Is Myvatn Nature Baths Worth It?

Is Myvatn Nature Baths Worth It?

Yes, with one big caveat: the place you are asking about no longer exists under that name. Mývatn Nature Baths closed on 1 January 2026 for a rebuild and reopened on 27 July 2026 as Earth Lagoon Mývatn. The new venue is worth the ticket: naturally alkaline, sulfur-rich water at 36-40°C, three admission tiers from 7,900 ISK, and a setting on the lake that the famous southern lagoons cannot match.

The caveat matters more than most people expect, because the naming situation is genuinely confusing. The venue's own homepage now reads "Welcome to Earth Lagoon Mývatn" with "Formerly Mývatn Nature Baths" directly beneath it. The old domain, myvatnnaturebaths.is, now serves the new venue's sitemap. And the bookable day-pass listing still carries the old name, "Myvatn: Nature Baths Entrance Ticket," which is why so many searches still lead with the old words. If you book the ticket, you are booking the new venue, whatever the title says.

So the honest way to answer the worth-it question is to look at what actually opened in July 2026 rather than what the reviews from the old building describe. The rebuild brought roughly a third more capacity, around 580 guests against the old figure, a swim-in steam cave, a lagoon bar, and a three-tier admission structure that lets you pay for exactly as much spa as you want. That is a real change, not a repaint, and it shifts the value calculation.

The short version of the verdict, before the detail: the water and the view are the equal of anything in the south, the price sits well below the Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon for comparable bathing, and the main thing you give up is proximity to Reykjavík. Mývatn is 473 km from the capital by the venue's own measurement, right on the Ring Road. Nobody visits it as a day trip from the capital area. It is a north-Iceland destination, and it should be judged as one.

What Actually Happened To The Venue?

The venue closed under the Mývatn Nature Baths name on 1 January 2026 to make way for a new building, and the reopening was announced on 27 July 2026 under the English name Earth Lagoon Mývatn, with the Icelandic name Jarðböðin retained. It is open now. It is neither closed nor under renovation, and the old name survives only on the booking listing.

The closure notice was published by the venue in December 2025: "To make way for our brand-new facilities, we will be closing starting January 1, 2026." The reopening announcement followed on 27 July 2026: "Following an extensive period of development, new facilities, an expanded lagoon and a wider range of experiences now await guests at Earth Lagoon Mývatn." Both statements are on the venue's own site, and the second supersedes every older line still floating around the internet, including a stale "scheduled to open in the summer of 2026" banner that the site itself has left live on a booking panel.

The rebuild was designed with intent, and the venue put a name to it. Managing Director Guðmundur Þór Birgisson said the new facility was designed to feel as though it had grown from its surroundings, using materials excavated during construction. The practical outcome for a visitor is a bigger basin with fissure-like passages and caves, a new geothermal steam cave you swim into, a swim-up lagoon bar, expanded seating, new hot tubs and massage treatments. Capacity rose to around 580 guests, a roughly 33 percent increase, and the lagoon surface grew by about 35 percent.

Here is where each name lives, so nothing surprises you at the booking stage:

If you want the full reopening story and the current facility detail, our guide to the venue covers it section by section: the complete Mývatn baths guide.

How Much Does A Ticket Cost Now?

Admission runs in three tiers: Earth Essential from 7,900 to 11,900 ISK, Earth Signature from 9,900 to 15,900 ISK, and Earth Exclusive from 52,000 ISK, with prices varying by time of day and attendance. The bookable day pass on the listing starts at $64 per adult. Children 5 and under enter free with an adult.

The tier structure is the most useful thing the rebuild introduced, because the old venue sold essentially one product. Essential gets you the lagoon, the hot tub and the steam bath, standard changing rooms, a locker and a private shower. Signature adds the Lava changing rooms, a towel and a complimentary drink, plus a discount at Earth Bistro, though the venue notes Signature does not include private showers. Exclusive is a different animal entirely: access to a separate exclusive lagoon, a relaxing area with a fireplace, private changing for up to two people, towels and bathrobes, a glass of Prosecco on arrival and a shower gift set, at a from-price of 52,000 ISK.

