[Images: courtesy of Blue Lagoon Iceland]An expansion of Blue Lagoon Iceland, The Retreat Hotel opened its doors earlier this year and is tucked within an 800-year-old lava flow. The 62-suite property— surrounded by the renowned geothermal, mineral-rich Blue Lagoon—was designed with the goal of combining spa, wellness and hospitality for a relaxing and rejuvenating escape. To that end, guests are able to take advantage of direct access to the waters, a restaurant overlooking the unique landscape, and the subterranean 44,300-square-foot Retreat Spa, with services that unlock and deliver benefits straight from the region’s potent seawater.
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The spa, conceived as a “journey … through an extraordinary concourse of lava,” contains a terrace, steam chamber, dry sauna, lava spring and Cold Well—a reinvigorating stream of chilly air. Retreat Spa offers guests a range of massage and beauty services within its two underground treatment rooms, plus in-water massages in a large outdoor floating area appropriately named Massage Bay. In addition, the private Lava Cove suite provides access to the lagoon, a wood-burning fireplace and a personal butler.
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The bespoke Blue Lagoon Ritual (120 min.), complimentary for spa-goers, is a self-guided, serenity-promoting experience in which guests apply three seawater- derived ingredients to their bodies: cleansing silica; nourishing, antiaging algae; and exfoliating and rejuvenating minerals. The most popular service is the Signature In-Water Massage (120 min./$300), which takes place in the secluded Massage Bay on a floating mattress. Clients are scrubbed with Blue Lagoon mineral oil, then wrapped in silica or algae before receiving a soothing face and scalp massage. The treatment concludes with a 60-minute full-body massage.
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–by Laura Waldon
