6 Great Reasons To Visit The Blue Lagoon

Geothermal spa, the northern lights, skin care benefits, great dining and more. No, this is not the new cd track list for Icelandic singer Bjork! These are a few of the reasons why people visit the Blue Lagoon more than any other tourist attraction in Iceland every year. But why is the water there so special? How does it attract more people than the whole population of Iceland each year? 
Before I answer that, there is one thing you need to know!

What is the Blue Lagoon? 

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located 30 minutes away from the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik. If I were asked to describe it I would say that it´s like an incredibly large blue-ish colored pool in the middle of a lava field with white mud on the bottom. It looks like something that people living on the moon would bathe in. Don´t believe me? Take a look at their live webcam to see for yourself. The Blue Lagoon attracts over 400 thousand visitors each year, that´s 80 thousand more than the population of Iceland. But enough of the small-talk, here is a list of what makes this place so special and keeps people coming back year after year.  

Guests putting silica mud on their faces

1. The Geothermal Spa

The number one reason visitors come to the Blue Lagoon is for the Geothermal Spa. The water in the lagoon is all geothermal water which means that it is completely natural. The lagoon is over 5000 m²  and contains more than 6 million liters of geothermal seawater (The average bathtub holds 200 liters of water). And because this is Iceland the facilities of course also include a sauna and a geothermal steam bath. 

2. Located in a Lava Field!

The location of the Blue Lagoon is in the middle of a Lava Field in southwestern Iceland. No, it couldn´t have been just next to some hotel or something, nothing is so easy when you are in Iceland. This is a big part of what makes this place so special because where else in the world can you feel so peaceful and relaxed close to active volcanoes!


3.  Skin Care Benefits

The water in the lagoon originates 2000 meters beneath the ground and on it´s way up to the surface it captures a lot of the earth´s minerals. That sounds pretty cool but what does that mean for visitors? On this long journey the water goes from being natural seawater to being awesome, mineral rich, skin care-ing seawater. The water contains silica, mineral salts and blue green algae, and it´s been researched to have great effect on psoriasis patients. So the white mud that I said was on the bottom of the lagoon is actually great for your skin, they have wooden boxes with fresh silica mud so guests can put some on their body, face or even their hair if they´re up for it.

The Blue Lagoon

4.  The Northern Lights

Sometimes known as Aurora Borealis, these lights that appear in the sky on bright winter nights are so amazing that people travel around the world just to catch a glimpse of this natural wonder. The lights aren´t always visible but on clear winter nights lucky visitors of the Blue Lagoon do witness them. If you really want to impress people with your unbelievable knowledge, tell them how they are caused. The Northern Lights are caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere.... Impressive!

5. The LAVA restaurant

So you´ve relaxed in the geothermal spa, put some silica mud all over your face, seen the northern lights and even gotten a massage, maybe even a beer at the lagoon bar. What else do you want? Well maybe some great place for dinner and since the capital is a 30 minute drive then why not stop by LAVA, The Blue Lagoon´s restaurant, and get something great to eat before you head back to your hotel in the city. The restaurant is built into a cliff so it features a natural lava wall and that´s where it gets the name “LAVA” from.

6. It´s in Iceland!

Did I mention that before? If the Blue Lagoon isn´t a good enough reason alone to visit the country then there are loads of other cool things to do and see in Iceland. The country that´s famous for Bjork, Sigurros, volcanoes, economic crisis and more has a lot to offer for tourists from all over. Reykjavik, The Glacier Lagoon, The Golden Circle, and Old Viking Food are only a handful of reasons to visit this great country in the north. 

The Northern Lights

Go to the lagoon´s official webpage for opening hours and prices.
Reykjavik Excursions also has great day trips to the Blue lagoon and many other popular attractions in Iceland.