Blue Lagoon

Iceland--Day 4

It started off cold and rainy and today was the day we had scheduled to go to the famous Blue Lagoon, which is a geothermal spa that opened in 1999. It was accidentally created when a large geothermal plant was constructed to power the nearby NATO base at Keflavik Airport. The plant works by pumping water almost a mile underground, where it is heated to boiling temperatures to create steam to power the turbines. The effluent from the plant originally was intended to just flow back into the soil, but the silica concentration in the water was so high that it sealed the volcanic rocks and created this man-made reservoir. The blue-green color of the water is due to a type of algae that flourishes in the heated water (and which is very good for the skin). It is quite a sight to see.

I have to admit at this point I wasn't too crazy about this plan as I hate to be cold!!! And boy was it cold and rainy that day!






The blue green water; outside the spa--it is very cold water!







The white silica on the basalt volcano rock that created the reserve.







Once inside the lagoon the water turned me into a geothermal spa fan. It was fabulous. The spa was huge and different parts of the spa had different temperatures so you move about. It was really wonderful to be in the hot water and have cold rain falling on your head.

While at the spa they have large containers filled with silica mud and you can put it on your face. I did question the wisdom of this since reading how the spa came about....but "when in Rome..."


My husband and I also had a full body massage while there. It was a fantastic day!!