Our Family Trip to the Blue Lagoon, Soaking with Kids: Iceland’s Geothermal Spa in the Lava Fields of Grindavík

My birthday falls two days before Christmas. It is on December 23, the eve of Christmas Eve. My mom left the hospital immediately after I was born to come home to take care of her five other kids and create the magical Christmas they expected to have. Growing up, Christmas was always a very enchanting time in our household. My mother wrapped the most beautiful presents with giant flowing bows, we always had a roaring fire, and my dad couldn’t let any Christmas pass without playing on practical joke on us unsuspecting and unwilling participants.

We have tried to recreate this feeling in our home during our Christmas celebrations. The entire month of December is devoted to making candy, decorating, and dreaming up ways to give love to the people that are special to us. I love that my birthday is so close to Christmas, and I love that it is wrapped up in the magic of the Christmas season!

When we traveled to Iceland for Christmas, we arrived on the morning of my birthday, and we immediately celebrated by soaking in the Blue Lagoon.

► Ranking: #cleandiaper

Blue Lagoon
Twitter: @BlueLagoonIS
Facebook: @BlueLagoonIceland
Instagram: @bluelagoonis
Nordurljosavegur 9, 240
Grindavík, Iceland
Phone: +354 420 8800
Hours: 8a – 9p
Price: 6,100 ISK – 53,000 ISK Adults | Free Children 0-13

If you ask us, visiting the Blue Lagoon in winter is the absolute ideal time to visit. The lagoon is covered in a perpetual mist of white fog resulting from the rising steam from the hot water meeting the brisk cold air. The surrounding lava rocks are covered in a white blanket of snow and because the sun is never so high in the heavens there is a periwinkle blue haze resting in the sky. This place feels somehow other worldly. 

The bone chilling air from the showers to the waters entrance is almost enough to make you run back to the comfort of the showers, but once your first toe enters the water your entire body will melt into submission. There is a small indoor portion of the pool before you step fully outside, and from this small pool you can swim into the full length of the lagoon. This is the best way to acclimatize your body to the temperatures without having to run headlong into the other patrons already soaking, as you sob mercilessly into the unforgiving bitter wind.  

The Blue Lagoon is vast. It contains nine million liters of water that originate 2,000 meters below the surface. It carries on in every direction and is never so deep that you cannot stand fluctuating between 98°F and 104°F give or take. The water contains silica, algae and other minerals as it travels through the earth’s crust and is said to possess healing properties.

Mud pots are located around the lagoon in wooden boxes to provide a healing silica scrub for your face and body. For those with rheumatoid, psoriasis or psoriatic arthritic conditions, or even if you just have a few achy joints and muscles, a visit to the Blue Lagoon will give you new life. The water and the silica mud will smooth your skin and relieve weary muscles, the attached steam room will offer cleansing and detoxifying rituals, the man made waterfall over the lava rock wall will beat upon your inflamed body, and the minerals in the water will feed your skin and organs naturally.

The water in the Blue Lagoon is a mix of freshwater and seawater that come together below the surface of the earth in this region. Through a complicated drilling process at Svartsengi, a geothermal power plant, it is mobilized to provide hot water and electricity to the town’s inhabitants while filling up the lagoon for soaking leisure. The water replenishes itself in the lagoon every 40 minutes.

A few things to note before you come:

• Children are welcome though must remain in the small entry pool or wear floaties
• The water is safe for your body and hair, but not for your jewelry
• Pre-reserved tickets are now required for entry
• All swimmers must take a full shower before donning their swimsuit and entering the pool
• Towels cost extra

► For Kids: The Blue Lagoon is one of National Geographic’s 25 Wonders of the World and is considered among the world’s most remarkable places. That alone is reason enough to go, and there is no reason not to take kids. The water is steamy, but the inside pool entrance makes it easy to get accustomed to the water. The water is full of minerals that are healthy and good for the body, skin and internal organs. There are places to eat and drink onsite, so there is no rush or need to plan around nap-time.

Have you visited the Blue Lagoon? What time of year did you visit? Did you think it was worth the hype? We want to hear all about it!

► Nap-Time Version: Our family trip to the Blue Lagoon with kids in tow.

Visiting Iceland at Christmas allowed us to participate in a lot of other cultural traditions, check out our fun adventures, plus more winter swimming at Laugardalslaug!