If you’ve done any amount of research into Finland and Helsinki, no doubt you’ve come to realise that a Finnish sauna experience is a must do. It wasn’t on our very first trip to Finland, and that was a mistake that took ten years to correct!
Aside from being a quintessentially Finnish thing to do, there are even some monumental health benefits involved.
Sauna has many benefits, not least of all as a way to keep warm during a harsh, dark and cold Finland winter. Or a way to keep warm on a harsh, light, cold summer. Saunas have been proven to help improve circulation, relieve joint pain and stress and even lower the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
READ MORE: 2 days in Helsinki, from start to Finnish
Before diving into the deeper questions around sauna, let us get the pronunciation right. Whilst the English speaking world happily goes about their ‘sawn-ah’ visits, the Finns prounounce it ‘soun-ah’. Like saying ‘sound’ but replacing the d. I’ve been known to butcher many a foreign word, so I’m going to start off on the right foot with this one!
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Choosing a sauna for you
Choosing a sauna for the uninitiated can be something of a minefield. And it may come with more questions than answers, particularly with regards to etiquette.
On our recent trip, we managed to squeeze in 3 different Finnish sauna experiences in Helsinki. We’ve given you the scoop on below. We’ve also included a bonus recommendation we didn’t try that falls squarely into the non-traditional category.
The big question – what to wear in a sauna?
This is the most common thing I’ve been asked when discussing a Finnish sauna experience. In short, this will depend on the sauna you visit. There’s a fair bit of nervousness about sauna and nudity from many visitors. Those uncomfortable with the traditional way of taking sauna can rest easy. There are saunas where you can where clothing in the company of others. It may not be considered a traditional Finnish sauna experience. However, if it makes you feel more comfortable, then we say go for it.
The more practical point here perhaps is ensuring you don’t enter a clothing mandated sauna nude. Less of an issue, but a faux pas nonetheless – don’t enter a traditional nude sauna in clothing. Knowing what to wear in a sauna will often come down to knowing what type of sauna you are visiting.
We cover the various types of sauna you can enjoy below. So whether you’re ready to kit off with a bunch of your favourite strangers or not, there will be a sauna for you.
Where to sauna in Helsinki?
Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel
We spent our first night in Helsinki at the Radisson Blu Seaside. A funky property located near the West Harbour terminal. We were delighted with an upgrade to our room.
Upon entering, our Executive Suite had an enormous lounge room, stunning views over the harbour and a separate bedroom. And…our own private sauna.
Yes, this room came complete with its own sauna that could comfortably fit 4 people. With just the two of us however, there was more than enough space for us.
This sauna was connected to the bathroom, with an electric induced heater. Simple enough to use, it took around 30 minutes to get to the desired temperature of 90 degrees.
Given it’s a private sauna, you can get by wearing or not wearing whatever you like. There’s no one else to offend.
We used this in the evening and then again in the morning. We couldn’t imagine having our own sauna to ourselves ever again, so we took as much enjoyment from it as possible. Perhaps not a traditional Finnish sauna experience, but a pleasant one nonetheless.
Finnish sauna experience: Radisson Blu Seaside Hotel Helsinki
Pros
Private
Small
In your own hotel room
Cons
If you don’t get upgraded, the expense of outlaying for an Executive room
Needs time to heat up
Clarion Helsinki
After returning from our visa-free trip to St Petersburg, we opted for a different property. Our next hotel was the Clarion Hotel on the opposite side of the West Harbour. The Radisson Blu Seaside and Clarion Helsinki are like two friends waving from opposite sides of the harbour.
The Clarion is one of the taller buildings in Helsinki. This also means it comes with an excellent rooftop pool. The pool has a glass bottom which can be a nerve wracking option for those with a fear of heights.
We were beyond lucky with another upgrade at the Radisson Blu. That luck did not once extend to providing a private sauna. In truth I’m not even sure if they have private saunas at the Clarion. The rooms themselves however were still fantastic.
Up top on level 16 you’ll find that amazing rooftop pool. And it is here both of the male and female change rooms respectively have a sauna.
For the purposes of this article, I’ll focus on the male experience, but expect it to be much the same for females.
Upon entering, you need to grab a sauna cloth, which you’ll sit on whilst in the sauna. It effectively takes the brunt of your sweat whilst you’re in there and in this case, was a disposable cloth.
In the spirit of hygiene, you’re expected to take a shower before and after every sauna.
As a public, gender based sauna, this brings it back to a traditional way of sauna – sans clothing. You can expect to sit in this sauna naked with a half dozen of your new best friends.
This is probably the most disconcerting thing for visitors to Finland. The Finns are very comfortable with nudity. Just about every Finnish movie I’ve ever watched reinforces this. You could wear swimmers, but in these scenarios it is somewhat frowned upon. And at the end of the day, human conditioning says no one likes being the odd one out. Hang those clothes up and enjoy the experience how it is designed to be experienced. Kit off.
For those not so comfortable in these situations, let me say this. No one is looking at you, no one is judging you. They are there for their own sweating experience.
There is something spiritually convivial about sitting and sweating naked in silence with men you’ve never met. Indeed, during my 40 minutes of sauna (broken up by dips in the pool) not a word was spoken.
