Exploring Iceland’s Blue Lagoon

My trip to Iceland was packed with amazing things. But the highlight, as far as being a beauty writer goes, was my day at the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

This place is pure magic. Surrounded by the country’s mountainous, ash-dusted landscape, the lagoon is filled with mineral-rich, wonderfully warm (yet refreshing)

water. You can indulge in a variety of in-water treatments, as well as to-die-for detoxifying facials.

A couple of times, truly, I felt like I was in a dream. One of my unrealistic, super indulgent spa dreams. (Not surprisingly, I have them often.)

I mean, there are tubs of BL’s signature silica mask situated all around the water! You can just swim up to one and smooth the geothermal mud all over your skin! If this doesn’t sound like a dream, at least for a beauty-obsessed being, then I don’t know what does.

If you can splurge, I suggest reserving a spot in the exclusive lounge. It’s cozy, luxe, and you can enter the lagoon through an in-water door (another totally surreal and spectacular experience).

But if your funds aren’t flowing, don’t worry—it costs just about $40 a person to get in, and once you’re in that water, you’ll feel like it should’ve cost SO much more.

Iceland’s “high season” is during the summer (mid June to August), but a visit in September or October—even December, I’d imagine—is equally amazing. (Blue

Lagoon is open all year round). I loved the fact that I could swim and soak and feel perfectly pampered even though the outside air was close to 45 degrees.

And contrary to popular belief, Iceland winters are relatively mild, with an average temperature of about 32 degrees F. An arctic climate, it is not.

Now it’s five days later and my friend Kris and I still feel refreshed. Check out her take on our visit (complete with video! And her awesome, Apocalypse Now-esque photo).

And of course, I took home lots of treats, including a tube of their amazing white mud mask, as well as this fantastic beautifying body scrub.

If you’re planning a trip to Iceland—and really, you should—you have to check out this heaven-on-earth hot spring. I can honestly say it’s the best beauty adventure I’ve ever had.

Coming Up in Adventures in Beauty: an organic scrub made with wild Icelandic herbs, a recycled clothing line based in the heart of Iceland’s capitol, and the

product that worked unfailingly during my super fun—but slippery—glacier walk.