Blue Lagoon & Geothermal Spas

Blue Lagoon entry is sold as a timed slot with a package attached. The entry-level Comfort ticket covers admission, a silica mud mask, use of a towel and your first drink at the in-water bar — everything you actually need for a soak. Premium adds a second mask, a bathrobe and slippers and a restaurant table reservation, which is worth it mainly if you were planning to eat there anyway.

The other decision is transport. The lagoon sits in a lava field near Keflavík Airport, roughly 50 minutes from Reykjavík and 20 from the terminal, so tickets are usually bundled with a shuttle from the city or an airport pickup on arrival or departure day. Buying entry alone only makes sense if you have a rental car.

The Blue Lagoon is the big milky-blue one in the lava, the most polished experience and the easiest to slot around a flight. Sky Lagoon sits on the edge of Reykjavík with an ocean horizon and a seven-step ritual of saunas and cold plunges — the obvious pick if you are staying in the city without a car. The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is smaller, older and plainer, and sits on the Golden Circle route, so it usually arrives as part of a day tour rather than a trip of its own.

Newer options keep appearing — Hvammsvík on Hvalfjörður, the Forest Lagoon near Akureyri, Laugarás and the Highland Baths — and they are far quieter than the two famous ones for a similar soak.

Shower without a swimsuit before entering. That is the rule at every pool and spa in the country and staff do enforce it. Tie long hair up and use the conditioner provided generously, because the silica leaves hair stiff for days. Leave silver jewellery in the locker — the water tarnishes it.

Book ahead: entry is by timed slot and walk-ups are not accepted, and summer and holiday slots go weeks out. Because the Reykjanes peninsula has seen volcanic activity in recent years, check the lagoon’s current operating status when you book and again the day before you go.