Laugarvatn Fontana

Laugarvatn Fontana is both a spa and a bakery. The spa is currently being remodeled, with an expected completion date of the end of 2025. Getting here is easy, one turn off the main road and the Golden Circle itself. Parking here is simple, plenty of spots all over. Inside there's nice bathrooms and tables plus a little bakery where you can buy a few things. The highlight here is the bakery tour, this time being run by Flavio. The tour is a little less than an hour and you learn about how they used to make bread in the ground a long time ago using the geothermal heat. You go to a spot where they buried dough the day before and you even get to eat the one they pull out while you watch. Such a fun experience, but you do go outside so be prepared for warm coats during the cold season. Overall a fantastic stop and fun way to break up the Golden Circle. Reservations are required so make sure to book ahead of time.

We spent an afternoon at the Laugarvatn Fontana geothermal baths. There we booked a guided tour to bake bread in the ground using the natural geothermal heat. From the online description and what I had seen on the TV show "Down To Earth with Zac Efron", I was expecting more of a hands-on experience but it turned out to be just a demonstration. However, the bread and butter was delicious. The facility housed two steam rooms and multiple baths of various sizes and temperatures, all using water coming from the natural hot springs. The website information and gallery made it look like a tranquil spa-like oasis, but that’s not the experience we had there. I was surprised at how many small children were being loud and splashing around in the pools like it was a waterpark. Neither of us could find the towels either, so we were drip-drying until we asked someone. Turns out you have to pay to rent towels! That fact was also omitted from the booking website, which shows multiple photos of adult couples holding towels, wrapped in robes (which you could also rent) and enjoying the serene environment. The redeeming quality of Laugarvatn was the lunch. Their soup and bread bar was quite delicious. The raucous nature of the pools combined with the exorbitant $8 fee to rent a singular towel makes this a place I would not return or recommend.

The flavor of the bread after digging in out of the ground is unforgettable. Our tour was really kind and patient with our children and was a true credit to the bakery and Iceland in general. The spa itself was amazing and overlooks the water. Nothing could be more serene.

Would highly recommend the bread baking tour! It is interesting to learn about the hot springs in the area and how they harness them to cook bread. The tour is very thorough and then concludes with the ability to taste the bread alongside Icelandic butter and cured trout -- all of which were delicious!

2 of the 3 steam rooms were outside temp (like a dank Pirttburgh cellar), these were "recommended today". The third was blazing hot but steamy. We did you see anyone last more than 90 seconds. The Finnish sauna wouldn't get over 60C and the window is boarded over with plywood. The hot tubs were fine and enjoyable.

We just did the 4 pm bread making tour today and had a blast (despite it being rainy). The tour guide, Vlad, was informative and kind. I even got to help dig the bread out of the banks on the lake. The bread is sweet and delicious with Icelandic butter and smoked trout. A real treat!

The bread tour was interesting and tasted yummy! The hot spring….. perhaps avoid this if a bunch of tours are cycling through. There is a kids pool, a small adult section and the lake. With tour buses, it is too small and crowded for adults. We skipped the hot springs because it wasn’t worth it.

My friends and I did the bread experience where we tried rye bread fresh from underground geothermal ovens. The bread by itself… good! The bread with butter… amazing!! The bread with butter AND smoked trout… MIND BLOWING!!! Doing the bread tour is a must when visiting Iceland!! You will not regret it.