Complete Guide to the Secret Lagoon Iceland

Located near the famous Golden Circle route, the (not-so) Secret Lagoon Iceland’s oldest swimming pool in Iceland. It is located at a geothermal area in Fludir. While this is a man-made pool, every drop of water gets is replenished every 24 hours, and is sourced from the nearby geysers on the property: Vadmalahver, Basahver, or Litli Geysir.

We stayed on-site at the Gardur Guesthouse Stay Inn at the Secret Lagoon, which provided us free access during our stay. I used the Secret Lagoon three times during my stay in the summer, so I’ll give you everything you need to know about going to the Secret Lagoon in Iceland in this guide.

Where is the Secret Lagoon Iceland?

The Secret Lagoon is located near the small town of Fludir, along the Golden Circle route. If you want to visit the Secret Lagoon, it’s best to have a rental car. However, there are some group tours that have the Secret Lagoon on their itinerary. If you are doing the Golden Circle route in your rental car, you can easily add on a stop at the Secret Lagoon if you wish.

Is the Secret Lagoon Iceland Busy and Expensive?

While the Secret Lagoon is located along the popular Golden Circle route with tourists, the Secret Lagoon is nowhere near as busy as the Blue Lagoon. However, they do recommend pre-booking a time slot, so you can head to their website to do this.

It’s roughly $26 for adults. Children under 14 are free.

Check the official website for current pricing.

You can also rent swimsuits and towels if you forget.

When to visit the Secret Lagoon?

The Secret Lagoon has the following hours:

Winter

Friday to Sunday – 1pm to 7pm

Summer

Daily – 10 am to 8 pm

We visited in summer and never experienced any issue of crowding. We used the lagoon around 4-5pm each day and spent about 2 hours the in pool, relaxing.

What to Except at the Secret Lagoon

Like all hot springs in Iceland, you will need to shower naked before you enter the pool. The Secret Lagoon keeps in line with traditional Iceland pool protocols, in that you will need to shower naked in an open area with strangers (gender separated, of course).

The water in the lagoon is about 3 feet deep, with some spots even a little deeper, so keep that in mind if you are bringing children.

This pool is natural, in that the sides and bottoms are slippery and you will find muck floating around. The temperature varies throughout the pool; some areas were very, very hot!

Pool noodles, foam swimming boards, blow-up arm swim bands are all available free for everyone to use in the Secret Lagoon. I took advantage of the pool noodles — lots of fun!

Drinks are available from the snack bar and can be brought out and enjoyed while you are in the lagoon.

There used to be a fish and chips booth on-site at in the parking lot, but it was closed during the entire time we were there. It looks to be permanently closed, which is too bad because we were really looking forward to this during our stay. It got pretty good reviews!

Should I visit the Secret Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon?

I did both (and I also visited Sky Lagoon). Each hot spring I visited has its pros and cons, and for the sake of this post, I’ll just compare Secret Lagoon vs. Blue Lagoon.

Secret Lagoon
Historical — it’s the oldest natural pool in Iceland!
More authentic: While this is technically man-made, this pool is still natural, in that you will find murk and muck in the water — but that’s part of the experience!
Cheap! Children 14 and younger are free
Free pool noodles and floaties to use
More difficult to reach if you don’t rent a car
No privacy when showering / changing
Can see the geothermal activity that sources the spring
Towels not included

Blue Lagoon:
Close to the airport
Iconic Iceland experience
Very crowded
Really pretty baby blue water (though it is sourced from the nearby power plant)
Towels, mud mask and drink coupon included in admission
Private showers and changing areas

My experience:

We stayed at the Secret Lagoon’s on-site guesthouse, Gardur in July. Guests at the inn get unlimited free access to the Secret Lagoon during their stay (during business hours), so we took full advantage of that and went in the lagoon 3 times! Guests also get robes to use and can shower in their room instead of using the communal showers. (Yeah..I’m clearly an American. I do not want to shower nekkid in front of strangers, so I really appreciated this!)

We never experienced any crazy crowds, unruly children or rowdy behavior. It was really nice! I also felt that the water here was warmer than it was at the Blue Lagoon, which I appreciated.

When you stay at the Gardur Inn, you are provided robes to use at the lagoon. This was nice to have when walking to/from the lagoon, and when strolling along the boardwalks of the Secret Lagoon to check out the geysers.

If you need a break from the warm water (and you will — it gets hot!), you can take a stroll around the pool on the boardwalks, and watch the geothermal activity in all its glory. Litil Geyser erupts constantly, so that’s fun to see.

Secret Lagoon – Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved the Secret Lagoon! I found it much more relaxing than the Blue Lagoon, and if you have the chance to stay at the on-site guesthouse, it’s really amazing. While this isn’t a luxury experience like you would get at the Sky Lagoon, it’s got its charm!

Have you visited the Secret Lagoon? Let me know in the comments!