The seven-step ritual

What are the 7 steps of the Sky Lagoon ritual?

Lagoon, cold plunge, sauna, cold mist, scrub, steam and elixir, in that order. Steps three to seven happen inside a turf house.

The official sequence, with the temperatures Sky Lagoon gives:

Staff explain the order, and the steps flow one into the next. You don't need to book a time for the ritual; you start it whenever you leave the lagoon.

How cold is the cold plunge, and do you have to do it?

About 5°C, and no. You can walk past it, but ten to thirty seconds is enough to feel the point of it.

Kuldi is inspired by Snorralaug, the medieval pool in west Iceland. Get in up to your shoulders, breathe out slowly, get out. Nobody checks. Guests who skip it say so without shame; guests who try it often go back for more. One mother and her daughter took "the cold plunge not once but three times!"

Skip it if you have a heart condition or blood pressure problems. Sky Lagoon asks anyone with an underlying condition to check with a doctor before visiting at all.

How hot is the sauna at Sky Lagoon?

80 to 90°C. Five to ten minutes is plenty; leave sooner if you feel dizzy.

Ylur is the step people talk about afterwards, for the window. A long pane looks straight over the sea. From the lagoon, on a clear day, you can see Keilir and, far off, Snæfellsjökull. There are two saunas: a classic one and a phone-free one. Pick the phone-free one if you want quiet.

Sit on a lower bench if the heat is too much. One guest wrote: "The first dry sauna was quite hard to breathe in for me personally but a beautiful view of the sea from inside." Guests also report that the saunas get loud when a big group arrives; that is another reason to go early.

What is in the Sky Body Scrub, and what if I have allergies?

Sea salt, sweet almond oil, sesame seed oil, grape seed, argan and rosehip oil, plus perfume. An allergy-free version is available: ask for it.

The full ingredient list is in the Sky Lagoon FAQ. People with nut or sesame allergies should not use the standard scrub. The allergy-free version uses sea buckthorn, bilberry and willow oils with Icelandic sea salt and Epsom salt. Ask a staff member before you reach step five, not after.

Rub it on in slow circles, avoid your face, and keep it on into the steam room: Sky Lagoon says the steam works with the scrub. Some couples scrub each other's backs. The scrub and the lotion are on sale at the shop by the exit if you want to take some home.

Ticket, ritual and the Reykjavík Excursions coach from BSÍ, with an hourly bus back when you are done.

★ 4.7 · 2 hours 30 min · from $149

Explore the ticket with the return bus → Tour details

How long does the Sky Lagoon ritual take?

Allow 30 to 45 minutes for steps two to seven at an easy pace. Rushed, it takes 15 to 20; the whole visit is best at two to three hours.

One guest timed it: "The 7 step ritual lasts about 15 maybe 20 minutes." That is quick. Most people linger in the sauna and the steam room, and the reviews that rave about the ritual tend to say the same thing: "really take your time."

Sky Lagoon recommends 1.5 to 2 hours in total. Book a slot that leaves you at least two hours before the ritual closes, which is one hour before the lagoon closes: 20:00 in winter. If you come on the ticket with the return bus, the last coach back leaves at 20:30.

Can you do the ritual more than once?

No. One journey through the ritual is included per visit. The lagoon and the cold plunge pool by it stay open to you until closing.

This is the most common complaint from guests who loved everything else. One wrote: "I had hoped we could do the steam rooms multiple times. With the 7 step ritual you can only access the space once." The fix is simple: do the lagoon first, then the ritual when you are warm and ready, and spend as long as you like in each room. Don't treat it as a corridor.

Should you do the lagoon or the ritual first?

The lagoon first. It is step one, and arriving in the sauna warmed through makes the cold steps easier.

Our order for a two to three-hour visit: half an hour or more in the lagoon, a drink at Gelmir Bar if you like, then the ritual, then back into the water for the sunset or the dark. Eat something light before you come; Sky Lagoon advises against arriving hungry. Alcohol and a hot sauna are a bad mix, which is one reason for the three-drink limit.

What to have with you for the ritual is in what to bring to Sky Lagoon. In short: a hair tie and your swimsuit. Phones are allowed in the lagoon but stay out of the phone-free sauna.

What is the crowberry elixir at the end?

Saft: a shot of juice from krækiber, the crowberries that grow on Iceland's lava fields. It closes the ritual before you return to the lagoon.

It is small, sweet and tart, and guests love it out of all proportion to its size. "The shot was really tasty!" wrote one; another called it "delicious". If you want more, guests report a crowberry martini at the bar.

After that, back to the water. In winter the ritual and the bar close an hour before the lagoon, so plan your last step for 19:30 at the latest. See Sky Lagoon prices for what each pass costs.

Frequently asked questions