Mývatn Nature Baths: Prices, Hours and What the Rebuild Changed
The geothermal baths above Lake Mývatn closed on 1 January 2026, spent six months as a building site and reopened on 9 July 2026 with a new building and a new name: Earth Lagoon Mývatn. The water is the same, pulled from the Bjarnarflag borehole from as deep as 2,500 metres and running between 36 and 40°C. Entry now starts at 7,900 ISK for an adult, doors run 10:00 to 23:00, and the place holds about 580 bathers, which is the number that matters most in July. Here is what you get for each price tier, what the rebuild changed, and how the water compares with the famous lagoon in the southwest. The Lake Mývatn day trips from Akureyri that reach it are compared on the homepage.
Quick answer
Mývatn Nature Baths now trade as Earth Lagoon Mývatn. The site closed on 1 January 2026 for a full rebuild and reopened on 9 July 2026. Adult entry starts at 7,900 ISK for the Essential tier, the water holds 36 to 40°C with no chlorine added, and opening hours run 10:00 to 23:00 daily. It sits 90 km east of Akureyri, about an hour by road.
Key takeaways
- Three tiers: Essential from 7,900 ISK covers the lagoon, hot tub, steam bath and private showers; Signature from 9,900 ISK adds a towel, a drink and a bistro discount; Exclusive from 52,000 ISK adds a private lagoon area and robes
- Towel hire is 1,200 ISK and a swimsuit 1,100 ISK if you travel light, which is cheaper than the Signature upgrade if all you want is the towel
- Children of five and under enter free with an adult. There is no time limit on how long you stay
- Water comes from the Bjarnarflag borehole at up to 2,500 m, alkaline and high in silica and sulphur, so leave silver and copper jewellery in the locker
- The late slot between September and April is the reason to come: the lagoon faces open country with no town light behind it and stays open until 23:00
- Guided day trips from Akureyri reach it in an hour, and one seven-hour departure builds 80 minutes in the water into the day
What the Rebuild Changed
Six months closed, a new building, the same water
The baths ran as Mývatn Nature Baths, or Jarðböðin in Icelandic, from 2004. The operators announced the rebrand in late 2025, kept the old prices to the end of December, then shut the doors on 1 January 2026 and knocked the facility down. The plan said late March or April. Construction said otherwise, and the new lagoon opened on 9 July 2026.
What came back is a larger building with private showers, a proper steam bath over the vent, a swim-up bar and a bistro looking over the basin. The lagoon itself holds about 580 people. Anyone who visited before the closure will recognise the water and little else.
The opening is phased, so a feature here and there is still coming online through the first season and the hours can move at both ends. Check the day you travel rather than trusting a printed itinerary, and treat any tour brochure still calling it Mývatn Nature Baths as using the old name for the same door.
What is in the water
The supply comes from the Bjarnarflag borehole east of the lake, drilled to as much as 2,500 metres, arriving far too hot and cooling in a holding basin before it reaches you. It is alkaline, heavy in silica and sulphur, and no chlorine is added at any point. The milky blue colour is mineral, not dye.
Two practical consequences. Silver and copper jewellery tarnishes in sulphur water, so it goes in the locker. And the mineral load treats hair the way any silica lagoon does, which is why regulars tie it up and skip conditioner until afterwards.
Prices and What Each Tier Buys
Three tiers, one lagoon
Every tier gets you into the same water. What changes is what waits in the changing room.
| Tier | From | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Earth Essential | 7,900 ISK | Lagoon, hot tub, steam bath, private showers |
| Earth Signature | 9,900 ISK | Everything above plus a towel, a drink and a bistro discount |
| Earth Exclusive | 52,000 ISK | Private lagoon area, private changing rooms, robes, drinks |
| Towel hire | 1,200 ISK | Add-on to any tier |
| Swimsuit hire | 1,100 ISK | Add-on to any tier |
| Children 0 to 5 | Free | With an accompanying adult |
The tier maths
Signature costs 2,000 ISK more than Essential. A towel on its own costs 1,200. If you want the towel and a drink, Signature is the cheaper route by a few hundred krónur. If you brought a towel from your hotel, Essential is the honest answer and the upgrade buys you nothing you need.
Exclusive at 52,000 ISK is a different product: a private section of lagoon, your own changing room and robes. It exists for couples marking something and for small groups who want a corner to themselves. Nobody needs it to enjoy the water.
How It Compares With Iceland's Other Lagoons
Three you might be choosing between
Most people arrive at this question holding a Blue Lagoon booking page in another tab. The honest comparison is that the water is similar and everything around it is not.
| Earth Lagoon at Mývatn | Forest Lagoon, Akureyri | The Reykjanes lagoon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult entry from | 7,900 ISK | 7,490 ISK | Roughly four times either |
| Water | 36 to 40°C, borehole, no chlorine | Two pools, warm and hot, birch woods | 37 to 39°C, power plant outflow |
| Setting | Lava ridge over the lake, open country | Forest above the fjord | Enclosed complex, hotels, restaurants |
| From Akureyri | 90 km, about an hour | 10 minutes by car | 480 km, other end of the country |
| Crowds | Rarely full outside July | Busy on cruise days | Timed slots, book weeks ahead |
| Best for | A day of craters, finished in water | A short port call or a late evening | A stop between the airport and the city |
Forest Lagoon or Mývatn, if you can only do one
Forest Lagoon wins on convenience: ten minutes from Akureyri, in birch woods above Eyjafjörður, from 7,490 ISK with seniors at 5,250. If your ship is in port for six hours or your day is already full, take it.
Mývatn wins on setting and on sequence. It comes at the end of a day among craters and boiling ground, which is what makes the water land differently. If you are driving east anyway, or booked one of the Lake Mývatn day trips, this is the one worth the extra hour. One day trip from Akureyri includes Forest Lagoon entry in its price, which settles the argument if you would rather not choose.
