Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal outdoor pool on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometres southwest of Reykjavík, set against an expanse of black volcanic lava. Its signature milky-blue colour comes from silica, algae, and minerals present in the outflow water of the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power plant — the lagoon formed in 1976 as an accidental runoff pool and only opened officially as a bathing facility in 1987. Water temperature stays a steady 37–39 °C year-round. Visitors scoop silica mud directly from the pool's edge to apply as face masks, a ritual that has become inseparable from the Blue Lagoon experience. The site has its own skincare line derived from the lagoon's minerals. In autumn and winter, the combination of warm water, rising steam, and potential Northern Lights overhead makes for a particularly atmospheric visit.