There were nods amongst those when the person closest to the hot rocks indicated they were about to pour some water and heat up the room. In fact, it might be a macho male thing, but there was never a head shake when the room was heated up. Personally, I liked it hottest as it felt like it was having the greatest impact. I’m here to sweat, not sit in mildly uncomfortable heat.
The Clarion sauna has large glass windows opening onto the shower area with views out over Helsinki. You can see out but not in. It’s an impressive location to enjoy a good sweat with the summer light streaming through.
Between each sauna, a trip to the pool was the perfect come down, refreshing and invigorating. I felt on top of the world after jumping back and forth between the cool water and heat of the sauna.
Finnish sauna experience: Clarion Hotel Helsinki
Pros
Available to use simply by staying at the Clarion
Beautiful location
Access to a pool
Cons
Confronting for the shy
Can’t enjoy with your opposite sex partner
Loyly
Not satisfied with our hotel experiences, we had heard good things about a sauna club known as Loyly. Loyly has taken sauna and made it into a social occasion.
You’ll need a booking at Loyly and we took one at 7-9pm. Loyly has two saunas and remarkably allows you to buy drinks including beer, champagne and wine to enjoy whilst you sauna.
It is a mixed gender sauna which means you can attend with your partner, friends or even colleagues.
Upon arrival you’ll need to leave your shoes outside. When checking in, you are presented with a key to a locker and can open up a bar tab.
Upon changing and showering you can choose from two saunas. One is a dark, very hot and somewhat crowded wood sauna. This sauna seemed to have a much bigger heater and was consistently hotter than any I’d experienced to date.
We had opted against buying drinks and bringing them into the sauna. And a few minutes in this sauna would see your beer go from ice cold to quite warm unless you down it quickly. So I get the social aspect of it, but I’ll take my beer after my sauna thanks!
The second sauna was reminiscent of the Clarion sauna with large glass doors also opening onto the common shower area. Even when water was added to the rocks, it never got to the same levels of heat as the darker sauna.
Real invigoration
Loyly is located right on the beach and that also means you can utilise the ocean as your cool down mechanism. Talk about invigorating. Running from a hot sauna down the stairs into the Baltic. What an experience. Even in summer, that water has hints of ice in it. Dive right in, hang about for a bit and repeat the cycle.
By the end of 3 cycles, I felt like I could run a marathon.
If you’re not a fan of swimming in the sea, you can also choose to dunk yourself under a cold bucket of water. This too is another experience that provides added refreshment.
A visit to Loyly for a 2 hour session will set you back €19. A good value offering if you don’t have access to a high quality sauna in your hotel (or indeed hotel room!).
Fancy a colder beer or meal? Loyly also has an adjoining bar and restaurant you can enjoy a meal and drinks at.
Finnish sauna experience: Loyly
Pros
Two different styles of sauna to choose from
Baltic Sea dunking in between saunas
Can be shared with your opposite sex partner
Good for the modest sauna goer
Grab a drink before or after your sauna
Cons
Likely to be busy
Booking required
Not a quiet place for contemplation
Err…Burger King?
Perhaps the oddest of Finnish sauna experiences. Not a recommendation by any stretch given we haven’t been there ourselves. After watching an episode of Travel Man however, it felt like this needed to be included. If not for the sheer novelty of it.
There is a Burger King in Helsinki, the only one of its kind that is home to a sauna. As odd as it sounds, it’s a sauna that will allow you to book for you and some friends or colleagues. Like having a beer at Loyly, here you can enjoy a Whopper, some fries and a Coke whilst sweating away.
I’m not sure this venue for sauna has anything on the 3 aforementioned recommendations. For those who like their fast food, I guess this might be one worthwhile dropping by.
Finnish sauna experience: Burger King
Pros
You can eat Burger King whilst having a sauna
You book the whole sauna for your own private group
Cons
It’s a Burger King
In summary – Finnish sauna experience in Helsinki
Our list is not meant to be comprehensive. I am aware there are a number of other well recommended spas in and around Helsinki too. Wherever you choose to conduct your Finnish sauna experience, I hope its invigorating. If you can only do one, I’d recommend having access to a pool/beach so you can cool down in between.
Have you enjoyed a Finnish sauna experience? Was it awkward? Good? Different? We’d love to hear!
Ah great post! We are both huge fans of Turkish and Moroccan bath houses and so I am quite sure we would enjoy a Finnish sauna. Especially the real authentic one with dips in the ocean to cool off and start over. Sounds great. Our best experience with a sauna was a tiny one at a guest house we stayed at in Peru. It was tiny, but fresh eucalyptus leaves were used and it was fantastic and memorable.
Sauna at a Burger King? Ok, that wins the prize for uniqueness if nothing else.
Terrific post.
Peta
Thanks for the kind words Peta! The Baltic Sea dips in between at Loyly were an unexpected bonus! I recall a Turkish bath house we went to. Sitting waiting in this small building in rural Turkey, and a goat pops its head through an open window and going off its rocker. Was a funny experience before we went in for our bath!
I like the sound of the eucalyptus leaves in Peru!
When I saw the episode of Travel Man, it had to make the list even if it didn’t make our itinerary! 🙂