Iceland: The Blue Lagoon Universe

Our two-week vacation in Iceland defies explanation. I cannot describe our trip and actually capture the wonder and awe I felt every day I was there. I cannot show anybody a picture and convey exactly how grand the scene actually was. It is simply something you have to experience in person to understand, but I will try to break down our trip into chunks to document our experiences and impressions. I will start with day one.

Getting There

After arriving at Keflavik airport around 8:30 a.m. and retrieving our checked luggage, we boarded a shuttle to pick up our rental car and head to the Blue Lagoon. We rented a car because we didn’t know if we’d make the connection with the Destination Blue Lagoon bus in time (airport pick up at 9 a.m. and noon). What we didn’t know is that this bus would still be boarding passengers well after 9 a.m. and was timed to coincide with incoming flights. FYI…taxis are incredibly expensive even for the short distance between the airport and the Blue Lagoon so we got a rental car.

The Blue Lagoon is a large geothermal spa set among lava fields. The silica in the water imparts a milky blue color, and the floor of the lagoon consists of silica mud. While there are many natural geothermal lagoons or “hot pots” as the Icelanders call them throughout Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is man-made, and its waters come from a nearby geothermal plant. You’ve probably seen lots of photos of people soaking in the Blue Lagoon. It remains a popular spot for short excursions or layovers in Iceland, and buses run between the airport and Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon, the Retreat Spa, Silica Hotel, Lava Restaurant, and Moss Restaurant form the Blue Lagoon universe or so I later discovered while looking at our hotel room phone.

While planning our trip, we decided we’d splurge on some luxury for our first night in Iceland with a stay in Silica Hotel. I had a lot of anxiety around the logistics of our flight arrival time, transportation from the airport, security of our luggage, and timing of everything prior to check-in time. Getting the rental car alleviated a lot of my concerns, including providing us a place to stash our luggage. Note for anybody going to Blue Lagoon: they have an excellent luggage storage and private locker system. After experiencing Blue Lagoon, I realized my worries about luggage security were needless. They are used to catering to day travellers going to and from the airport.

We decided to drive from the car rental place to our hotel. We arrived five hours prior to check-in, but the staff at Silica greeted us warmly, issued/activated our Silica Hotel wristbands, confirmed our lunch reservation at Lava Restaurant and Retreat Spa entry time, and provided us with information about the area. They told us we could ask about our room after lunch for a possible early check-in. We threw on our jackets (Graham’s was a fleece full-zip, and mine was down) and grabbed our waterproof shells to wander among the lava fields and silica lagoon areas for a while, and then we walked to Lava Restaurant for lunch where we had 11:30 reservations.

Lunch at Lava Restaurant

Lava Restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Blue Lagoon helped get some light in our eyes after a sleepless flight. Our starter consisted of hearty breads, including Iceland’s beloved rye bread, with lava salt and oil. Graham enjoyed a bowl of langoustine soup while I ate beet salad. For our entrees, Graham chose the lambfillet, and I got the cod. Neither one of us could complete our entrees. Everything was delicious, but we got full quickly. Maybe it was the bread. We skipped dessert.

Early Check-in & Much Needed Warmth

By the time we left the restaurant, Iceland’s notoriously unpredictable weather swept in with rain and bracing winds. Fortunately, Graham wore his fleece jacket, and I wore my down jacket, and we both wore waterproof shells, but we both wished we had an additional layer (I wanted my fleece jacket, and Graham wanted his down jacket). We arrived back at Silica Hotel freezing to death in dripping jackets and wet pants. Thank heavens for our Gore-Tex waterproof jackets They kept our upper bodies dry! Don’t cheap out on your waterproof layer for Iceland!

