Beauty at The Blue Lagoon

For my first formal Julie Off Duty post, I could't WAIT to tell you about my visit to Iceland's Blue Lagoon! Iceland was the first stop on my "mystery trip", which I will go into in more detail very soon (but trust me, its NOT what you're expecting!)!

The Blue Lagoon made a perfect beauty destination for me not only because of the Lagoon's gorgeous light-blue water and countless photo-ops but because of the healing properties of the geothermal water (not to mention just simple relaxation!). The geothermal water in the Blue Lagoon contains three active ingredients: Minerals, Algae, and Silica. The combination is a fantastic resource for people with dermatitis and psoriasis! It also aids in healing acne, helps with anti-aging by boosting collagen and also tightens the skin’s elastin. What’s not love?

Here is What I Learned + Beauty Tips:

You MUST make reservations for the Blue Lagoon well in advance

And I don’t mean just a few days in advance - I mean a week or much more, especially in high season. This fall, we booked it 2 days in advance and only evening times were available - a bummer if you were looking for that super-recognizable powdery-blue-water Insta shot. At the time of this article being written (November), we had to look 5+ days in advance to get any availability before sunset. The Blue Lagoon

Get the cheapest package and bring your own towel

There are 4 different levels:  Standard ($58* US) - Comfort ($77) - Premium ($97) - Luxury ($500/2 people). 

The highest two packages, IMO, are much more than what is needed. My recommendation? Book Standard, and bring your own towel and slippers or flip-flops. They won’t stay on more than 30 seconds anyways - the locker rooms are just steps from the thermal oasis. *And up, based on availability and time of day.

Drink the Krap 

The Icelandic word for slushie is “krap” so you can say you drank Krap while in the Blue Lagoon! And yes, the cups even say “Krap” on them - perfect if you want a cheap souvenir for your little brother (we actually decided on the Skyr yogurt smoothies at the last minute instead and they were DIVINE). 

JK Beauty Tip: 

Put your hair up (especially if its colored or you’re blond like I am) as it can damage or dry out your hair. If you must get a photo of you with perfectly slicked back hair, do this: wet it in the showers and apply a protein-free deep conditioning mask to it first and leave it on. You know how a sponge can only hold so much water? Your hair is the same way - if it's already wet, it'll limit the amount of minerals that it absorbs! After your dip, shampoo with a clarifying shampoo, then deep condition again. I love this Macadamia Nut deep conditioner.

Relaxing with one of the Algae masks on in the Blue Lagoon

The Secret Photo Spot  

Don’t have time to spend in the baths or you’re on a major backpacker’s budget? We’ve all been there! Here’s my freebie tip: Just before you walk into the gigantic glass-doored entrance, there’s an area to the left where you can take beautiful photos of the blue water (sans bathing people) if you just NEED that shot for the 'gram. 

Save Extra for Transportation

Transport from Reykjavik airport is 20 mins each way and is $43 round trip. You can book that right on the Blue Lagoon website when you make your reservations - super convenient. 

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Once inside, you can stay as long as you want, until close anyways. I could have easily spent a half a day in the water! 

Another JK Beauty Tip: Bring water shoes if you have foot-germ phobia. 

Being a professional manicurist for so many years, I have seen a LOT of feet in my life, and anywhere bare feet are makes me curl my toes. I did not see anything at the Blue Lagoon that made me think it wasn’t a spotless place - but just my 2 cents for preventative measures!