Finland has a new Sauna Island. Here's where to sweat (and freeze) across the Nordics

Whether in midsummer’s never-dying sun or winter snow, the Nordic countries know that nothing gives you that inner glow like a sauna followed by a cold plunge in shockingly cold waters.

Peering out to the ink-blue Baltic, Helsinki – Finland’s charismatic capital – wholeheartedly embraced the benefits of hot-cold bathing long before it became the latest wellness fad. Nature is writ large here, with the urban slipping seamlessly into the outdoors in forests, lakes and on 300 rocky offshore islands that are but a hike, paddle, bike or ferry ride away. 

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Beyond Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland are in on the act, with everything from remote fjord saunas to ice baths in the Arctic and geothermal hot springs with phenomenal views when the northern lights come out to play. Here are our favorites in Helsinki and a few other incredible places in the Nordics where you should try out the sauna culture.

Helsinki's Best Saunas

Wild Swimming from Island Saunas

It takes a lot to impress Finns when it comes to saunas, but right now everyone is raving about Helsinki’s new Saunasaari, which opened at the height of juhannus (midsummer) in 2026. And what a beauty it is. On golden weekend evenings, you can board a 5pm water taxi at the city’s seafront Kauppatori (Market Square) to breeze across to the rugged, wooded little island of Vasikkasaari in around 20 minutes. 

The scent of pine trees and woodsmoke fills the air as you rock up on this serene island, where you can gently steam in the half-light of a traditional smoke sauna, get goosebumps leaping into the Baltic and gaze at the pinkening sky and cityscape from a barrel-shaped palju (wood-fired hot tub). There’s a proper back-to-nature vibe here, with hot-cold sessions rounding out with stories and whole salmon and beef cooked over an open fire at RÖK, courtesy of your affable hosts Nina and Riku. The ferry back is at 9pm.

Continue your experience of Helsinki's sauna culture at Uunisaari, one of the most atmospheric island-based public saunas. Here Baltic waves beat softly on the beach, and you can cool off with a skin-tingling dip in the sea post-steam. Regular ferries chug over from the pier of Kompassilaituri.

New-wave Saunas

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Right on the waterfront in Helsinki, the minimalist-cool Kulttuurisauna bathhouse is a vision in white, bearing the hallmark of Finnish architect Tuomas Toivonen and Japanese designer Nene Tsuboi. Heated ecologically by wooden pellets, it commands soul-soaring views of the bay. After working up a good sweat in the sauna, you can dive straight into the Baltic or relax on the deck overlooking the harbor.

At the southern tip of the Helsinki peninsula, Löyly is a modern-day icon designed to effortlessly slot into nature, with its slatted pine exterior made from 4000 custom-cut planks. This being Finland, it has impeccable eco credentials, powered entirely by wind and water. It takes its name from the clouds of fragrant vapor, or löyly, when water is tossed onto the hot stones. You can swim in the Baltic in summer, if you’re brave, or jump into an avanto (ice hole) in winter, if you’re brave and perhaps a bit bonkers.

Floating and Flying Saunas

There are some genius saunas in Helsinki for one-of-a-kind steams and swims. First up, make for Allas Pool, a seafront bathhouse next to the Kauppatori. It’s a brilliantly central place for a steam and an invigorating dip in the sea, with views of the waterfront and the Ferris wheel gently revolving above it. The Panorama Sauna is the go-to for Baltic views, while the Corner Sauna sizzles at 90°C (194°F). Best of all, however, are the floating saunas on the pool deck, with front-row views of the Kauppatori. Radiant with good health, make a stop at the Sea Grill for a bowl of creamy salmon soup or the rooftop Sky Bar for DJ beats and sundown cocktails.

That Ferris wheel you saw from Allas Pool? One of its gondolas has been transformed into the SkySauna, available for private group bookings of up to four people by the hour. Here you can sweat as you glide above Helsinki’s skyline and the pretty fretwork of islands. Or if you’re planning a party with a big group of friends, Sauna Lautta lets you hire your own dockside floating sauna, properly immersed in nature and complete with a barbecue you can fire up post-steam. 

5 Other Unforgettable Nordic Bathing Experiences

1. Fjord Saunas in Norway 

With sky-scraping mountains and stained-glass blue fjords, Norway is an insanely beautiful country for a sauna and wild swim experience. Get your Nordic glow on at Wild Sauna Bakka, located on the shores of the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord. One of the world’s narrowest fjords – just 250m at its narrowest point – it ramps up the drama with crash-bang waterfalls and cliffs punching up to 1700m. Open year-round, the barrel sauna is dwarfed by its epic surroundings. Book in advance, bring your bathers and allow 1 to 2 hours for the sauna to heat up. Afterward, take a joyous leap into the fjord and let the full force of nature hit you.

2. Hot Springs in Iceland

What a wonder it is to jump into the geothermal hot springs of Hvammsvík on the remote, rugged, broodingly gorgeous shores of Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord) in Iceland, a 45-minute detour north of Reykjavík. Things take a true turn for the wilder here. These eight natural hot springs are entrancing, with views across the piercing blue fjord, dark mountains and black beaches. The pounding surf of the North Atlantic lies just beyond. 

Besides the hot springs, there’s a sauna, icy plunge pool and the ocean for open-water swimming and stand-up paddleboarding, plus a restaurant serving a legendary seafood soup. The light is fantastic, too – with the midnight sun burning in summer and the promise of northern lights in winter. Transfers from Reykjavík can be arranged on request.

3. Arctic Bath in Sweden

Get ready to gasp out loud as you dive into the bone-chillingly cold Arctic Bath in Harads in Sweden. Adrift on the Lule River, which freezes over in winter, this architecturally impressive spa hotel has been designed to resemble a beaver’s logjam, evoking the river’s timber-transporting past. The idea was born from the concept of hot-cold immersion, combining sauna traditions with cold-water bathing. The showpiece is a circular, open-air river pool, where a brave dip is said to boost mood, improve circulation and enhance immunity.

Tip: Warm up with a dry sauna and pine-oil massage after. Stay the night in one of the floating cabins, and you might well see the northern lights glitter from your private deck.

4. Wild Sea Swimming in Denmark

Out on its lonesome in the Baltic Sea, the island of Bornholm off Denmark’s south coast is one of Scandinavia’s sunniest spots. Mother Nature pulled out all the stops here, with granite cliffs and forests shearing down to snow-white bays and bluer-than-blue seas. Slip south for refreshing swims on heart-racingly beautiful beaches like dune-flanked Dueodde, where the sand is talcum powder-soft and the sea crystal clear. Saunas, you say? Make for West Coast Hasle Havnebad, an architecturally striking floating harbor bath with pools, a sauna and sunsets that pop.

5. Ice Bathing in Svalbard

Midway between Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard is the Arctic proper – a fiercely beautiful archipelago, sculpted by rock and ice, buckled by ragged mountains, and home to a large population of polar bears. The last flicker of civilization before you enter the polar wilds is the town of Longyearbyen. It is here that you will find Svalbad, overlooking the ever-changing pastel light and chinking icebergs of Adventfjorden. Book a slot in the architect-designed floating sauna built from reclaimed materials, before summoning the nerve to swim in the numbingly cold Barents Sea, where temperatures hover between 0°C and 4°C (32°F and 39°F).