Back to Blue Lagoon stories
Silica Hotel: An Award-Winning Sanctuary
"Silica Hotel has evolved from a place of healing into a sanctuary of wellbeing."
Silica Hotel: An Award-Winning Sanctuary
Opened in 2005 as a clinic hotel for natural psoriasis treatments based on the restorative powers of geothermal seawater, Silica Hotel has evolved from a place of healing into a sanctuary of wellbeing. This journey culminated with Silica’s selection in Travel + Leisure's Reader's Choice Awards as the ‘Best Resort Hotel, Iceland’ for 2023.
Harmonizing with nature
Originally named Clinic Hotel, it was designed to merge with the colors, patterns, textures, and tones of the volcanic landscape, producing a profound sense of harmony with nature. Clean lines, modern furnishings, and warm minimalism create a reassuring, serene atmosphere. With 35 bright and spacious double/twin rooms, this boutique destination is surrounded by enchanting fields of moss-covered lava that erupted eight centuries ago.
During its early years, the hotel received a number of awards and nominations for its distinctive design: the Nordic Prize for Lighting (2006), the Mies van der Rohe Award (2006, nomination), and the Icelandic Architecture Award (2007). These honors celebrate the hotel’s inspiring architectural approach, a mindset prevalent throughout Blue Lagoon Iceland—the aspiration to unify the manmade and the natural.
A sublime private lagoon
The hotel's lagoon—a sublime waterscape sourced from the same volcanic aquifers as the Blue Lagoon—is a lesser-known treasure of the Blue Lagoon universe. This body of water has the same trinity of nourishing elements as the Blue Lagoon, unlocking the door to a world of radiant wellbeing. More intimate than its famous sibling, the diminutive private lagoon is a geothermal gem of relaxation and rejuvenation. It is also the cornerstone of the Blue Lagoon’s psoriasis treatments, bringing hope and healing to people with chronic skin conditions.
Expanding role at Blue Lagoon
With the Blue Lagoon’s ascent as a tourism mecca in the 2010s, Clinic Hotel expanded its focus, embracing a new role as the overnight component for visitors wishing to holiday at a wonder of the world. By 2016, Clinic Hotel had outgrown its name and Blue Lagoon rebranded the complex, drawing inspiration from the defining element of geothermal seawater: silica. As rich in Blue Lagoon history as it is in skin-purifying power, this remarkable white wonder also makes the water blue, owing to the manner that it reflects sunlight. Thus was born Silica Hotel. Likewise, the hotel’s lagoon was renamed accordingly, becoming Silica Lagoon.
A beacon of warmth and wellbeing
Today, the complex is a beacon of warmth and wellbeing in the heart of Blue Lagoon Iceland. While the hotel remains committed to its therapeutic roots as a center for healing, its horizons of hospitality encompass travelers from across the world who come for the timeless pleasures and transformative powers of the Blue Lagoon experience.
Explore and discover
Beyond the intrinsic splendors of the hotel, the setting avails itself to exploration and discovery. Guests can wander through the centuries-old lava fields, hike the nearby mountains where the view of the Reykjanes lava plain is extraordinary, and embark on day tours of the peninsula—a region teeming with volcanic phenomena, from craters, fissures, and mud pools to steam vents and searing hot springs.
Just 20 minutes from Keflavík International Airport and 50 minutes from Reykjavík, Silica Hotel is simultaneously remote and easily accessible.
Talks about