2018 ICELAND Blue Lagoon - Steamy

When I returned, the others were ready to roll. To get your bearings of the area, I found this map.

The geothermal plant is at the bottom (R&D). The Silica Hotel (above R&D) is labeled (black roof building). Our room was at the far right end by the tiny lagoon. My entrance to the trail is below the hotel and goes around the hotel to the right. Then a soft left and straight on between the two larger bodies of water. Now it jogs to the right and finally zig-zags into the parking lot at very top. All this area on the map is part of the "Blue Lagoon."

The public Blue Lagoon (you pay to get in) is the large blue area to the left (labeled). Our hotel's private lagoon for guests only is just above the hotel. It is the two large "branches" of blue up to the skinny river part.

You see the new Retreat Hotel at upper left. Its was not open at the time of our trip, but is now. Apparently they have a narrow bit of water surrounding the hotel, so each room gets a little bit of lagoon outside their door.

The check-in clerk had given us the low-down on the public Blue Lagoon. She said go there, check it out, have a cocktail, but return to the hotel for your own private experience. We decided to go with her advice.

We drove less than a mile to the public parking lot. It was packed with cars and full size buses...a telltale sign of how many people were enjoying this experience. We parked and walked a short trail to the entrance.

Mike and I took our suits just in case, but didn't use them here.

In the entrance hall, people waited in line for their turn to get in. I'm sure it went quickly, but we had the premium passes and got through in a jiffy. When we asked were the cocktail lounge was, the ticket taker tried to steer us to the locker rooms. He could not believe we weren't going in the Lagoon.

I did not take this first photo, but grabbed it from the TV screen on the Travel Channel. It is taken from the opposite side where I took my shots. Along the back is the check-in center, locker rooms, restaurant, and gift shop. On the left side (white wall) is a viewing balcony where we perused the facility.

Here is my shot from the white balcony looking the opposite way. Swim up bar to the right.

Swim up bar. Bridge in the background.

One person with a silica facial. You can grab it from buckets on the decks. There is also an algae facial, but that costs extra.

There are a few bridges. This one near where you drop off your robe. It takes you to the island.

Life guards wearing warm coats and yellow vest.

 

To the locker rooms.

 One hot, one cold.

After watching a while we moved toward the lounge and cocktails.

We had a nice view of the lagoon there, too. Marc from San Antonio on the left joined our group for a photo.

Two stops on the way out:
1) There was a snack shop at the hotel, but no restaurant, so we stopped for carry-out sandwiches for dinner. The usual of cheese and roast beef and Caprese for me.
2) Next the gift shop to look at the Blue Lagoon brand products. Mike bought his only "souvenir" of the trip--a half ounce tub of lip balm @ $40. It gets a 5 out of 5 star review.

Side note: After we got home we found four mini tubes of this lip balm that came in our Icelandair on-board comfort kits. Two going and two returning. We are now very well equipped for chapped lips!