Sky Lagoon travel tips

As a hub of geothermal activity, Iceland features dozens of lagoons, hot springs, and pools where tourists can swim in the warm, mineral-rich waters year-round.

For many travelers, what the Eiffel Tower is to France or the pyramids are to Egypt, the Blue Lagoon is to Iceland.

As Iceland’s volcano erupts, tour operators are using Sky Lagoon as an alternative to Blue Lagoon for group trips.

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Monday. Despite the eruption, only the Blue Lagoon spa, Grindavik and areas close the volcano are off limits to the public.

Early on a Sunday morning in July, two brothers from Boston sat on Reykjavik’s rocky coast, with their faces turned toward the chilly waters of the bay and their feet soaking in what felt like a warm bath. Ben and Lucas Zheng had landed around 4:30 a.m. at Iceland’s international airport, and didn’t have too many early-morning options for how to spend the start of their eight-hour layover before flying on to Venice. So, taking advantage of the season’s round-the-clock daylight, they walked 40 minutes from the city center toward the northwestern tip of the Seltjarnarnes peninsula. There on the stony beach, they rolled up their pants and sat for a couple of hours, their legs submerged in the naturally warm Kvika pool, which, at 12 inches deep, is more foot bath than hot tub.

After landing in Iceland and picking up my rental car, I made a beeline for the Blue Lagoon.