Last day in Iceland! After exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula, checking out Puffin Birds, and the Golden Circle (kindof) it was time to chill out. The Blue Lagoon! When I was planning my trip, I told my friend Robin. “All I want to do is hang out in Reykjavik and sit in the Blue Lagoon. Everything else is a bonus.” Seriously, it’s all that I could think of. I had been obsessed for years.
These are the things that dreams are made of. Aqua blue waters, a spa day with fun friends, and hanging out all day in a bathing suit and bathrobe. Not only had we spend the last 3 days together in Iceland, we had many adventures in London. We were making the most of our last full day together. Myself, Robin, and her daughter, Elizabeth.
About a 45 minute bus ride outside of Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is the legendary outdoor hot tub, heated by the geothermal energy of a local plant, situated just behind it.
First stop after getting in the water? Mud masks! The water and masks do wonders for the skin.
Just wade on over to the beauty station and slather it on. It’s a white, fine mask that feels a bit like goo.
Like so much of Iceland during prime tourist season, it was busy. We felt the tourist squeeze the most when we arrived, and in the locker rooms. There is expansion in the works and if you look closely at some of my photos, you’ll see cranes in the background. What’s the most popular bird in Iceland besides the Puffin? The Crane. Ha Ha! It’s happening in London, too. But I digress...
Like anything wildly popular, I like to get away from the crowds... we quickly navigated to a quieter section of the lagoon, towards the back.
The lounge area overlooks the lagoon and we were able to grab a few chairs together and take a rest.
I lived in Los Angeles for many years and often felt old there. I don’t feel that way in London, and I certainly didn’t feel that way in Iceland. The beauty of Iceland is that it welcomes young and old. Kids below 8 were wearing water wings, and elderly people were soaking in the healing waters. The rest of the country was equally as welcoming.
While the silica mud mask and the waters did wonders for my skin and psyche, my hair didn’t do so well. Even though I followed the recommendation to put conditioner in my hair prior to entering, my hair was a hot mess afterwards. A hot dry mess. Nothing that some coconut oil couldn’t fix, though.
It was the perfect end to a magical time with one of my best friends. Iceland is at the top of its game. Ulla Johnson photographed her beautiful fall 2017 fashion campaign there, and I just received an email from my favorite cozy sweat line, Aviator Nation about an Icelandic trip giveaway. And the mother of all inspirational lifestyles, Gwyneth Paltrow featured Iceland recently on Goop. Iceland is all the rage. The new Costa Rica, the new Bali, the new Morocco. It’s happening. It’s Instagram friendly, for sure. Just point and shoot and shoot a bit higher to crop out that throng of tourists at the waterfall of your dreams.
Seriously, though. I’m so happy that I made it. I laughed and took notes and got inspired with fresh color palettes and other worldly terrain. Like this watercolor sketch that I did on the plane ride home in my art journal.
What struck me about Iceland was the pure resourcefulness and can do attitude of the society. The capital city, Rekjavik is essentially most of this island country. The infusion of style, technology, and nature all together in this small town is impressive. Next trip, we’re heading outside of the congested tourist area to check out the Northern Lights. Stay tuned!
Thanks again to my friend, Robin Holloway for providing so many photos for this and the other posts from the Iceland blog series. It was fun to pool our images together!
XO, M.E.