We are sharing our experience at the Sky Lagoon Spa in Iceland! Sky Lagoon is a geothermal spa experience that sits along Iceland’s rugged coastline of Iceland. Its serene retreat is the seven-step ritual designed to rejuvenate the body and soul. We loved the experience and take you along every step on the way in this episode.

Here are the 7 steps in the Sky Lagoon 7-Step Ritual

1. Soaking and relax in the geothermal waters: 100-104 F
2. Cold plunge- 50-53 F -Cold therapy stimulates your immune system and reduces inflammation, while also providing a natural endorphin rush.
3. Sauna with an ocean view- 176-194 F Allow the sauna’s heat to open pores, remove toxins and cleanse your skin. This is a quiet room and has a huge window that looks out to the ocean. It also has a timed heater that pours water over the hot rocks to steam up the room. 
4. Cold fog mist -41 F Balance the heat by slowly stepping through the energizing cold mist. The refreshing sensation once again stimulates the senses — revitalizing mind, body and soul in the process.
5. Body scrub- Exfoliate your skin by applying their signature Sky Body Sea Salt Scrub. Wear the scrub into the steam for the best results.
6. Steam room- 115 F The steam will open your pores once more, allowing your skin to absorb the key therapeutic elements of the Ritual and maximize the hydrating benefits of the Sky Body Scrub. Relax and allow your body take in the final healing steps.
7. Shower- 104 F Close your eyes, feel the results and cherish the moment. From head to toe, inside and out, you’ll feel relaxed, rejuvenated and re-energised. Slow down and enjoy it!

Iceland South Coast & Golden Circle – Episode Transcript

0:35

Travel Squad Podcast is back with Just the Tip, our Friday mini episode series where we give you quick travel stories, hacks and recommendations to set you off into the weekend.

0:52

Right.

Jamal and I, Brittany, will be your host today as we’re sharing our experience at the Sky Lagoon Spa in Iceland.

Nestled along the rugged coastline of Iceland, Sky Lagoon offers a luxurious geothermal spa experience that immerses visitors in the natural beauty of the island.

1:09

The highlight of this serene retreat is the seven step Ritual, designed to rejuvenate the body and soul.

So we booked the seven step ritual and we’re going to dive into every step to take you through the journey that we experienced.

And once we were done with this spa experience, Jamal and I looked at each other and we’re like, Oh my God, this is exactly what what we needed.

1:30

We fully, 100% enjoyed this experience.

So we’re so excited to share it with you because if you’re in Iceland, we highly recommend this.

And before we dive further into Sky Lagoon and the seven step ritual, if you listen to this week’s earlier full episode talking about our experience in Iceland, we did mention Sky Lagoon as the last thing we did day before we left and compared it to the Blue Lagoon.

1:55

Now, in fairness, we did not go to the Blue Lagoon, which is one of the most famous things that you can do in Iceland.

When we did our research, a lot of people basically said that, you know, Blue Lagoon is really nice.

The waters and colors, of course that makes it blue is really serene, but there’s not really a lot of other ambiance around in the Blue Lagoon.

2:16

Whereas in Sky Lagoon you have that.

And again, we don’t have that to compare it to other than the reviews, but we found the entire immersive experience at Sky Lagoon to be so serene, peaceful and amazing.

And again, the even step spa treatment ritual that comes along with it I think really enhances this experience and sets it apart as a must do when in Reykjavik.

2:38

So when you arrive to the facilities, you’re going to check in.

You could have either booked just a regular spa experience, which will just get you into the lagoon and the cold plunge, or you could have booked the seven step experience, which is what we’re talking about today.

With the seven step experience, you could either book the pier experience or the sky experience.

2:54

One of them has private changing areas versus the other one, which is just like a general changing area.

We booked the one with just the general changing area.

So you’ll be guided to where the women’s locker room is or where the men’s locker room is, and you’ll get a wristband that will unlock and lock a locker for you.

3:13

So you’ll go into that room, get undressed, put on your bathing suit, and then you’ll lock your locker.

You’ll go rinse there.

You have showers for you to rinse off.

You know, a lot of European countries require you to shower prior to getting into a community pool.

So you do that and there’s an area to put your shoes as well.

3:31

Right and be sure to pay attention if you go into the pure or sky side, depending on which experience you choose.

Really again, the only thing is the private changing rooms.

We did not do the private ones.

It was the communal, which I don’t think was that big of a deal.

But you’d be surprised how many people were confused on hey, which side did we come out of?

3:49

Because even though the men and women are separate, they will still have you depending on which option you choose.

Come out on the same side if you’re men and women.

