Should you’ve heard a phrase about Iceland, you have heard in regards to the well-known Blue Lagoon or a minimum of photographs of its milky blue waters on social media. However be careful, Blue Lagoon: There’s one other geothermal pool that must be in your listing if you happen to’re heading to Iceland.
The Sky Lagoon opened in 2021, and that could be a part of its enchantment. It is not a hidden gem by any means – you may discover loads of advertisements for it the second you land in Iceland – but it surely would not but have the identical degree of notoriety or crowds because the Blue Lagoon. Very similar to different thermal swimming pools, Sky Lagoon leans right into a schtick: the seven-step ritual, a wellness routine you may (and may) partake in, impressed by conventional Icelandic bathing tradition.
I visited each on a current journey to Iceland and let me inform you: Should you can solely squeeze one thermal pool into your itinerary, Sky Lagoon must be the one. Here is why.
The place is Sky Lagoon?
The Sky Lagoon is positioned about quarter-hour from the middle of Reykjavik and about 45 minutes from Keflavik airport. That makes the Blue Lagoon a extra handy possibility for a fast go to throughout a layover, whereas Sky Lagoon is simple to work right into a keep in Reykjavik.
To get to Sky Lagoon, you may take a taxi or rideshare from Reykjavik. Should you’ve rented a automotive, there is a free car parking zone out there.
The geothermal spa is positioned proper on the tip of a peninsula. The view of the fjord as you stroll in is breathtaking.
Sky Lagoon Tickets
It is not a more sensible choice as a result of it is cheaper.
Value-wise, it is on par with the Blue Lagoon – plus, your ticket would not include a free first drink or mud masks. However the expertise greater than makes up for it.
Just like the Blue Lagoon, the Sky Lagoon makes use of dynamic pricing to account for busy journey occasions. There are three packages you may select from, however solely two of the three embrace the seven-step ritual. The overall admission ticket begins at $65, however if you wish to partake within the seven-step ritual you may find yourself paying about $22 extra.
Right here’s what you get with every ticket:
Pure Lite: The overall admission ticket
- Costs begin at round $65
- Sky Lagoon admission (and limitless visits to the chilly plunge pool)
- Contains towel
Pure: The marginally upgraded package deal, consists of the seven-step ritual
- Costs begin round $87
- Sky Lagoon admission (and limitless visits to the chilly plunge pool)
- One journey by the seven-step ritual
- Contains towel
Sky: The costliest package deal
- Costs begin round $110
- Sky Lagoon admission
- One journey by the seven-step ritual
- Non-public altering room
- Contains towel
Thrifty Tip: Costs are typically cheaper within the first and previous few hours of the Sky Lagoon’s open hours. Should you’re seeking to save, select the most affordable time to go to! There is not a most time restrict, so choosing a morning time can get you extra bang in your buck.
Whereas you should buy tickets on the entrance desk, you may save 10% by reserving forward on-line, which is what we did. We booked a 7 p.m. time slot through the peak summer season journey season, paying about $99 for the Pure package deal as a result of it included the seven-step ritual.
It was undoubtedly the priciest thermal pool we visited, however remember that Iceland is a notoriously costly nation.
What to Anticipate on the Sky Lagoon
After checking in, you are given a wristband that locks and unlocks your locker and acts as a bank card for any meals or drinks you buy throughout your keep.
The locker rooms have been the nicest I encountered at any of the thermal swimming pools I visited throughout my time in Iceland. They have been spacious and upscale, with gentle wooden and stone accents.
You first enter the pool by a cave tunnel, then comply with the twists and turns of the excessive lava rock partitions by the pool till you are met with an unbelievable vista of the ocean and close by mountains. The pool’s infinity edge makes it simple to neglect you are simply minutes from the middle of Iceland’s largest metropolis.
On one finish of the spacious pool, there is a waterfall you may swim beneath. On the opposite, there is a chilly plunge pool and a constructing the place you may undergo the seven-step ritual, constructed within the type of an Icelandic turf home. There is a swim-up bar and loads of underwater benches to calm down on all through.
Personally, the chilly plunge pool was one among my favourite options of the Sky Lagoon. Leaving the heat of the thermal pool and submerging your self within the icy water for a brief time frame is meant to stimulate your immune system and scale back irritation along with giving a pure endorphin rush, in keeping with the Sky Lagoon web site. We most likely did the chilly plunge three or 4 occasions throughout our keep, and it made the nice and cozy pool really feel even higher.
After we arrived, the pool was pretty crowded and there was no scarcity of individuals filming movies or taking photographs with their cell telephones. Nonetheless, there have been loads of quiet alcoves to tuck into if you need a bit of privateness.
We arrived at 7 p.m. and stayed till shut, which was nice because the pool emptied out in the direction of the top of the night time and we had it virtually to ourselves. That made the expertise even higher. Plus, we visited through the midnight solar, when Iceland sees practically 24 hours of daylight. This was our view at 10:30 p.m.