Two small costs catch people out. Swimsuit rental is 1,100 ISK and towel rental is 1,200 ISK, so if you are on the Essential tier and travelling light, factor those in before comparing against a southern ticket that bundles a towel. The venue's cancellation policy is tiered too: more than 72 hours' notice gives a full refund, 24 to 72 hours gives 50 percent, and less than 24 hours gives 10 percent. That is stricter than some southern venues, so if your north-Iceland driving plan is weather-dependent, book with that in mind.

The venue is open daily from 12:00 to 22:00, with hours that may vary seasonally, and walk-ins are welcome subject to locker availability, though the venue recommends booking ahead. The FAQ also publishes a practical detail worth knowing: the lagoon is 1.3 m at its deepest point with an average of about 1.2 m, so it is a soaking lagoon, not a swimming one.

How Does It Compare With The Other Northern Lagoons?

On the bookable listings, Mývatn is the cheapest of the three big northern lagoons at from $64, against from $60 at GeoSea in Húsavík and from $81 at Forest Lagoon above Akureyri. Mývatn carries the lowest rating of the three at 4.5, against 4.7 for both, but it also carries more than three times the review volume, which tells you the comparison is between a rebuilt venue and two long-established ones.

The geography decides most of this. Earth Lagoon Mývatn sits right on the Ring Road, 58 km from Húsavík, 89 km from Akureyri and about an hour's drive from Akureyri if you are travelling clockwise, by the venue's own distances. GeoSea sits at the base of the Húsavík lighthouse on the north edge of town, less than an hour from Mývatn, Ásbyrgi, Krafla and Goðafoss by its own account. Forest Lagoon is in the Vaðlaheiði forest across the fjord from Akureyri, with a free shuttle from the town centre on a published timetable. A north-Iceland circuit can realistically take in all three.

What separates them is character rather than quality. GeoSea is hot seawater, drilled at Húsavíkurhöfði in the mid-20th century and kept clean by continuous flow with no cleaning agents, at 38-39°C. Forest Lagoon is a two-pool forest spa with swim-up bars, sauna at around 80°C and a cold pool, and it recommends guests do not stay longer than two hours. Mývatn is the alkaline, sulfur-rich freshwater experience, with the steam cave as its signature. If your question is "worth it," the honest answer is that all three are worth their tickets, and the tie-breaker is where your route already takes you.

For a deeper look at the Akureyri option, see the Forest Lagoon guide, and for the Húsavík one, the GeoSea sea baths guide.

North Versus South: What Does The Same Water Cost?

For comparable geothermal bathing, the south is markedly dearer. Blue Lagoon Comfort starts from 11,990 ISK and Sky Lagoon's Saman pass from 14,990 ISK, against Earth Essential from 7,900 ISK at Mývatn. Secret Lagoon at 4,500 ISK and Fontana at 7,490 ISK are the southern venues in the same price band, and neither has the new-build facilities Mývatn now has.

This is the strongest card the venue holds. The Blue Lagoon's geothermal seawater and Sky Lagoon's seven-step ritual are genuinely different products, and both justify their prices to the people who love them. But if what you want is a long soak in naturally heated, minimally treated water with a view, the chemistry at Mývatn is in the same family and the ticket is roughly half the price. The water arrives from the National Power Company's Bjarnaflag borehole at around 130°C, is cooled to 36-40°C, and is naturally alkaline and sulfur-rich with no chlorine or added disinfectants. The lagoon and surrounding basin circulate approximately 3.5 million litres of geothermal water.

The honest counterweight is travel cost. Nobody reaches Mývatn cheaply or quickly: 473 km from Reykjavík by the venue's own figure, though the venue also notes it is right by Road 1 and about an hour from Akureyri clockwise. If you were going to drive the north anyway, the price gap is pure gain. If you would drive there only for the baths, the maths stops working, and a southern lagoon plus a tank of fuel saved is the better buy. The venue's own framing on this is unusually helpful: situated right by the Ring Road, an hour from Akureyri and two from Egilsstaðir.

One more point in the north's favour that rarely gets stated plainly: crowd pressure. The Blue Lagoon says pre-booking is essential because entry is generally fully booked throughout the year. Mývatn recommends advance booking and welcomes walk-ins subject to locker availability. The difference in demand is real and it shapes the experience, especially now that the new building has lifted capacity by a third.

