pools by the roadside
These open out into large expanses of blue, literally at the roadside and then you see the low building that houses the Blue Lagoon itself. Modern and quite stark in appearance, it shouldn’t fit into its surroundings of rocks and lava but somehow it does. Having parked in the remarkably empty car park, we grabbed our bags and walked down a path piled high with lava rocks either side to the entrance. Once inside we were in a world of luxury as we were given our wrist bands that we could use to pay for everything we needed and big fluffy white towelling bathrobes and flip flops, as the girl at reception explained to us how to use the facilities. With private changing rooms and shower areas, as well as lockers for our belongings we were soon showered and changed and heading out of the changing rooms to an area of glass walls looking out onto the lagoon itself. There, we were able to hang up our robes by the wide ramps down into the water.
Excited to be going in!
Except it doesn’t quite look like water, and in fact doesn’t quite feel like water either. Milky in appearance and wreathed in a mist of steam, it is like something from a fantasy world and the feeling as you step into it and sink down into the warm waters is quite unlike anything else I’ve experienced. The combination of the warmth, the colour and the silkiness of the water is intoxicating. If you’ve been there you will know exactly what I mean.
If you haven’t, imagine the feeling of sinking into a warm bath to which someone has added extravagant amounts of wildly expensive silky moisturising bath creme to soften your skin as you soak. Except it’s not a bath it’s a lake… a warm, silky-soft, incredibly beautiful lake… Instead of just sitting and soaking, you can swim in it, or gently float, marvelling at the natural steam all around you, looking up at the clouds scattered across a blue sky and the water that is every bit as blue, surrounded by piles of grey-black rocks. Ever been in the bath and wished you could stretch out and float, roll over and swim and just luxuriate for hours in a bath that never gets cold….? If so, you will have a sense of what being in the Blue Lagoon is like.
Matthew enjoying the heat
The reason the water here is an opaque blue and the reason it makes your skin feel so soft is down to the geological surroundings. From thousands of feet underground, the warm waters of the lagoon are enriched with algae, silica, and minerals. These natural elements possess rejuvenating properties that heal and revitalise both skin and soul.
To say that we enjoyed the day would be a master of understatement. We swam and explored the lagoon, discovering that the temperature of the water varies depending how close you are to one of the vents from which fresh water is constantly flowing into the lagoon. So when you want the water to be a little hotter you just swim a few metres in one direction, and if you decide it’s a bit too hot for you, just move in the other direction to where the temperature is a little cooler. We had great fun exploring and finding the ‘hot spots’ and the places where the temperature was just right for us. Of course there is also fun in finding the bar, located in the lagoon itself where you can be served an ice-cold beer, wine or other drink of choice - including many fabulous smoothies and soft drinks and cold water too of course. As a decadent and luxurious birthday venue, I don’t think this could really be beaten!
And then of course there is the opportunity to cover yourself in mud!! Although ‘mud’ would be underselling the experience. We tried three different natural face masks; a lava scrub, an algae mask and a silica mask. There is a hut in the middle of the water where these are mixed up and prepared and the staff explained to us how long to leave each mask on for to get the best results. And the beauty of being in the lagoon and of these masks being made from the natural properties in the lagoon itself, is that we didn’t need to go inside to wash it off… we just let the water wash it away, leaving our skin feeling wonderfully soft. In fact, my skin felt healthier, soft and luminous for days afterwards…
View of the lagoon from inside the Lava Restaurant
We had booked lunch in the lava restaurant and were lucky enough to have one of the best placed tables by the windows overlooking the lagoon. Such a lovely view while eating a wonderful meal. I had Icelandic lamb and Matthew had Icelandic cod - and we had a complimentary glass of Prosecco too. I hadn’t expected first class cuisine as well as an amazing spa experience but that is what we got! We were even able to wander in and dine in our huge fluffy white bathrobes and flip flops! It did feel very decadent!
