Milk-blue silica water in a lava field. The most photographed geothermal pool on earth.
The Blue Lagoon began as an accident — runoff water from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant pooled in a lava field and workers noticed the warm silica-rich water was healing their psoriasis. Today it's the most visited attraction in Iceland, a surreal expanse of opaque blue-white water (its color comes from silica nanoparticles scattering light) set against black lava rock. The experience is more resort than wilderness, but the water is genuinely extraordinary.
- $$$$
- Showers
- Private changing room
Pools & saunas
Waters & pools
- Silica
- 1 pools
- 37–39°C
- Open-air
Gallery
Worth knowing
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Silica nanoparticles give the water its signature opaque blue-white color
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Originated as accidental runoff from a geothermal power plant in 1976
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The silica and sulfur content have documented therapeutic effects on skin conditions
An insider's tip
Book the earliest available slot (7am) before the crowds arrive and while the steam is at its most dramatic in the cold morning air. The lava field at dawn is extraordinary.
Don't leave without
Apply the silica mud mask provided at the in-water stations. After 15 minutes, your skin will feel genuinely different — the silica effect is real, not marketing.
Good to know
- Dress code
- Swimsuit required
- Timezone
- Atlantic/Reykjavik
Climate — Warmest around Aug (~14.1°C high), coolest around Mar (~0.8°C).
On the map
63.8800°N · 22.4481°W
