We woke up early to get to our Blue Lagoon reservation at 7am. We were told it’s a good idea to book the Blue Lagoon in advance, and since it is an all-day experience, we chose the earliest time in order to avoid crowds (there were a few others that had the same idea as us). It is worth noting that as we were leaving around 1pm, the place was swamped…lines and tour busses galore, so our early reservation was a good move.
We got the “comfort” package (there is also the more inclusive “premium” package), which included a towel, locker, soap/shampoo, conditioner, unlimited silica mud masks in the pool area, and one complementary drink. Like all pools in Iceland, it is mandatory for everyone to shower before going into the pool. Now that I think about it, I haven’t read any signs that say it’s mandatory to shower after, though it’s always a good idea to… The blue lagoon says they replace the natural water, which comes from up to 2,000ft below the ground from the neighboring geothermal power operation, every 40 hours! Albeit short, the walk from the locker room to the lagoon was a chilly one. Once my feet hit the lagoon, life was great.
The lagoon itself is quite large, with different sections to explore! We were one of the first people in the pools so we went around to explore the cave section, note where the silica, algae, and lava masks were offered, and admire the personal in-water massage area. After floating around the lagoon, we decided it was time for our silica mud mask.
Science review: Silica is a form of silicon+oxygen. Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth. It’s also in water, in plants, in other animals, and in our bodies as the third most abundant trace element. Most natural rocks have upwards of 50% silica content, and on the skin, silicon supposedly promotes “collagen synthesis and activation of hydroxylating enzymes, improving skin strength and elasticity.” (Thanks for the science facts Joey!)
Real review: We were told to leave it on for 10 minutes, let it dry, and wash it off. Let me just say, this stuff did wonders for our skin! We did a couple masks throughout the day, one of which we did our shoulders and back and the feeling of our skin afterwards was amazing, and the feeling lasted days!
The Blue Lagoon is about 20 minutes from Keflavík Airport (which is the major airport in Iceland…not Reykjavík), so it made the most sense for us to go there right after our incoming flight or right before our outgoing flight. We thought about how nice a Blue Lagoon trip would be upon arrival in Iceland, but it turned out that spending our last day at this relaxation oasis was exactly what we needed after a week along the Ring Road. We drove about 2,000 miles all around Iceland (props to Joey for doing ALL of the driving), so it was a well-deserved pampering session!
Below is our exact route around the Ring Road (with a couple of detours). Our in-car WiFi GPS gave us this awesome map!
We had to return our campervan back to Happy Campers by 2pm, so we couldn’t spend the whole day at the lagoon, though we easily could have. The Happy Camper storefront is actually right in between the Blue Lagoon and Keflavík Airport (closer to Keflavík Airport), which is a major reason why we chose them…initially…now we have 10+ reasons for choosing them! Look out for our next post about our Happy Camper experience!