We had spent many of the day driving the Golden Circle, so a number of hours on the Sky Lagoon was the proper method to unwind after a protracted day within the automotive.
Sky Lagoon Meals & Drinks
The swim-up bar had wine, beer, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. Visitors are restricted to a few drinks, no matter how lengthy they spend within the pool.
I opted for a glass of glowing white wine and a few of my mates ordered one of many Icelandic beers on faucet. Costs have been on par with what you’d discover at most bars and eating places in Iceland, starting from about $12 for beer and wine to $18 for a cocktail.
There are a number of meals choices on the Sky Lagoon – the Smakk Bar and the Sky Café, each positioned exterior the pool space. We did not eat at both, however they provided some conventional Icelandic dishes and treats in addition to espresso and drinks.
Sky Lagoon Seven-Step Ritual
Should you booked the ticket that features the seven-step ritual, you may get a second wristband that may get you into the turf home. A employees member will take your wristband earlier than you enter, as you may solely get to undergo the ritual as soon as (though all visitors are welcome to make use of the chilly plunge pool as many occasions as they need).
The seven-step ritual consists of:
- Chill out within the thermal pool
- Chilly plunge
- Sauna
- Chilly mist
- Cleaning sea salt scrub
- Steam
- Bathe
You’ll be able to undergo the ritual at any time. We spent about an hour within the thermal pool earlier than beginning the following step: the chilly plunge.
The employees would not provide you with many directions on what to do at every step, however we requested a employees member they usually really useful spending a minimum of 30 seconds within the frigid water. Within the sauna, a large floor-to-ceiling window means that you can look out over the fjord as you calm down within the warmth.
After cooling down with the chilly mist, we utilized the cleaning sea salt scrub and entered the steam room. The steam is meant to open your pores and permit the scrub to seep in. You end the ritual with a fast bathe to rinse off the scrub earlier than leaving the turf home and reentering the principle pool space.
At occasions, each the sauna and steam room felt a bit crowded. I do not know whether or not Sky Lagoon limits how many individuals can undergo the seven-step ritual at a time, but it surely’s value maintaining a tally of what number of visitors you have seen go contained in the turf home and timing your personal ritual accordingly.
You’ll be able to take as lengthy (or as little) time to undergo the steps as you desire to, however you may’t redo any of them. I might advocate going by slowly to essentially get the complete impact.
General, I felt the seven-step ritual was value it. I returned to the principle pool feeling each relaxed and invigorated.
Sky Lagoon vs. Blue Lagoon: Which is Higher?
Iceland is thought for its scorching springs and geothermally-heated swimming pools, none extra recognizable than the Blue Lagoon. It is one of the vital widespread sights in Iceland, largely as a consequence of its proximity to the airport and distinctive milky blue waters wealthy in silica, algae, and different minerals.
The 2 have some clear similarities. For starters, neither the Blue Lagoon nor the Sky Lagoon is a pure scorching spring: They’re each man-made lagoons with geothermally heated water.
The Blue Lagoon is larger and has way more onsite facilities than the Sky Lagoon, together with a resort, spa packages, and several other onsite eating places. And even a common admission ticket for the Blue Lagoon features a free first drink of your selection and a complimentary silica mud masks in addition to limitless entry to the sauna and steam room.
However the Blue Lagoon has its drawbacks. Initially: It is crowded.
After we arrived at 9 p.m. in late June, the car parking zone was nonetheless fully full and the locker rooms felt a bit chaotic. And whereas the nice and cozy, blue waters of the Blue Lagoon itself are a sight to behold, the environment behind you resembles extra of a theme park than a soothing spa.
Learn extra: Is the Blue Lagoon in Iceland Value it?
The Sky Lagoon pool, by comparability, is way smaller. But it would not but see the identical crowds because the Blue Lagoon. The Sky Lagoon can also be newer and felt extra upscale. And whereas the seven-step ritual comes with an added price, it was one among a number of issues on the Sky Lagoon that felt extra like an genuine Icelandic expertise.
However the Sky Lagoon’s finest promoting level could be the views. The Sky Lagoon is positioned on a peninsula overlooking the ocean, permitting you to take views of the ocean as you calm down within the heat, thermal waters.
However there isn’t any cause you may’t go to each! We hung out at each the Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon, in addition to one other thermal tub, Geosea, in north Iceland. Every provides a unique expertise and I discovered all three to be gratifying and stress-free – crowds or not.
I am glad I skilled the Blue Lagoon … however I do not really feel a robust want to return. But when (learn as: when) I am going again to Iceland, I might undoubtedly pay the Sky Lagoon one other go to.
Backside Line
From the upscale locker rooms to the distinctive Icelandic design of the pool to the seven-step ritual that was properly well worth the cash, the Sky Lagoon stood out as my favourite of the three thermal swimming pools I visited throughout my current journey to Iceland.
Should you’re spending any time in Reykjavik – or wherever in Iceland, actually – the Sky Lagoon must be in your listing.