The Water Meets the Sky at Iceland's Fabulous Sky Lagoon
But things at this Reykjavík spa may not always be as they appear.
Flying back to America from London, Michael and I recently took advantage of something we’ve previously recommended: the “Iceland Stopover,” which is a feature offered by Icelandair where, if you’re traveling between Europe and North America on that airline, you’re allowed to hop off in Reykjavik for up to seven days with no additional cost to your airfare.
We stayed in Iceland for three days, and regular readers know I’m a big fan of hot springs and spas, so I was determined to get my butt in one of the geothermal springs that Iceland is so famous for.
The area’s most famous spa is the Blue Lagoon.
But it turns out the Blue Lagoon is an hour out of town — and I was disappointed to learn that in a country filled with natural hot springs, this isn’t actually one of them. The water is heated by geothermal power, but the water is actually run-off from the neighboring geothermal power plant.
I asked a local friend if we should make the trek, and he said, “Go to the newer spring, the Sky Lagoon, which is right outside of the town. The Blue Lagoon is ridiculously expensive, and it’s usually mobbed.”
He wasn’t wrong about the price. Entrance packages at the Blue Lagoon range from $84-$100 USD — with a very “luxury” package of $620! — compared to the Sky Lagoon’s more “modest” rate of $50-$85 USD.
In fairness, Iceland is an extremely expensive country in general, but these prices also don’t include transportation.
Looking for travel insurance? We recommend SafetyWing or Genki — and using these links will cost you nothing and help support our newsletter. For full international healthcare insurance, consider William Russel.
When it comes to travel, I’m not one to deprive myself of a potentially fantastic experience just to save a few bucks, but I hate crowds even more than I love hot springs, so that dire warning about hordes of tourists struck home with me. In the end, we opted for a day at the Sky Lagoon.
(Incidentally, if you’re coming to the Sky Lagoon from Reykjavik, don’t use the spa’s “transfer” package, which is twice as expensive as simply buying the exact same transfer directly from Reykjavik Excursions. Or just get a cab, which is about the same price and will give you much more flexibility in terms of arrival and departure times.)
I confess, I was excited. According to the website, here’s the view from within the waters of the outdoor spa.
Sky Lagoon, indeed! And apparently, at night, you can sometimes even see the Northern Lights from within the spa itself — although it was too cloudy the day we visited.
But there are a few “buts.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Brent and Michael Are Going Places to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.