Blue Lagoon, Iceland

There's no better way to recover from a long stressful flight than soaking in the warm healing waters of the Blue Lagoon, conveniently a short bus trip from the airport at Keflavik.  We learned the hard way that it's necessary to pre-book online, so our spot was reserved long before we left SFO.

Big tour buses disgorge flocks of disoriented tourists, rolly bags at their heels.  A path funnels us to the luggage storage area, where people dig out their swimsuits and stash their bags - for a fee of $5/bag.  Welcome to Iceland, where everything is at least twice as expensive as home.

Everyone must shower completely and thoroughly - with soap! - before getting in the pools.  Multilingual signs in the changing rooms emphasize the necessity of scrubbing one's head, underarms, crotch, and feet before donning a swimsuit.  Who wants to soak in a bathtub with other people's grime?  

I think the reason Icelanders are so mellow is that they're constantly showering and soaking in the geothermal mineral waters.  Every town has a geothermally-heated public pool complex, with kids' play areas, lap lanes, saunas, and hot tubs of different temperatures.  The pool is the central meeting place for people of every age and size. 

At one-tenth the price of the Blue Lagoon (about $8), Reykjavik's public pool, Vesturbæjarlaug, was my favorite place to chill out at the end of the day.  Even better, phones and cameras are banned - they must be kept in the lockers - so I can't show you what it looks like.

The Blue Lagoon is super popular and quite a scene, but it doesn't feel crowded (except in the changing rooms) because it's HUGE.

Lava, silica, and mud masks are an extra benefit.

The Lava Restaurant is a lovely place to relax after a soak. The dining room looks out at the pools.

Yum! Unexpected ice cream.

We were all pretty stoked to be back together.

Looking across the lava to the geothermal plant.