Which Tier, Which Lagoon
If You brought a towel from the hotel
Essential at 7,900 ISK. The upgrade buys you nothing you need
If You travel light and want a drink
Signature at 9,900 ISK, which undercuts Essential plus a hired towel and a bar round
If You are marking an occasion
Exclusive at 52,000 ISK for a private section, robes and your own changing room
If Your ship is in port for six hours
Forest Lagoon near Akureyri from 7,490 ISK, ten minutes from the pier
If You have no car and want the water at Mývatn
The seven-hour departure that ends here, entry paid at the door
Visiting: Hours, Timing and the Shower Rule
When to go
Doors open at 10:00 and close at 23:00. Two windows matter.
Between 11:00 and 15:00 the tour buses arrive, because that is when the Mývatn day trips reach this end of the lake. The lagoon takes about 580 people and rarely fills, but the changing rooms feel it.
After 20:00 the place empties. In June and July that still means daylight, since the sun is up for more than 20 hours. From September through April it means darkness, no town light for kilometres, and a decent chance of aurora over the water while you wait in 38°C.
- Quietest: after 20:00 in any month, or before 11:00
- Busiest: 11:00 to 15:00, when the day trips arrive
- Best for aurora: 21:00 onward between September and April
- No time limit once you are in, so a late entry is not a short visit
The shower rule is not optional
Icelandic pools require a full shower without swimwear before you enter the water, and attendants check. It is the reason these lagoons run with almost no chlorine. Nobody is looking at you, everyone is doing the same thing, and the private showers in the new building make this easier than it used to be.
- Swimwear, or 1,100 ISK for hire
- Towel, or 1,200 ISK for hire
- A bag for the wet things afterwards
- Hair tie, and no conditioner plans
- Card for the bar, since nowhere here takes cash
- Jewellery left in the locker, silver and copper especially
Getting There
By car
The lagoon sits at Jarðbaðshólar, on the ridge about 6 km east of Reykjahlíð on Route 1. From Akureyri it is 90 km and roughly an hour. From Reykjavík it is 474 km and six hours or more, which makes it a ring road stop rather than a day out.
Húsavík is 58 km north. Parking is free and there is plenty of it. The full breakdown of routes and drive times covers the bus and the flights.
On a tour
One departure from Akureyri builds the lagoon into the day: seven hours, five stops on land, then 80 minutes in the water, with entry paid separately at the door. Two of the cruise excursions also stop here for an hour on an optional basis. Everything else on the route treats it as something you do on your own afterwards.
The tour that ends in the baths is rated 4.89 and is the one to book if you have no car.
Our recommendation
🎯 Go late, take Essential, bring your own towel
After a decade of sending people here, the pattern that produces the best afternoon is the same every time: do Hverir and Dimmuborgir first, arrive at the lagoon after the buses have gone, buy the cheapest tier, and stay past sunset. The 2,000 ISK you save on the tier buys two drinks at the bar, which you will enjoy more than a rented towel.
In winter, book nothing and simply turn up after 20:00 on the first clear night of your stay. That is the version of this place people remember.
Questions About the Baths
Are Mývatn Nature Baths worth it?
Yes, and more so now than a year ago, since the building is new. The water holds 36 to 40°C, the crowd is a fraction of the famous lagoon in the southwest, and entry starts at 7,900 ISK rather than four times that. What you are paying for is the setting: lava on three sides, the lake below and no development in sight. Come at the end of a day among the craters rather than as a stop on its own.
How much are the Mývatn nature baths?
Adult entry starts at 7,900 ISK for the Essential tier. Signature runs from 9,900 ISK and adds a towel, a drink and a bistro discount. Exclusive costs from 52,000 ISK for a private lagoon area and robes. Towel hire is 1,200 ISK, swimsuit hire 1,100 ISK, and children of five and under go free with an adult.
How long can you stay at Mývatn Nature Baths?
As long as you like. There is no time limit on any tier and no timed entry slot. Most people last between 60 and 90 minutes in water that warm before they want a drink and a cool down. If you arrive at 21:00 in winter you can stay until closing at 23:00.
Which is better, Forest Lagoon or Mývatn Nature Baths?
Forest Lagoon sits ten minutes from Akureyri in birch woods and starts at 7,490 ISK, which makes it the practical choice on a short port call. The Mývatn water is the one to pick if you are already driving the 90 km east, because it arrives at the end of a day among craters and boiling ground. Neither is a bad afternoon.
Did the Mývatn lagoon close?
It closed on 1 January 2026 for a complete rebuild and reopened on 9 July 2026 as Earth Lagoon Mývatn. Anything you read from the first half of 2026 describing it as shut was correct at the time. The opening is phased, so check the hours for your date.
Can you swim in Lake Mývatn itself?
No. The lake averages 2.5 m deep, sits close to freezing for most of the year and lies inside a protected conservation area. Grjótagjá, the lava cave nearby, has been closed to bathers since the water reached around 60°C during the Krafla Fires. The lagoon is the place to get in the water, and the full picture of what to do around the lake covers the rest.
Do you need to book in advance?
Outside July, walking in usually works. Through the peak weeks, and on any evening when a ship is in Akureyri, booking online the night before saves you the risk. The lagoon holds about 580 bathers, so it is the changing rooms rather than the water that get tight.
What should I bring?
Swimwear, a towel, a bag for the wet things and a card. Hire covers the first two at 1,100 and 1,200 ISK. Leave silver and copper jewellery in the locker, since sulphur tarnishes both. The full Mývatn packing list covers the rest of the day, including the head net you will want between June and August.