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If you’re planning an upcoming trip to Iceland and are trying to finalize your itinerary you may be asking yourself whether you should choose to visit the ever popular Blue Lagoon or the newer, growing in popularity Sky Lagoon. Lagoons & hot springs are a huge part of Icelandic culture and, in my opinion, are a must-do on any Iceland trip and in any season!
I was luicky enough to visit both Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon several times each on different trips in Iceland, so I’ve compiled my thoughts on Blue Lagoon vs. Sky Lagoon below! I’ve compared cost, location, transportation, facilities, views & add ons!
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Blue Lagoon vs. Sky Lagoon – which is better?
Ok, no gatekeeping here, I’m not going to make you read the whole article for my opinion! If money and time are not a concern my recommendation is to visit both lagoons! I enjoyed them both so much and they’re very different in a lot of ways, so they offer a fairly different experience. But, it can be pricy and you may be short on time, so if i had to choose one to visit:
Sky Lagoon was my preference! You can read all the details below, but Sky Lagoon was one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been in my life, the infinity style views over the ocean were hard to beat, and sunset from Sky Lagoon was one of the best experiences of my trip! It’s also closer to Reykjavik, has nicer facilities & I loved the 7 step ritual. Cost-wise the price is similar between the two (depending on which add ons you choose) Blue Lagoon tickets are slightly cheaper and offer a free drink, but transportation is more expensive
Blue Lagoon Details
The Blue Lagoon is iconic. even if you’ve never planned a trip to Iceland you’ve likely seen the Blue Lagoon on your instagram feed somewhere. That distinct Blue Water is actually run off from a local geothermal power plant, but don’t worry the it’s clean, natural water! The blue color comes from the abundance of silica and the it reflects visible light when suspended in water.
*** Dec 2024 Update: Blue Lagoon is nearby the recent volcanic activity in Iceland and has been closed on and off over the last few months. Their most recent hours and opening days will be on their website, the situation can change day to day so I would check there. I went when there was some activity nearby and felt super safe!
What I loved
- the face masks included with certain tickets – my skin was actually glowing after these
- the blue water with the black rocks contrasting made for the best photos
- the size – Blue Lagoon is massive, so despite the crowds it didn’t really feel overly packed
Cost
Costs for a basic ticket varies based on date anf time of day (and when you buy your ticket) I’ve seen them cost as little as $75 and as much as $110 for the basic pass.
They offer 3 ticket tiers:
- Comfort – includes entry, a towel, one face mask, and a free drink
- Premium – all of the above + a bathrobe, 2 additional face masks and a second drink (around $130 per adult(
- Signature – includes everything in premium + take home mud masks (around $157 per adult)
I did the premium and absolutely LOVED all of the face masks
You can visit the Blue Lagoon official website to see ticket options and book. ou can also check Viator if tickets are sold out on the Blue Lagoon website or to see if Viator is cheaper! Check Viator here.
Location
The Blue Lagoon is located about 20 minutes from Iceland’s main airport and about 50 minutes from Reykjavik. Given it’s location I recommend visiting when you first arrive or are leaving on your way to or from the airport it saves you a lot of time!
Address: Norðurljósavegur 9 240 Grindavík
Transportation
Blue lagoon from Downtown Reykjavik is about a 50 minute drive. There is a large parking area that is free for guests.
If you haven’t rented a car, you can take a bus from downtown or from the airport. You can also book your transportation to pick you up and drop you off in different locations (if you want to visit Blue Lagoon on your way to or from the airport. Transportation can be purchased while you’re booking your ticket (which I did) or separately here.
Transportation on it’s own is about $30 round trip. If you’re coming from Reykjavik during booking they’ll have you select the bus at the local bus stop nearest to your hotel. You might then be combined into a larger bus with other outside of downtown Reykjavik. The experience was super convenient!
Note the pickup time on your ticket, often the hotel bus stop pickup is 30 min before actual pickup time, because they do local pickup and drop you off at the main bus station for you transfer! I completed missed that and missed by bus!
Facilities
The Blue Lagoon is part of a larger resort, so the facilities themselves are large. There is a hotel on site as well as 2 sit down restaurants in addition to a grab and go cafe. They also have a large spa as part of the resort.
The Blue Lagoon has large changing/shower areas, they’re nothing special, but they’re efficient.
They also offer luggage storage in their parking lot! It costs roughly $6 a bag. This is convenient if you want to visit on your way to or from the airport.
Add-ons
Outside of your ticket there are a series of add-ons at the Blue Lagoon
- in-water bar for additional drinks
- additonal face masks
- in-water massage
- steam cave add-on
- additional spa services
Views
The Blue Lagoon landscape is dark volcanic rock that contrasts against the bright blue water. The lagoon itself is surrounded by the volcanic rock so the views are really the water & rock vs the surrounding landscape which is quite barren. The
Blue Lagoon & Your Hair
If you have long hair, don’t be too concerned. I read some crazy stories about people’s hair being ruined for days after being in the Blue Lagoon, but I also knew I would not be able to resist the temptation to dunk my head haha. There’s a few things you’ll want to do to make sure your hair is fine after swimming in the lagoon:
- Before going in the Lagoon wet your hair & mask it in a deep conditioner. I just used my standard deep conditioner – but I have thick, curly hair, so I used A LOT.
- After swimming in the Lagoon wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo and load up on the conditioner & leave-in conditioner to prevent the sulfur from causing you hair to dry out.
I did the above and had no issues with my hair!
Sky Lagoon Details
Sky Lagoon is a newer lagoon located only 15 minutes from downtown Reykjavik. This geothermal spa celebrates Icelandic bathing culture and offers stunning infinity-style coastal views and is hands down one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited.
What I loved:
- the coastal views – sunrise, sunset, twilight I’ve seen them all from Sky Lagoon and love them all
- The 7 step Skjól Ritual was so relaxing and rejuvinating
- the location – this was so close to downtown Reykjavik it was a super easy taxi ride
Cost
Tickets regularly sell out to Sky Lagoon so make sure you book in advance!
Similar to Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon has a few different ticket tiers. The cheapest one starts at about $93 USD
- Saman – entry to the lagoon, public changing rooms, towels, & access to the 7 step Skjól Ritual – around $93 per person
- Sér – all of the above plus private changing rooms, around $123 per person
Personally, the cheaper option works fine for me here! I didn’t think private changing rooms were worth $30 more
You can book through their official website here. I always like to compare Viator to see if there are cheaper prices, also if tickets on the main website are sold out I always recommend checking Viator!
Location
Sky Lagoon is conveniently located only 15 minutes from downtown Reykjavik.
Vesturvör 44-48 Kópavogur, Iceland
Transportation
Sky Lagoon has a large parking lot if you’re driving yourself. You can also opt to add on transportation through Reykjavik Excursions while you’re booking your Sky Lagoon tickets – this will give you set pickup and dropoff times.
I didn’t have a car, but wanted more flexibility so I took a taxi from downtown Reykjavik. It was about $20 each way
Facilities
Sky Lagoon facilities are a bit smaller than Blue Lagoon, it is not a resort, so there is no hotel or spa, but they do have an on-site restaurant, a casual spot.
The changing rooms are nicer than Blue Lagoon in my opinion.
Add-Ons
- in-water bar for drinks
Views
The Sky Lagoon offers infinity coastal views and is one of the best sunset spots in Iceland. It’s also a great place to see the Northern Lights if they’re out, as it’s far enough from the city lights of Reykjavik!
