Our last full day in Iceland and a perfect chance to treat ourselves after a long several weeks of exploring India, Germany, and Iceland by visiting Iceland’s most famous hot springs, the Blue Lagoon. Before we embarked on our journey of relaxation, we made some toast and jam with a side of cheese at our AirBnB. The breakfast was as amazingly delicious as it appears.
Getting to the Blue Lagoon
However, that’s easier said than done. We arranged for a pickup from the nearest hotel to our AirBnB which happened to be only a few blocks away. We didn’t realize we needed to be there 30 minutes before the pickup time though so we missed the first shuttle. No worries though. I stopped into a local tourist shop and the shopkeeper called them back and arranged for them to pick us up a few minutes later. Icelanders are so nice. The bus stopped by a few minutes later and we boarded. Nicole and I were the only ones aboard the bus for the first few minutes.
The bus took us as far as the bus terminal on the outskirts of Reykjavik where we transferred to another bus that would take us the remaining 40 minutes out to the lagoon.
What is the Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is a man made thermal bath near the Keflavik airport in Southern Iceland. Water is pumped deep into the Earth where it is heated by volcanic activity and then returned to the surface to generate electricity. The water is then discarded into a long extinct lava field. Decades ago, when the power plant was first built, people began swimming in the runoff from the plant. The site became a local attraction and people realized there was money to be made so the runoff was instead converted into a series of manmade outdoor baths and a spa center.
Arriving at the Blue Lagoon
We arrived at the lagoon a little after noon and checked in since I’d paid for our tickets the night before. When you check in, you’re given an armband that will open a locker for you to place your things. The armband is also used to charge everything to so you don’t need to carry your wallet around. Nicole and I split up by gender after we checked in and each went to our respective locker rooms. In the locker room you change into your bathing suit, put your clothes in a locker, and shower so as not to contaminate the water everyone is bathing in.
Nicole and I met up on the other side of the locker rooms with our bathing suits and towels. We exited a series of big glass doors and walked out into lagoon area. The lagoon wasn’t to crowded since it was still early in the day. We left our towels on hooks by the lagoon that kind of resembled where you would leave your skis or snowboard before you enter a ski lodge.
Nicole and I made our way over to the swim-up bar in the lagoon to get some drinks. We charged them to our wristbands and didn’t even have to worry about carrying money with us. Throughout the lagoon there were a few different stations with silica mud that is naturally produced by the lagoon. We put some silica mud on our faces and looked like Michael Meyers from the Halloween movies….good times.
Sandwiches and Massages
Since it was Nicole’s birthday in a few days, I booked her an in water massage. I floated around for awhile and then got a sandwich but Nicole related the details of her massage to me afterwards so I feel I can write about it with a vague amount of confidence. First you float over to a private part of the lagoon where everyone who paid for a massage gets corralled. You lay down on a lounge floatie thing and they cover you in a wet towel. For the next hour the masseuse rubs oils on you and massages you through the towel. Occasionally when you start to get cold they dunk you into the water a bit to get the towel hot again.
Dinner in Reykjavik
After my sandwich, and Nicole’s massage, we floated around a bit more then, since it was getting late, headed back to Reykjavik. We showered off, changed back into our regular clothes, and boarded the bus back into Reykjavik. Nicole fell asleep on the bus. In town, we rested up for a bit then went out to dinner. Nicole’s uncle paid for us to go out for a fancy buffet-style dinner of various seafood including more whale. I was starting to develop a taste for whale. I wondered what life would be like post Iceland, where would I get my whale fix? [divider_flat]
The dinner was fantastic. I had a little bit of everything and went back for seconds and then thirds. It was glorious.
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