Reykjaböð Opens Below the Hot River: a 900-Square-Meter Lagoon at the Mouth of Reykjadalur
Reykjaböð opens in September 2026 at the mouth of Reykjadalur, the steaming valley above Hveragerði that most visitors currently reach on foot, hiking three kilometers uphill to sit in a warm river with no changing room and no bar. The new complex sits at the bottom of that same valley at Árhólmar 5, half an hour from Reykjavík and about seventy-five minutes from Keflavík, and it is aiming at the part of the market that would rather not do the hike.
The scheme is a 900-square-meter geothermal lagoon threaded between low pavilions clad in dark timber under turf roofs, with an indoor bathhouse, a glasshouse restaurant and a small hotel across the road. An exact opening date has not been announced. The buildings are still going up.
The lagoon
The main water holds 37 to 40 degrees Celsius depending on where you stand, with a maximum depth of 1.2 meters, so it is a sitting and standing pool rather than a swimming one. There is a bar in the water, which means you can order without getting out. Around the lagoon sits what the operator calls the ritual area, and it is included in even the cheapest ticket: an event sauna at 80 to 95 degrees running guided sessions with scent and music at set times through the day, cold plunge pools split into a gentler 8 to 12 degree option and a 4 to 7 degree one for people who know what they are doing, open-air showers, and a Kneipp walk that alternates 36 and 14 degree water underfoot.
Reykjaböð publishes a suggested circuit it calls the Nordic Journey, and the timings are specific enough to be useful: Kneipp walk for 2 to 4 minutes, event sauna for 8 to 12, cold plunge for 30 to 90 seconds, then 5 to 10 minutes back in the lagoon, repeated two or three times.
The bathhouse
The upgrade ticket buys the indoor building, which is organized as ten sensory spaces rather than one big room. A snow room held at minus 10 to minus 12. A herbal pool at 37 to 41 infused with Icelandic herbs. An infusion sauna at 70 to 85. A steam bath at 40 to 50 degrees with humidity at 90 to 100 percent. A cold plunge at 10 to 12. Experience showers that step down through 36, 28 and 20 degrees so the transition from hot to cold is gradual. A floating pool at 36 to 38, also used for guided floating therapy. And a fire pit room with heated benches at 34 to 37 for the part of the day when you stop moving.
The entry ritual is a body scrub made from sugar, Icelandic crowberry peel, volcanic sand and crushed olive kernels. Massages, facials and water-based treatments are bookable on top.
Eating, drinking, staying
Réttir Restaurant handles food, with a seasonal menu built on Icelandic ingredients, and it runs year-round alongside the springs. The kitchen serves 11:30 to 20:30.
Across the road, Hot Springs Lodges by The Greenhouse offer rooms if you want to bookend a soak with a night. For private hire, the site takes up to 300 guests, with the Greenhouse Lounge and the bathhouse each holding around 80.
What it costs and how to get in
Two tickets. The Hot Springs Pass starts at 7,900 ISK and covers entry, unlimited access to the outdoor ritual area, a wristband that opens your locker and pays your tab, changing facilities with toiletries, and a towel. The Hot Springs & Bathhouse Pass starts at 15,900 ISK and adds the ten indoor spaces, a bathrobe and slippers, and a drink at the in-water bar. Booking is already open, and the operator recommends reserving a time rather than walking up.
Summer hours, June 1 to September 30, are 10:00 to 22:00 daily. Winter hours, October 1 to April 30, are 10:00 to 21:00 Monday through Thursday and 10:00 to 22:00 Friday through Sunday. Guests are asked to be out of the water 30 minutes before closing. It runs every day of the year, on shortened hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Swimwear is required in and around all the bathing areas, and a full shower without it is mandatory before you get in, which is standard practice at every Icelandic pool. Swimsuits are available to rent if you forget. Driving from Reykjavík takes about 35 minutes; buses 51 and 52 serve Hveragerði, and the site is walkable from hotels in town. Accessible parking and the family changing room both need to be reserved in advance.
The pitch is essentially a Golden Circle or South Shore stopover with better infrastructure than the free river upstream, priced between a municipal pool and the Blue Lagoon. Whether the valley setting justifies the gap is a question for September.
