Most medical services in Iceland, including emergency care, require full payment at the time of service. Payment to the medical facility must be paid in full before an individual will be able to leave the country. The Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. Additional travel insurance to cover the price of medical evacuations is also strongly recommended. Please see our information on medical insurance overseas.

Iceland's Blue Lagoon Luxury Spa And Psoriasis Treatment: Web: http://www.rontgen.is/.
On this website, psoriasis sufferer and Australian musician Jonathan Byron asks us to ponder: "Imagine combining a vacation at a spa with treatment for a medical condition. Medical tourism is growing, whether someone wants a relaxing retreat for healing, or if they are travelling for an operation that they couldn't otherwise afford. I recently combined a trip to Iceland with visits to both the famous Blue Lagoon and the newer Myvatn Nature Baths spa, both of which are said to help with psoriasis and other skin conditions.
"Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for this review, my own psoriasis is relatively light and I have been in remission for about a year, with only occasional small patches. So I can't tell you if the waters worked for me. But I can tell you about my pleasant spa experience there and review the research. And I took lots of pictures.
"The air was cool when I went in early June (around 40 degrees F) and there was a breeze blowing, so I moved quickly to cross the 20 foot walkway from the locker room to the lagoon. It took only 3 or 4 seconds to get into the water, but I was very aware of the cold for that brief moment. Once in the water, every thing was fine. Exceptionally fine.
"Along the edge of the lagoon, the temperatures of the water are below body temperature but not at all cold. Moving around, I was able to find areas that were warm, very warm, and even a a few spots near vents that I would describe as hot. There are ledges that make good submerged benches, and many parts of the lagoon are gently sloping so that people can stand or sit with just the right amount of water to keep them mostly covered from the brisk winds. No part of the lagoon is very deep - the greatest depth is somewhere around 4.5 or 5 feet.
"Scattered around the lagoon are boxes filled with the white mineral 'mud' that comes out of the geothermal vents. Many people cover their face and shoulders with the mud and lean back to relax. I couldn't really cover spots like the elbows, as it was too cool and windy to keep my torso out of the water for long. And here's a tip I learned the hard way: apply the mud gently. The mud is like sharp sand, and can be abrasive. Don't scrub with it, just pat it on and let it soak in. (This warning is probably unecessary for women, but could be valuable for men who brush their teeth with the force that is needed to clean the tar off an old engine.)
"A good soak in the BL will leave the skin feeling chalky, and I believe that this contributes to the healing effects. It is similar in some ways to calamine lotion or colloidal oatmeal, two other proven therapies for the skin. So while many people are eager to wash away all the coating, I just rinsed lightly in the showers to maximize the dermal effects."
So in the end Byron can't tell you whether or not the Blue Lagoon healed his psoriasis because his psoriasis was so light to begin with -- but I at least have had a healing moment which the lagoon, back in my 2003 visit. In the days leading up to my induction into the waters, I had suffered devastating blisters on my feet, due to all the walking I had done in Iceland and Denmark. I literally didn't have the money to buy a bus ticket, so I had to walk everywhere. Or at least hobble when the pain proved too great! Nonetheless, it took only a couple hours in the healing waters of the Blue Lagoon to banish the blisters, and I could walk in peace again!

Röntgen Orkuhúsið: Orkuhúsið er á Suðurlandsbraut 34 á horni Grensásvegar og Suðurlandsbrautar. Sími 520 0170 | Fax 520 0171 | rontgen@rontgen.is. Web: http://www.rontgen.is/.
If you need proof that Iceland is an inherently stylish and creative nation, check out the Röntgen Orkuhúsið X-Ray clinic at Suðurlandsbraut 34. Before you go there, think about this: what is the typical waiting room like at a doctor's surgery or x-Ray clinic or medical facility back home? Tired and stuffy right -- full of wheezing geezers and outdated magazines? Not the kind of place you enjoy going to, and definitely not somewhere you would recommend a tourist to visit to get a pulse on your culture, hey? But Röntgen Orkuhúsið is different yeah -- Röntgen Orkuhúsið is aesthetically cool! The waiting room looks like an upmarket cafe -- Ikeaesque furniture, brightly colored coffee cups, symbolic gardens and miniature towns of crystalline towers.
If you happen to break your leg kayaking down some Icelandic waterfall and need to get your X-Rays done, this is the place to head. A little thought for my next Icelandic holiday -- if I pretended to be a patient waiting for an appointment, would I get to hang around long enough to get free coffee? And would it be that gourmet sh!t they serve in Pulp Fiction? Only time will tell -- and the time for my next Icelandic touchdown is coming fast!

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