Secret Lagoon (Gamla laugin) at Flúðir

The Secret Lagoon is the cheapest of the Golden Circle baths and the oldest: Gamla laugin, a pool its operator says was made in 1891 at Hverahólmi in Flúðir and reopened in 2014, with small hot springs steaming around it, one of them called Litli Geysir. It suits anyone who wants a warm soak without spa prices, families with children (who pay a token fee), and a Golden Circle loop with an hour to spare. It is plain: changing rooms, a pool, gravel and steam, no ritual and no bar in the water.

The figures, read today on secretlagoon.is: open daily 10:00 to 19:00 from 1 October to 31 May and 10:00 to 20:00 from 1 June to 30 September, with 10:00 to 18:00 on 24 and 31 December. Adults 15 and over 4,500 ISK; seniors 67+ and people with disabilities 3,300 ISK with ID; children 14 and under 260 ISK on the price list, although the FAQ on the booking page says 200 ISK. One adult may bring at most three children. Swimsuit and towel rental are 1,200 ISK each. Pre-booking is described as highly appreciated, and entry is not guaranteed without it. The average stay is 1.5 to 2 hours.

#The arithmetic

On the Golden Circle day of the five-day South Coast and Golden Circle journey, the ledger runs Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Kerið and back to Reykjavík. Gullfoss to Kerið direct is 53 km and 48 minutes by OSRM on OpenStreetMap; via the Secret Lagoon it is 31 km plus 40 km, 30 plus 38 minutes, so the detour costs about 20 minutes of driving. Add two hours in the water and a 15-minute buffer and the lagoon costs that day about 155 minutes. As a trip of its own from Reykjavík, Harpa to Flúðir is 106 km and about 100 minutes each way, which makes it a 5½-hour outing. From Hvolsvöllur, a sleep town on the highlands journey, it is 66 km and an hour.

#What goes wrong

Closing time in winter is the main constraint: at 19:00 there is no evening soak under the stars, and the operator says as much about the aurora season. The car park is for guests during opening hours only, with no overnight parking or camping. In the busy months a walk-in may be turned away; book.

#Alternatives on the same road

Fontana at Laugarvatn is the more built-up bath on the Þingvellir–Geysir road, with saunas over the lake. Friðheimar is the lunch stop on road 35. For a natural river instead of a pool, Reykjadalur above Hveragerði costs nothing to bathe in but needs a long uphill walk.

#Sources

Secret Lagoon's home page (hours and prices) and booking page (FAQ), read 1 November 2026; drives by OSRM on OpenStreetMap.