The Blue Lagoon (Icelandic: Bláa lónið) geothermal spa
is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland.[1] The spa is located in a lava
field in Grindavík on
the Reykjanes Peninsula,
southwestern Iceland. Bláa lónið is situated approximately 20 km
(12 mi) from the Keflavík
International Airport and 39 km (24 mi) from the capital
city of Reykjavík,
roughly a 21-minute drive from the airport and a 50-minute drive from
Reykjavík.
Description[edit]
The
warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the
Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such
as psoriasis. The
water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages
37–39 °C (99–102 °F). The Blue Lagoon also operates a research and
development facility to help find cures for other skin ailments using the
mineral-rich water.
The
lagoon is a man-made lagoon which is fed by the water output of the
nearby geothermal
power plant Svartsengi and
is renewed every two days. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a
lava flow and used to run turbines that
generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water
passes through a heat
exchanger to provide heat for a municipal water heating system. Then
the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe
in.
Iceland
has a strict code of hygiene and guests are required to shower prior to
enjoying the geothermal spa. The communal showers are split up by gender.
Children
age 8 and under are only allowed entry with the use of arm floaters, provided
free of charge. The lagoon is not suitable for children under the age of 2
years.
The
Blue Lagoon is accessible for wheelchair users with a ramp that extends into
the water and a shower chair. There is also a private changing room available
for those with special needs, complete with a roll-in shower.
The
rich mineral content is provided by the underground geological layers and
pushed up to the surface by the hot water (at about 1.2 MPa (170 psi)
pressure and 240 °C (464 °F) temperature) used by the plant. Because
of its mineral concentration, water cannot be recycled and must be disposed of
in the nearby landscape, a permeable lava field that varies in thickness from
50 cm (20 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft). The silicate minerals is the
primary cause of that water's milky blue shade. After the minerals have formed
a deposit, the water reinfiltrates the ground, but the deposit renders it
impermeable over time, hence the necessity for the plant to continuously dig
new ponds in the nearby lava field.
A small
experimental facility is still visible near the plant, where the engineers made
decantation tests to evaluate the speed of mineral deposition, which is clearly
a limiting factor both to the plant's rentability and sustainability. Hence,
geothermal energy exploitation at this location is not without environmental
impact.
The
Blue Lagoon was used as the pit stop for the first leg of The Amazing Race 6. The Blue Lagoon was used for the thermal
spa scenes in the filming of Hostel: Part II. It was also shown in the Incubus documentary Look Alive, when the band visited Iceland, in the fifth
cycle of Britain's Next Top Model which used
as photoshoot location as well as Keeping up with the Kardashians.
The
Blue Lagoon is situated close to the world's first renewable methanol plant, which
uses Carbon
Recycling International's carbon dioxide to methanol fuel process.
History
In
1976, a pool formed at the site from the waste water of the geothermal power
plant that had just been built there. In 1981, people started bathing in it
after its supposed
healing powers were popularized. In 1992, the Blue Lagoon company was
established, and the bathing facility was opened for the public.
In
recent years, several cosmetics companies have begun marketing skin care products using
mud purportedly extracted from the Blue Lagoon, their effectiveness still
subject to debate.