Is The Blue Lagoon Worth The Price?

When originally booking our trip to Iceland, the question came up pretty soon. Are we going to go to the Blue Lagoon? Is that price tag worth it? Is it even in the budget? As someone who likes to do as much as possible with the smallest budget, it seemed like we might still be able to go for the lowest advertised price. But that didn’t happen. We did go, but not for the lowest possible price.

The Instagram famous Blue Lagoon seems to be the only spot in Iceland that everyone knows about. It’s a shame considering how awesome Iceland is and how much it has to offer.

To answer the questions, was it worth it, I don’t have an exact answer. The Blue Lagoon was kind of worth it. Will I ever go again? Probably not. Did I enjoy the experience, hell yeah! Maybe if I get super rich someday, but even then… probably not. And here’s why:

How Much Does It Cost?

So, first thing first, how much money does the Blue Lagoon cost? Well, they advertise saying that their prices start at 56 USD. But, as we found, that ticket is the base package and only allows you into the lagoon for the last 2 hours the lagoon is open. And, those 56 USD tickets are only on certain weekdays as well. If you are planning to go on the weekend you’re not even going to get the option for the 56 USD ticket. 

It was very frustrating when we realized that the advertised “starting prices” weren’t realistic to what you will be paying most of the time.

Meanwhile, their base package is usually 85-96 USD depending on the time of the day. You do get to stay as many hours as you want after your ticket entrance time. So theoretically you could pay 59 USD for 2 hours or 96 USD for the entire time they are open if you get a ticket for 8 am (they close at 10 pm). Breaking down the price for what you would pay “per hour” puts things into perspective but with both ticket prices you get the same thing, just more or less time. 

Now, there are pricier tickets that can get you “more” than the base package. These were not in our budget, so I won’t be touching on these. You can also stay at the Blue Lagoon which is very pricey as well. 

The base package is “Comfort” and is what we paid for. Then there is “Premium” and “Spa Retreat”. Now, for us, comparing the price to the package…. I don’t understand how the other packages are worth paying for. 

Here is the difference in packages and prices which can be found on their website www.bluelagoon.com

What Do You Get?

So, you’re already paying almost 100 USD to get into the Blue Lagoon, what do you get out of that? You can see below what each package will get you at the lagoon. I’ll only really be touching on the “Comfort” package because that’s what we paid for and received. I don’t believe that the other package offers are so much more than they are worth their high price tags, but I can see how other people with the money purchase them.

With the Comfort package, you get towels, a drink, and a mud mask. The towels are nice, and you can use more than one towel. The silica mud mask was great, felt awesome, but if you have sensitive skin I’d probably not use it. And your free drink is any drink alcoholic or not. I had a smoothie, it was amazing. With all of that being said, everything is great, but I don’t think everything offered is worth $100.

The drinks and food were reasonably priced with drinks starting at 8 USD and some pre-made meals and sandwiches around 15 USD. And the face mask is a nice add on, but I’d personally rather it not be included and be a feature you can choose to pay for. You do receive an electronic bracelet that is hooked up to your account so that you don’t have to carry around a credit card making it convenient to purchase things at the swim-up face mask station and bar.

The changing rooms are nice and clean. There’s free body wash and conditioner in the showers, and towels as I mentioned before. There are attendants everywhere to help you if you need anything and the employees are all super nice.

So - Is It Worth It?

If you have the budget, I think the Blue Lagoon is a very unique spa experience to splurge on. But if you’re going to Iceland and don’t have the budget, I wouldn’t feel bad about missing out on it.

I wish that the admission price was lower, and was just an admission ticket. I would rather choose to purchase drinks or face masks, and even rent out a towel if the price of the ticket was lower. It is a tourist trap in my opinion. The blue water is stunning and it’s a super relaxing atmosphere. But it just feels like you’re paying the extra money to be able to post about it on Instagram.

If you’re going to go, to make it worth the price I would go as early as possible and for as long as possible! We got there at 8 am and left around 1:30 pm. We were able to take our time enjoying the lagoon and were able to see the sunrise. It was cool to experience the lagoon in the dark and in the day time. There are different spots in the lagoon that are hotter than others as well as a steam room and a sauna so make sure you give yourself time to explore. The swim-up bar is cool and the drinks were great.

Compared To The Secret Lagoon

I can’t help but compare our Blue Lagoon experience to our experience at the Secret Lagoon. The Secret Lagoon is also a hot spring which I talked about in my Golden Circle Blog, so if you want to learn more about it, check that blog out —> Iceland Golden Circle - Top 5 Attractions. 

The Secret Lagoon entrance fee was only 25 USD versus the 96 USD we paid at the Blue Lagoon. The Secret Lagoon also had drinks to purchase that were reasonably priced ( 9 USD for a glass of wine for example), but we did bring our towels from our Airbnb since the towels there were for rent. The Secret Lagoon doesn’t have the blue water, but the water is just as hot and relaxing. It has a much more natural feel to it with the rocky floor and the surrounding trees while the Blue Lagoon feels more commercial with boujee public pool vibes since the floor of the lagoon is finished. 

So, the Secret Lagoon is for sure worth it. I would recommend that you check out the Secret Lagoon no matter what, but the Blue Lagoon I would only recommend if you have the budget.

Tips For Visiting

Just some quick tips if you do plan on visiting the Blue Lagoon!

1. Get there as early as possible and stay as long as possible to get your money’s worth.

2. You can bring anything into the locker room, so you can pack sandwiches or granola bars to avoid paying for food.

3. The Lagoon is only about 35 minutes from the airport, so try to plan your trip either when you first arrive or when you’re leaving to avoid wasting time doing extra driving.

4. If you have colored hair, don’t put your hair in the water! I knew it, and I did it anyway (my mistake). The minerals in the water coat your hair which isn’t a big deal and just takes a couple of washes to get out - your hair will feel nasty and gritty until about 3 washes. But washing my hair so much took out a lot of my hair color! If you have natural hair, I say put your hair in the water it feels amazing!

5. There’s a high pitched sound that some people feel in their neck when in the water because of the way the water is pumped into the lagoon or something like that. It weirded me out at first but is fine!

6. If you are one of those people that plan on taking photos in the water bring a waterproof bag for your phone beforehand. They were selling them at the lagoon super marked up. I suggest leaving your phone in the locker room to avoid damaging it and to just enjoy the experience. We took a couple of pics at sunrise and then left the phones in the locker room the rest of the time.