So just pay attention to that because because when you come out and you descend upon those steps to get into the thermal waters of the lagoon, the other locker room is on the opposing side.

4:08

And so many people were confused about which side they came from.

But what I really liked is when you step out, you have those stairs that come down and this whole experience when you’re stepping out into the hot lagoon, you really feel like you are in a cave because the ambiance that they set up makes it feel like you really are in caves, mountain areas.

4:29

They have the grass that’s growing on top of the rock and then you’re just out into this nice thermal pool.

So you’re going to get into the water.

This is step number one.

You’re going to soak and relax in the geothermal waters.

They’re about 100 to 104°F.

4:45

So warm, but not overly so.

There’s going to be areas for you to sit.

There’s going to be a cave bar, like a swim up bar.

There’s a waterfall and you can spread out quite a bit.

So you’re going to be in this pool and it’s like this Infinity pool that over looks the ocean.

5:01

I really love that aspect about it, how it was an Infinity pool that overlooks the ocean and Bay of Reykjavik.

That really did enhance the experience of giving you something to look at while you’re actually enjoying the thermal waters.

So again, all those amenities in there plenty of places to sit, go up to the Infinity spa thermal water edge.

5:20

Just enjoy.

If you want to partake in the drinks, you can do that with the swim up bar, but at your leisure.

If you do the seven step experience, they give you a specific bracelet to let the workers know that yes, you can participate in this.

5:35

This is actually what you paid for.

So take as much time as you want in that thermal water.

But when you’re ready for step #2, you get out.

And then you take the cold plunge.

Yeah, so we spent about 30 to 40 minutes soaking and just enjoying the warm lagoon before we went to venture to the cold plunge.

5:55

The cold plunge is 50 to 53°F.

It’s pretty cold.

The cold therapy helps stimulate your immune system.

It reduces inflammation, and it also provides a natural endorphin rush.

So we got out of the warm pool and we headed over to the cold pool, which is just a few steps away.

6:13

And Jamal got in first, and he’s like lollygagging.

He’s like on the popped up like Oh my God, it’s so.

Cool.

It was cold.

I mean, it’s really cold out there.

Keep in mind we’re in Iceland and the average high, even during summer is about 56°F.

So yeah, OK, the water is not that much colder, but there’s a difference between air temp and then water temp when it’s actually touching your skin and especially coming from the hot water that’s 100 to 104 degrees.

6:39

We’ve mentioned this before on the podcast.

I, I lollygag around, I hate really getting in a cold water.

And so I got in, I got up to my knees to go down to the waist is just a really hard commitment.

And I was like, oh gosh.

And then I got out.

But I said to myself, no, I’m here.

6:54

I got to do this experience beyond the experience.

It’s just even mental discipline because I do know that cold therapy is actually really good for you.

And I wanted to partake.

So I got into like my knees a little bit above but not really to my waist, got out, thought I was going to go on to Step 3, which was going to be the sauna, but I said no, no, man up.

7:14

Jamal went back and I eventually got fully immersed into the cold plunge.

We sat in there for about 5 minutes, which is the recommendation, and it’s cold, teeth chattering cold when you’re in there.

You just have to commit.

Yeah, I mean the half in half out body does not do anyone any good.

7:30

Just go full in, neck deep.

Sat in for about 5 minutes and then at the very end when I knew we were about to go out, I submerged myself completely, head and all and did that before we headed over to the sauna.

So the sauna is at 176 to 194°F, so really, really hot, right?

7:52

And it’s a dry heat because of course, it’s a sauna.

So you don’t really feel it as much.

But coming from that cold plunge, stepping outside of that water into just kind of the chilly air already as it is being that again, the high during the day is around 56°.

8:08

And we were doing this around like 8:00 at night.

It was already cooler than that.

We sat in the sauna for about 15 minutes because of course, they do have the timers, multiples that you can just flip to keep track of how much time you’re spending there.

And we said we’re going to spend the full 15 minutes.

But your cold’s coming out.

8:24

That may be the first 5 to 7 1/2 minutes.

I didn’t really feel that hot because my body was actually just kind of getting back up to core.

And that last half, you really start to feel that sweat come on, the enjoyment of the sauna, taking those deep breaths, feeling those warm breaths in your Nos strolls and in your mouth as you’re inhaling.

8:43

But what I really liked about this is one, it was a big sauna, but two, the glass wall looking out into the Bay and ocean so it wasn’t fully enclosed.

You have all this light coming in and just looking at this amazing view while you’re soaking up the warmth of the sauna.

I loved it.

Yes, you have panoramic ocean views.

9:01

This is by far the nicest sauna I’ve ever been in.

It was really tranquil, relaxing, beautiful views in the center.

