Laugarvatn Fontana Spa is a geothermal bath complex on the lake shore at Laugarvatn, in South Iceland, one turn off the Golden Circle road. It combines interconnected outdoor pools at different temperatures, steam rooms built over natural geothermal vents, a sauna and direct access to the lake for cold dips. The site is also a geothermal bakery: rye dough is buried in the hot ground outside and the loaf is served indoors. It works as a break in the Golden Circle drive.
Laugarvatn Fontana Spa
Local name: Laugarvatn Fontana
The rye bread is buried in the geothermal ground one day and dug out the next — on the tour you eat the loaf you watched come out of the earth.
- Entrance
- Entry is paid. Cards and contactless are accepted.
- Accessibility
- Accessible parking, toilets and seating. The entrance itself is not wheelchair accessible.
- Parking
- Free parking on site. The nearest lot is about 40 m from the entrance and is for customers; a second free asphalt car park is about 90 m away.
- Transport
- The Laugarvatn bus stop is about 330 m from the entrance; no route number is listed.
- Advance booking
- Reservations are required for the geothermal bakery tour — book before you arrive. Spa entry can also be booked online in advance.
- Hours
- Open daily, 10:00–21:00.
- Address
- Laugarbraut, 840 Laugarvatn, Iceland
What makes it special
The draw here is not only the water. Rye dough is buried in the geothermal ground by the lake and dug out the following day. The bakery tour walks out to the spot, runs to under an hour, and ends with the hot loaf served with Icelandic butter and salmon. You are sent home with the recipe.
On the bathing side there are interconnected pools at different temperatures, steam rooms sitting over natural geothermal vents, a sauna, and the lake itself for a cold plunge. A minibar serves refreshments, alcohol included, and the pools look out across the water to the mountains.
Good to know
- Confirm the baths are open before you drive out. The renovation ran past the date the website gave, and one family arrived to find the site closed.
- It gets busy. This is a standard Golden Circle stop, and the pools are shared with a crowd.
- Bring a warm coat for the bakery tour. Part of it takes place outdoors, at the spot where the dough is buried.
- Inside the building there are toilets, tables and a small bakery counter.
Getting there
Laugarvatn Fontana Spa stands on the lake shore in the village of Laugarvatn, one turn off the Golden Circle road. The approach is short. The car parks are next to the building, and it is a few dozen metres of flat asphalt from the nearest spaces to the door. Everything else is indoors or in the bathing area outside it.
Best time to visit
Better: cold weather. The steam rooms run on natural geothermal steam and the plunge goes into the lake itself, so the colder the air, the more the contrast does for you.
Avoid: coming for a quiet soak. Laugarvatn Fontana Spa is a fixture on the Golden Circle and the pools are busy.
The pools sit at several temperatures, so there is one that suits whatever the weather is doing.
Things to do nearby
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Frequently asked questions
What happens on the geothermal bakery tour?
Rye dough is buried in the hot ground by the lake and dug out the next day. The tour walks out to the spot, runs to under an hour and ends with the fresh loaf served with Icelandic butter and salmon. You are given the recipe to take home.Can you get into the lake?
Yes. A cold plunge straight into the lake is part of the bathing circuit, alongside the pools, the steam rooms and the sauna.Is there anywhere to eat or drink?
Yes. There is a restaurant and a small bakery counter inside, and a minibar serves refreshments, alcohol included, at the pools.Is it suitable for children?
Yes. Children are welcome, and with several pools at different temperatures there is a mild one for them to sit in.