What Is The Water And The Experience Actually Like?

The water is naturally alkaline and sulfur-rich, free of chlorine and added disinfectants, held at 36-40°C, with a swim-in steam cave at an average of 45°C and 100 percent humidity. The lagoon is shallow, about 1.2 m on average, so the experience is soaking and drifting rather than swimming, and the setting looks out over the Mývatn lake country.

The sulfur is the thing to know before you go, and it cuts both ways. It is why the water needs no chlorine, why the venue can say the lagoon circulates continuously, and why the whole site carries the faint eggy smell that every geothermal area in Iceland carries to some degree. It is also why the venue recommends removing silver or copper jewellery before your visit: the sulfur can cause discoloration or tarnish. The shower rule applies as it does everywhere in Iceland, and it has a legal basis, regulation 814/2010, which requires guests to wash without swimwear before entering the pool. Body wash, shampoo and conditioner are provided.

The steam cave is the facility the rebuild added that most changes the experience. Steam flows directly through vents in the wall, entirely natural and geothermally heated, and you swim in from the lagoon rather than walking to a separate room. Alongside it sit the new hot tubs, the larger bar, the expanded seating and the massage menu, which runs 30 to 60 minutes across four types. Accessibility was part of the rebuild too: the venue states the lagoon is wheelchair accessible, with a provided wheelchair option from shower to lagoon, and private showers are available in the Earth Essential and Earth Exclusive packages but not Earth Signature.

For the practical rules that apply at every lagoon in the country, from the naked shower to swimwear and photography, our piece on Icelandic hot spring rules and etiquette covers them in one place. If you are weighing the whole north against the capital area, the comparison on lagoons near Reykjavík is the other half of that decision. This site, Lagoons in Iceland, exists precisely to make these side-by-side calls easier.

The verdict, then, restated plainly. Is it worth it? Yes, if your route takes you within reach of Mývatn, and especially yes now, in the first seasons of the new building, when the facilities are new, the capacity is generous and the price still sits at the accessible end of the national range. It is not worth a 473 km detour on its own, but nothing in Iceland is, and few destinations repay the drive the way the Mývatn lake country does.

Common Questions About Mývatn Nature Baths

Is Myvatn Nature Baths Worth It?

Yes, if you are already travelling in North Iceland. The venue reopened as Earth Lagoon Mývatn on 27 July 2026 with new facilities, three admission tiers from 7,900 ISK and the same alkaline, sulfur-rich water at 36-40°C. It is not worth a dedicated trip from Reykjavík, 473 km away, on its own.

Is Mývatn Nature Baths closed?

It closed under that name on 1 January 2026 for a rebuild and reopened as Earth Lagoon Mývatn, announced on 27 July 2026. It is open now and neither closed nor under renovation. The old name survives on the bookable day-pass listing title.

How much does Earth Lagoon Mývatn cost?

Earth Essential runs from 7,900 to 11,900 ISK, Earth Signature from 9,900 to 15,900 ISK and Earth Exclusive from 52,000 ISK, with prices varying by time of day and attendance. The bookable day pass starts at $64 per adult, and children 5 and under enter free with an adult.

What is included in the basic ticket?

Earth Essential includes the lagoon, hot tub and steam bath, standard changing rooms, a locker and a private shower. Towels and swimsuits are not included in that tier: towel rental is 1,200 ISK and swimsuit rental 1,100 ISK. Signature adds a towel, a drink and the Lava changing rooms.

Can you see the northern lights from the lagoon?

The official northern lights season in Iceland runs from September to April, and sightings improve away from populated areas with dark, clear skies. No source confirms visibility from inside this or any specific lagoon, and there are no guarantees of seeing the aurora anywhere in Iceland.

How does it compare with the Blue Lagoon?

The water is a different type, alkaline sulfur-rich freshwater rather than silica-rich geothermal seawater, and the price is roughly half: Earth Essential from 7,990 ISK against Blue Lagoon Comfort from 11,990 ISK. The Blue Lagoon is 20 minutes from Keflavík Airport; Mývatn is 473 km from Reykjavík, right on the Ring Road.