Iceland is a land known for an abundance of natural and sometimes man-made geo-thermal spas.

There is no shortage of geo-thermal energy on the island, and therefore no shortage of underground heat that can be harnessed into a body of water to be used for recreational purposes.

When most people think of spas or geo-thermal pools in Iceland, the Blue Lagoon is usually the first place to come to mind.

However–there are so many more to choose from, even ones right in Reykjavik! Today I am going to talk about my time at the Laugar Spa in Reykjavik.

I should note that I didn’t want to disturb the other members inside the spa, so I did not take my camera inside. The photos of the interior were found online, and are sited accordingly. I would have loved to have taken photos–but let me snap you a photo in words.

After we rode our Puffin Scooters across town, we arrived at the Laugar Health and Swimming Centre. I popped inside the main building to ask how to find the spa, and then drove around the corner to the back parking lot. We parked our scooters and headed inside.

Upon entering the main doors, we walked over to the front desk. We were given a brief explanation of the facilities and photographed for the facial recognition entry system.

Next, we were lead through of series of doors and hallways until we came to the changing room. We placed our belongings in large lockers and dressed ourselves in the Laugar bathrobes.

Just as we began to wonder what we should do next, an attendant appeared in the doorway and called our names.

We left the bright light of the change-room and entered a dark space that smelled like faint flowers and spices. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I could see that we were being lead to another smaller room.

We came through another doorway, and suddenly it was silent. Silent and hot.

We walked around the large fireplace in the centre of the room, and laid down on two soft lounge chairs. The floor itself was hot on the bottoms of my feet. I spent a couple of minutes relaxing and just taking in everything around me. The only sound in the room was the crackle of the fire place, which created a faint red glow.

The masseuse began her work, massaging a soothing oil into my shoulders. It was 15 minutes of pure bliss, that was finished with a cooling mask on the face and shoulders.

After all of the crazy activities that we had been doing over the past week–this was the ultimate reward. We had climbed glaciers, hiked through rift valleys and waterfall trails, and even rode ATV’s that very same day! We deserved this relaxation.

We spent the rest of our time exploring the main rooms of the spa. It was dark here too, but lit in more of a cool blue tone, with a wide waterfall on the back wall. There were a series of saunas spread around the rooms, with different names, scents and temperatures. We split up to test the different rooms; I was not able to handle the higher temperatures myself, so I explored the milder rooms.

After the sauna, it was refreshing to splash a little ice water on myself, before hopping into the thermal pool (like a large hot tub). Large buckets of ice water hung on the walls, with a chain that would dump them when pulled. There was even a bucket large enough to climb inside of, which would completely immerse a person in ice water. I was not brave enough to try this. The jets in the thermal pool were like another massage, and quite soothing on the muscles.

I have to say–there is probably no better way to end your time in Iceland. The country is host to some pretty amazing scenery and activities, but it can take a lot out of you. You will likely be exhausted by the time you head home, and the Laugar Spa is the best way to rejuvenate yourself. Not only is it well worth the visit–in all honesty, I would go out of my way to go here again.