The staff told us our room was ready, and we dashed outside in the wind and rain to grab our suitcases and backpacks from the car. Our hotel room welcomed us with the delicious geothermal heat and a heated bathroom floor. We stripped off our wet jackets and clothes, threw on cozy clothing, and jumped into bed to warm up and take a brief nap. Normally, we do not nap when arriving in another time zone. We are big believers in immediately getting on the new time, but we were so full from lunch that we just needed an hour of down time.

Retreat Spa

We got a Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa package with our room that included five hours in the exclusive, private Retreat Spa and access to the public Blue Lagoon. We were unable to take pictures in the Retreat Spa, but you can visit their website to see more. We took the hotel’s shuttle to the Retreat Spa. The staff issued us Retreat Spa bracelets that served as keys to our private changing room and allowed us to charge drinks and food to our credit card. The private changing room featured double vanities, double shower, and heated floors. We soon learned that heated bathroom floors are all over Iceland, a definite perk!

Iceland’s bathing culture’s rules enforce showering before and after entering a lagoon, hot tub, or pool. You often shower in a big room with other people before putting on your bathing suit and again before changing back into your clothes. Nudity is not a big deal at all, and I got used to it during our trip, but for our first venture into a lagoon, I appreciated the private changing room. For mineral-rich silica lagoons like Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Nature Baths, you leave conditioner in your hair and put it up before going in the water.

In the Retreat Spa, we soaked in various pools connected by bridges and steps. The silica waters smoothed my skin, and I loved experiencing the different levels of heat among the baths. The Retreat Spa limits the number of people allowed during its time blocks, so we only saw a few people the whole time we were there. It felt serene and private. The swim-up bar window offered all sorts of beverages. I stuck with Prosecco.

After soaking for a couple of hours, we went inside to visit the various resting rooms, saunas, plunge pools, etc. We went through the Blue Lagoon’s seven-step skin ritual and came away feeling silky-smooth and glowing. We ate dinner in the spa restaurant before changing back into our clothes and settling up after returning our bracelets.

At first we were going to take the shuttle back to our hotel, but then we noticed the the sun was setting and decided to walk. When we opened the doors, warm air rushed in. The clouds had parted. Everything glowed a vibrant pink and orange. You would never have guessed the weather of the afternoon would give way to this.

Hotel Relaxation

Back at our hotel, we decided to shower again and put our bathing suits back on to soak in the hotel’s private lagoon. We almost didn’t go back out, but I’m so glad we did. The sunset seemed to last forever as we oozed our way through the silica lagoon at the hotel. We were the only people out there, and it was heaven. Silica Hotel’s lagoon meanders through the lava fields outside of the hotel allowing for a perfect view of the sunset. We later learned that this prolonged sunset is called “the golden hour” and can last upwards of seven hours in the summer. We stayed in the lagoon until it was dark, enjoying every moment and wishing it could last forever.

When we returned to our room, we showered yet again and rinsed silica mud out of our bathing suits before diving into bed. Graham went to sleep quickly and slept very deeply. I actually had a hard time falling asleep even after a full day of soaking in geothermal baths. I think the hot baths mixed with Prosecco dehydrated me, and I had a bit of a headache (something I don’t typically get). After taking some Ibuprofen and drinking a lot of water, I got on my phone (bad habit) and chatted with friends back home, spot-checked the web, and finally went to sleep.

A Glorious Breakfast Buffet

The next morning, we went to the Silica Hotel breakfast buffet area only to discover one of the greatest breakfast displays we’ve ever seen. I noticed the usual suspects of breakfast buffets, including cereals, breads, and eggs, but Silica elevated them to something much more elegant with assorted granolas, croissants, brioche, sweet roles, assorted egg dishes. They also had gorgeous full chacuterie boards, salmon, and these deliciouss herring bites made of rye bread, egg, mustard, and herring. You didn’t just have coffee. You could use a machine to make whatever type of coffee you wanted from espresso to caffe latte to cappuccino and so much more. The meal brought our luxurious Blue Lagoon experience to an end and fortified us for the start of our Ring Road journey, a more rugged experience in a rented camper van.