You know, normally when you go into to a sauna they have an area where you can pour water over rocks.

They had a set up like that, but no one could pour water over rocks.

9:18

It was on an automatic timer where it released water over the rocks every few minutes.

The sauna itself could hold about 25 to 30 people comfortably.

There were 3 levels of seats that you could sit on.

The higher up you go, the hotter it is.

9:33

Of course we started at the bottom and then when some people left, we went to the top and we sat there for the majority of our 15 minutes.

But really, really, really nice.

There was about six people as we were leaving in there, so at the end we had pretty much the whole sauna to ourselves.

9:50

Yeah, a lot of people don’t stay for the full 15 minutes, but Brittany and I were committed to make the 15 minutes happen because that’s what’s on the timer.

And of course, the allotted amount of time that they do recommend to spend in there to get the full benefit of the hot to cold, hot to cold, because step #4 is going to be the cold fog mist.

10:08

So after you step out of the sauna and that night, nice heat and warmth that you have, you’re getting cold again.

There is a mist that comes from the top of the area in which you’re standing, and that water comes down at about 41°F.

10:25

So again, it’s a mist.

You’re not getting fully soaked, but again, that hot to cold, hot to cold.

You really feel that 41°, even though it’s a mist to really kind of chill you back up a little bit.

It’s really refreshing, it helps stimulate your senses and supposed to help revitalize your mind, body and soul in the process.

10:42

And from the cold mess, which is just kind of this open room that you step into, you’re going to step into another room and this room is going to be where you’re going to apply your body scrub.

So they have made these small bowl with sea salt mixed with almond and sesame oil and some other things that they said were in there and you’re going to apply this scrub to your entire body.

11:04

We actually use two of the little cups to really get a nice.

Scrub.

I wanted a good exfoliation and of course, you know, we’re talking about a scrub.

You are clothed in your bathing suit still.

So I mean, you’re just really going over your exposed areas of your legs, arms, neck, chest, back, etcetera.

11:21

They tell you not to apply it to your face.

We didn’t ask the specific reason why, but you know, of course they’re telling you not to.

But you do get a really good exfoliation on this.

Like Brittany mentioned, we did use the two bowls.

It’s a very small, so the second one is not a lot, but if we just really wanted that good exfoliation and scrub and it leaves your skin feeling so great.

11:42

And you actually wear this scrub on you as you head into the next room, which is step number six.

This is the steam room.

This steam is 115°F.

It’s going to open up your pores.

It’s going to allow your skin to absorb all of the oils and elements from the scrub that you put on your body and maximize your hydrating benefits.

12:01

So go in there for a few minutes and really enjoy this process.

And then the final step is to take your shower to get all those essential oils off of you that the steam room didn’t melt off of you from that heat and humidity that’s in there.

The showers are about like 104°F.

12:20

So just do a full body rinse, get that all off of you, and when you’re done, you’ve completed the seven step ritual.

It should be 8 because technically the last final step is if you want, which I don’t know why you wouldn’t, is get back in those thermal waters and just enjoy your time after having really a luxury spa experience.

12:37

Yes it’s a self-guided 1 but really enjoyable experience nevertheless and I’m creating it as a step eight.

Step 8 Get back in the thermal waters and enjoy your time.

You do have to get back into the thermal waters, but while I was showering I was feeling how soft my skin was.

12:53

My skin has never been softer.

My hair was so soft, it just felt.

So good.

And then we went at the end of the day, I think Jamal had mentioned we started this at 7:30.

By this time it’s closer to nine, 9:30 at night, so almost no one is actually there.

13:09

So when we got back into the lagoon, we literally had almost no one in there.

I got to lay back and just like float for a little while and just really enjoy the water.

It was so nice.

You’re going to feel super rejuvenated after this seven step or eight step ritual.

13:25

And again, I highly encourage, you know, sometimes it’s always hard to really describe things into words sometimes to put you into the scene, but just Google Skype Sky Lagoon Iceland so you can see what we’re talking about, how they build this thermal pool up, how the design of it with the rocks that they build, and then the grass covered in the rocks.

13:48

It makes you really feel like you’re in a natural environment minus the Infinity pool aspect of things.

So it really ties everything together to make an incredible experience.

And we would highly recommend this to anybody going to Iceland.

And while you’re in Reykjavik and join Sky Lagoon and their 7th Step experience.

14:06

Well, Squatty is, we hope that if you’re ever in Iceland, you go ahead and book this experience.

If you have any questions, DM us on Instagram or e-mail us at travelsquadpodcast@gmail.com.

And thank you so much for tuning in to Just the Tip.

Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.

14:24

And have fun travelling this weekend!