This is probably the most touristy place one can go while in Iceland, aside from the Golden Circle tour to Þingvellir – likely comparable to Disneyworld or Times Square in the US, but it is a treat to go, nonetheless. The water is an ethereal and opaque light blue color, a result of some of the minerals contained in it, like silica and sulfur, and is a result of the geothermal runoff from the nearby Svartsengi power plant. The minerals in the water are said to have great healing capabilities for those suffering from various skin ailments, and there is a medical facility annexed to the lagoon for people with burns and other severe skin disorders. The water is typically around 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lagoon is surrounded by black lava, which, along with the steam flowing off of the water, revealing ghostly looking faces peering out from it due to the silica mud slathered on them, creates kind of a surreal environment.
To me, there are few experiences that are comparable to floating along, supported by a large body of water, staring up at the sky; it brings with it a level of awareness and serenity that I rarely feel in my everyday life, and that no level of meditation can compete with. Just me and the sky, me and the water; here are my arms, my legs my back, my toes, my neck, my hair. Here are my fingers that are slowly resembling prunes. This is who I am; I am alive.
Here is a video clip (shot on a camera phone, so not the best quality, and my voice sounds slightly strange and annoying at the end) of me swimming through the lagoon.
Fun at the Bláa lónið (Blue Lagoon)
Fun at the Blue Lagoon Pt. 3 from Jessie on Vimeo.