Soak in the Blue Lagoon Iceland

“I slowly acclimatised, letting the balmy water cover me like a warm blanket. Gusts of wind whipped the steam from the water into clouds. I waded over to the mask bar and slathered a spoonful of the complimentary face mask over my face. After ten minutes, I washed it off in the Blue Lagoon’s water.”

“The spa was the first stop on my 11-day vacation in Iceland and I was a little nervous. Not only would this be my first spa experience, it would also become my first solo international trip. But one of the bigger reasons for my heightened sense of anxiety? The showers. Being raised in the United States, nudity is typically confined to the privacy of your own home. This was not the common attitude at Blue Lagoon. Guests shamelessly stripped down in the locker rooms, baring it all before hopping into the showers for a mandatory rinse before hitting the lagoon. I, however, timidly removed my street clothes, rinsed, and changed into my bathing suit all within the shower stall. Having arrived at the lagoon around 9 AM it was still pitch-dark outside. Despite it being cold, windy, and rainy, there was a large group of people waiting in line. Among the shivering herd of spa-goers, I quickly hung my robe, kicked off my flip-flops and raced to the warm water.”

“Genuinely enjoyed it even though it wasn’t the Instagram experience… was actually what made it even better. Was last stop on a day tour. It was raining and winds were blowing at 40+ mph and you couldn’t see across the lagoon because of the rain, wind, and steam coming up from the water. My friend got knocked over by the wind before she got into deeper water. We laughed so hard the whole time we were there.”

“Showers are compulsory before entering the Blue Lagoon. Your entry pass will include the use of a locker so you can leave all your clothes and valuables safely tucked away. You then have to navigate that cold walk from the shower to the warm water outside wearing not much more than a towel. That refreshing Icelandic air will smack you in the face as soon as you step outside. This provides a delightful contrast as you creep into that warm water…. I enjoyed this, Anh didn’t. She doesn’t handle the cold. From there it is up to you to start exploring. There are bridges to swim under, and rocky enclaves to detour into, and steam vents spewing heated air out at a confronting rate. You can get right up close to all of this.”

“I flew in on a red eye, arrived at like 5 or 6am and caught the first shuttle to the lagoon, was relaxing in it as I saw the sun come up and got my first proper view of iceland. It was pretty cool [...] by going to the lagoon first thing in the morning, I got to shower and take my time getting freshened up for the day and felt reinvigorated for a couple of hours of sight seeing rather than walking around feeling mangy.”

“After my very first visit to the Blue Lagoon, I didn't know about this, and my hair had the feel of a haystack on my head - it was pointing in all directions and was totally unmanageable - like big time.”