Chasing Hot Springs Across Iceland in One Unforgettable Week

There are places you visit to see all the sights and learn about a new place in the world, and there are places you go to relax and feel a new location. Iceland is a destination built for both, and how you spend your time may depend on how much you love a hot bath.

In Iceland, geothermal heat rises from the ground, the air is clean and faintly smells of minerals, and nearly every town has its own geothermal spa.

Iceland has more naturally heated water than anywhere else on the planet, and daily “bathing” in local swimming pools (heated with geothermal water) is part of the culture. Now, more and more entrepreneurs are creating their own spas, and you can spend a week in Iceland and soak in a different spa every day.

You can visit an expensive and sleek lagoon or a pool of geothermal water with a few rocks around it to sit on. The choice is yours, and whichever you choose will be amazing.

Here’s how to experience the country one soak at a time.

Day 1: Blue Lagoon

There isn’t a more recognizable place in Iceland. In fact, photos of the Blue Lagoon are pasted all over Keflavik airport in case you hadn’t heard of the famous spa. Pictures of beautiful Icelanders with white silica masks on their faces in milky-looking turquoise water sell the place better than any brochure ever could.

The Blue Lagoon is an experience. Black lava fields surround the water, and a thick mist rises from the 100-degree water. It is the largest spa in Iceland, and even when it is busy, you can still find a spot for yourself.

However, the Blue Lagoon is one of the most expensive spas on the list, and it can be really crowded in the summer and early fall. I once visited in March, and it was pretty slow. If you want to be left alone with your thoughts and have some space to move around, this may not be your favorite. But if you have always dreamed of going, go; it is totally worth it once. You will find silica masks, swim-up bars, and tons of beautifully heated water.

Day 2: Krauma

In western Iceland, near Europe’s most powerful hot spring, Krauma is a soothing, minimalist retreat. The heat comes directly from Deildartunguhver, a roaring natural spring that produces water hot enough to cook with.

While Krauma is not the largest or most impressive spa, it might be the most relaxing. Quiet and modern, Krauma has five hot baths, one cold bath, and a sauna. There is also a relaxation room with a fireplace if you want to take a nap. Krauma is a good choice for relaxing at the end of a day of hiking, or a great way to start your day. Plus, the food at the restaurant is excellent and moderately priced.

Day 3: Laugarás Lagoon

The brand new Laugarás Lagoon is the country’s latest answer to the luxury-lagoon trend. With impeccably designed pools and mountain views, it’s stylish without being showy — an intimate retreat surrounded by some of Iceland’s most fertile landscapes. (The crops grown in the area are used in their restaurant.)

Two levels of pools give you plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the beautiful countryside views. Each level features its own swim-up bar where you can get a drink, and there is a waterfall and saunas to enjoy while you are there. One of the best things about Luagarás Lagoon is the Ylja restaurant run by Icelandic celebrity chef Gísli Matt. Slow-cooked cod is a speciality that I can’t recommend enough. Eat before or after your spa, and your day will feel totally complete.

Laugarás is very similar in feel and style to Forest Lagoon in Northern Iceland, so it is an excellent alternative if you don’t want to go too far from Reykjavik.

Day 4: Giljaböð Baths

For travelers who crave something a little closer to nature, Giljaböð Baths (Canyon Baths) may be the week’s most unforgettable stop. You can only reach the baths by bus, then walk down a steep hill to the most picturesque baths you have ever seen.

Stone-built pools capture the natural hot springs and overlook a moss-covered canyon where a nearby river meanders.

This is Iceland at its best — hot pools carved into nature, blending seamlessly into the valley. You won’t find luxury amenities; there are only two small changing rooms and a bathroom. What you will find is silence, solitude, and the sense of soaking in a place that hasn’t changed in centuries.

If you want to stay nearby, Hotel Hussafell is a beautiful hotel just up the hill from where the bus picks up people for the baths.

Day 5: Hvammsvík

Just outside Reykjavík, Hvammsvík Hot Springs flow into a private fjord, where tidal waters and the geothermal heat mingle in a series of pools. The depth of the water in the pools rises and falls with the tide, and so does the temperature. It feels wonderfully elemental: you get a front-row seat to the ocean and the mountains, and you get to do it in a spa. Next to the Canyon Baths, you can’t get much closer to nature.

There are eight separate pools of differing temperatures built on the slope that runs to the fjord. Some are very hot, and others mix in with the ocean during high tide, making a colder pool. In addition, there is a steam room, a swim-up bar, paddle boarding, and a lovely cafe. If you want a more natural approach to geothermal baths, you will love Hvammsvík. Spend more time in beautiful Hvammsvík by renting out one of the nearby artist lodges. There are eight cottages overlooking the lake and the fjord.

Day 6: Sky Lagoon

If you have a day or two in Reykjavik, you will want to visit Sky Lagoon. No need to leave the city, the spa is actually in downtown Reykjavik on a rugged shoreline overlooking the ocean. Sky Lagoon embraces modern Icelandic minimalism and seems like a more grown-up version of the Blue Lagoon. It is one of the larger geothermal baths in Iceland, and while a newer addition to the country, it seems to be growing in popularity.

Its signature seven-step ritual — a cycle of hot, cold, steam, and exfoliation — is inspired by ancient Scandinavian baths and leaves you feeling relaxed, even more than spas that offer heated water. Along the shoreline is the infinity-edge, allowing people to look out onto the North Atlantic while staying warm in the lagoon.

Day 7: Forest Lagoon

You will have to drive to Forest Lagoon, or perhaps get off one of the many cruise ships that go to Akureyi to experience this bath. Perched on a forested hillside above Akureyri, this spa feels like you are in the middle of the forest with pools framed in cedar and the smell of the forest around you.

The spa has two hot-water pools and a cold plunge pool for the most intrepid spa-goers. Plus a swim-up bar and a sauna. There’s a sense of seclusion here in this spa sculpted into the landscape rather than built upon it. Guests drift between hot pools and a swim-up bar, all surrounded by the hush of trees and the view of the fjord down below the hill.

Have More Time? Local Swimming Pools

After a week of designer lagoons and canyon retreats, you might be tired of geothermal baths. Still, you should add in one of the most authentic Icelandic experiences of all: the community swimming pool. Nearly every town, no matter how tiny, has its own geothermal pool complex, complete with hot pots, steam baths, and cold plunges.

These swimming pools are open to locals and tourists alike and are more authentic than any other spas in the country.

This is where Icelanders relax, chat, and warm up from the chilly winter. It’s affordable, simple, and part of daily life — and the perfect final chapter in a week dedicated to soaking.

Favorites include:

• Sundhöll Reykjavíkur — classic and atmospheric


• Laugardalslaug — Reykjavík’s most beloved local pool


• Selfoss Swimming Pool — family-friendly and beautifully maintained

Spend a week soaking in Iceland’s geothermal baths, and you’ll understand something Icelanders have known forever — that warmth isn’t just a temperature. It’s a feeling, time to relax with friends, and a ritual that you might bring back home with you.

Iceland makes spa-hopping feel not just like a luxury, but a way of life. Each lagoon and bath will give you a different experience. All of them will make you want to come back to do it again.