But the pampering didn’t end there…. Matthew had booked us a massage as part of the day so when our slot came round we made our way through the lagoon to a smaller area of the pool towards the back and cordoned off from the rest of the lagoon. We were invited in and the lovely ladies who were looking after us showed us to our floating mats… this was an experience unlike any I’ve had before; a wonderful massage whilst floating in the water surrounded by the steam and the gentle sounds of water lapping at the sides of the mat. Every now and then the masseuse would lean on the middle of the mat gently dunking it down into the water so that the silky warm water soaked the towels that were draped over us, keeping us from getting too hot or dry in the sunshine. It’s funny how warm water can feel gently cool on sun-warmed skin but it does. I’m not sure if I fell asleep - Matthew certainly did - but I certainly felt so relaxed that it took quite a while to come back to reality afterwards - the staff are clearly used to this and took us off to a little side area where they left us, after letting us know it was fine to take as long as we wanted, to come to, leave our mats and head back off into the main lagoon again. As we languorously floated in the waters, time seemed to stand still as the waters did their magic and soothed away any stress or aches or worries, leaving us feeling totally relaxed, and it was quite a surprise when we realised that if we were going to get back to Reykjavík in time for dinner at the Lobster House without rushing it was probably time to head out, shower and get dressed again.
I’ll finish with a couple of relatively little known facts about the lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon is not a natural phenomenon. While Iceland is full of natural hot springs, the Blue Lagoon isn’t actually one of them. It was man-made using the natural elements that occurred in the area and was formed as a byproduct of the nearby geothermal power plant. Originally, the water was expected to seep into the lava rocks and disappear, but sedimentation of the lava rocks made them watertight, so the water settled on top of the rocks, creating pools of milky blue water in the neighbouring, natural lava field. During the 1980s Icelanders took advantage of these warm water pools and began bathing in the water and they discovered how soft the mineral enriched water made their skin feel and how relaxing the experience was. They also discovered its healing properties for people suffering from psoriasis and the rest is history. The Blue Lagoon, a perfect combination of man made technology and completely natural mineral enriched warm water and volcanic lava, was first opened in 1999. Within just three years of being opened, National Geographic named the Blue Lagoon one of the 25 wonders of the modern world. In 2018 the Blue Lagoon was enlarged and grew to feature a full spa, luxury hotel and two restaurants to complement the famous therapeutic and relaxing waters. It is such an amazing place that Time Magazine listed it as one of the world’s 100 greatest places and it is now the most visited tourist attraction in Iceland.
And this leads me to the second little-known fact. We got chatting to some of the staff there and found out that elves had a large part to play in the development of the Blue Lagoon as we know it now! Icelandic folk lore is full of elves, trolls and the ‘hidden people’ and apparently even now, over half of the nation - fifty-four percent of Icelanders - either believe in them or say it’s possible they exist.
So when the builders were digging into the lava to prepare the foundations for the new wing of the Blue Lagoon, the work was beset with problems, one thing after another, according to the member of staff who was telling us the story, until the point where the machinery suddenly came to a complete stop and they could not continue. No matter what they did, they could not get anything to work and had no idea why. Eventually they had to call in a medium to find out what the issue was and they were told that the elves were upset because they hadn’t been consulted about the building works! The elves, via the medium, said they wanted to inspect the blueprints and asked that the plans be downloaded to a USB stick and put into a box in a hole in the wall. They would inspect the plans and get back to the Blue Lagoon management when they had discussed the matter. Apparently, even the prime minister of Iceland was involved and made a short speech when placing the USB stick into the hole, apologising to the elves for the discourtesy. After about a week, the medium was called back in to relay the elves’ decision. They had accepted the plans and agreed that construction could continue!! From that point on, everything worked perfectly and the construction continued unhindered. Now I don’t know how much of that story is true - although it is documented online - but what an amazing story! We even saw the hole in the lava that apparently still contains the USB stick. Nobody wants to remove it for fear of upsetting the elves again!
View of the Lava Restaurant with the hole in the lava wall containing the elves’ USB stick
This wonderful story just highlights what an amazing place Iceland is; boasting some of the most incredible and advanced technology to harness the power of the natural world and create clean, safe and efficient energy; a place where the natural world dominates and inspires; a place where elves, magic and the unknown still hold sway. And somehow, it makes the ethereal, magical feel of a place like the Blue Lagoon all the more understandable. There is something slightly otherworldly about this place, despite the fact that it was created as a by-product of technology. When we left the Lava Restaurant and returned to the warm soothing waters and watched the misty steam rising and almost obscuring the black lava rocks beyond, it was easy to imagine we were in the sanctuary of Rivendell from Tolkien’s Middle Earth, not in 21st century Iceland.
So yes, it is an - at times - extremely busy tourist resort and yes, it is expensive. But as far as I am concerned it is worth every penny and is an experience not to be missed. We didn’t want to leave and will definitely be back.
