Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon: A man-made series of pools filled with geothermal mineral water, the Blue Lagoon is one of the prime tourist destinations in Iceland. Now it's set to open a new luxury hotel.
Blue Lagoon
Private pools: The expansion of Blue Lagoon will include an underground spa, a signature restaurant and 62 guest rooms.
Blue Lagoon
Breaking boundaries: The folks at the Blue Lagoon say the expansion will attempt to "erase the boundary between nature, wellness, hospitality and affluence."
Blue Lagoon
Icelandic eats: The Moss Restaurant aims to deliver a luxury dining experience with a menu based on Iceland's culinary traditions.
Blue Lagoon
Steamy windows: The hotel's rooms will have views of the lagoon.
Blue Lagoon
Hot facilities: As well as a spa using geothermally heated seawater, the Blue Lagoon also includes a sauna, steam room, waterfall, and in-water silica bar.
Blue Lagoon
Perfect stopover: Located just 20 minutes from Keflavík International Airport and 50 minutes from Reykjavík, Blue Lagoon is conveniently placed for visitors.
Blue Lagoon
Misty marvel: Created in 1976 as a byproduct of a a nearby geothermal power plant, the water in the lagoon is rich in minerals such as silica and sulfur.
Blue Lagoon
Big bath: The Blue Lagoon covers an area of 8,700 square meters and holds nine million liters of geothermal water.
Blue Lagoon
Light show: From the waters of the lagoon, visitors can see the Northern Lights when conditions are right.
CNN  — 

For many people visiting Iceland, a trip to the steamy waters of the Blue Lagoon is the highlight. Now that highlight could be about to get even better.

Because of the lagoon’s growing popularity, a new luxury hotel has opened next to the deep blue mineral-rich waters, allowing visitors to upgrade their stay to something a little more private.

Opened in the fall of 2017, the 62-room Moss Hotel gives guests exclusive access to the attraction’s reviving facilities. The Blue Lagoon expansion will also see the opening of a new dining room, the Moss Restaurant, and spa, known as Lava Cove.

The venue, according to the Blue Lagoon, was created in order to “erase the boundary between nature, wellness, hospitality, and affluence” through the “extraordinary powers of the geothermal seawater, the beauty of Blue Lagoon’s volcanic surroundings, and the luxuries of world-class service.”

Perfect stopover

01:01 - Source: CNN
Nine million liters of relaxation

Not bad for somewhere that makes use of waste seawater from a geothermal power station.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors make the trip to the Blue Lagoon every year to wallow in the soupy lakes created in an 800-year-old lava field.

The attraction’s location, at Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, is close to the country’s international airport, meaning that even travelers with a few hours’ stopover can take a dip.

In 2016, the destination completed the first phase of its expansion, increasing the size of the lagoon by half.

“The opening of Lava Cove and Moss Hotel next autumn will be an important milestone for the Blue Lagoon,” says Dagný Pétursdóttir, Blue Lagoon managing director. “We are evolving and expanding our horizons.”

Even if those horizons are hidden in a cloud of geothermal steam.