This geothermal spa (sitting in a lava field) was opened for business in 1992. A pool formed at the site in 1976 from wastewater at a newly constructed geothermal power plant. A few years later in 1981, people started to soak in the water due to the healing powers for psoriasis. When the business started, they built a spa facility providing a bunch of services and retail options.

This has become one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. Because it is close to the airport, many people spend time at the spa during their lay over for flights to North America and Europe.

The warm waters (98 to 102 degrees) are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur. The water is renewed every 2 days from the under ground superheated water venting caused by lava flow under the earth’s surface.

MJ and I didn’t really plan on going to the spa. In the end, we decided to go check it out and we were glad we did. We spent more time there then we expected and enjoyed the experience.

Photo Technique:

Above the spa there is a viewing platform to look out over the lagoon. From that spot, I photographed the lagoon (hand held) taking 3 auto-bracketed sets (7 exposures in each bracket).

Nikon D800 with 14-24mm 2.8f - Aperture priority f22, ISO 100

I created 3 individual HDR images from the brackets mentioned above. Then I merged them together into one panorama in Photoshop CS6. A few minor editing fixes in Photoshop (removed people who moved during the photos, added contrast, cropped, etc..) and I got the final product.

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