By Hayley Lewis for Metro.co.uk, Traveller. Adventurer. Foodie. Blogging at www.alovelyplanet.com. Follow on Instagram @alovelyplanet
Sunday 9 Dec 2018 8:00 am
Its no secret that Finnish people love a sauna.
In fact, the Finnish use of saunas dates back more than 2000 years. Saunas are an important part of life; a social occasion among families, friends and the community.
Finland has over 3 million saunas, and there are more saunas than cars in the capital, Helsinki. Youll find one at the airport, in the Parliament building and in nearly every apartment across the city.
Public saunas have always been popular, but as more and more apartments have saunas built in, the need to visit a public sauna diminished and many closed.
However, in recent years, public sauna culture has returned and new saunas are popping up all over the city – some traditional, some quirky and some super swanky.
So I decided to check out Helsinkis saunas, both new and old, and see what the hype is all about. Number one on my list was Löyly.
Löyly opened in 2016 and is a bar, restaurant and sauna all in one.
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Located on the waterfront, with a huge terrace, it has become the go-to place on a sunny afternoon, whether you sauna or not.
The definition of the word Löyly is the steam that evaporates from the rocks when you throw water over them. Yep – the Finns have a word for that!
Its striking eco-design uses materials from responsibly managed forests, and the electricity used is produced by solar and wind power.
Inside, everything has been thoughtfully considered with cosy log fires overlooking stunning sea views and a great drinks menu.
There are three saunas – a traditional smoke sauna, a once-heated sauna and a continuously heated sauna – all of which are heated with wood.
The smoke sauna gives off the most incredible aroma and was my favourite of the three. However, the other two each have a full glass wall with beautiful views of the water.
Once youve heated up in the sauna, the brave head out for a dip in the Baltic and a quick swim.
As someone who doesnt love the cold, I was expecting to jump in and get straight out again. But after the heat of the sauna, I was able to stay in the sea for at least 20 enjoyable minutes! (Caveat, this was in summer!)
I got chatting to some locals, who said that growing up, it was a common Saturday night routine for the family to have a sauna before dinner.
The health benefits of saunas are said to include improved circulation, reduced stress levels (I can certainly agree with this one), improvement of cardiovascular health, and they have also been known to improve asthma and many skin conditions.
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The Finns I spoke to all agreed with this, and many attributed regular sauna use to never getting colds, youthful looking skin and general mental wellbeing.
One said her grandmother, who lives in the north of Finland in Kuusamo, still took a sauna every day at the age of 92.
That includes a swim in the lake afterwards, even in the middle of winter; pretty amazing when you consider temperatures in this part of Finland can reach as low as -14.
They also felt that having saunas from a young age gave them a healthy view of the female body, having seen naked grandmothers, aunties and mothers relaxing in the sauna.
It is traditional for public saunas to be separated by male and female, in which case many people go naked.
However, Löyly also offers mixed saunas (with swimwear), meaning groups of friends go along, business meetings are conducted and couples can enjoy the sauna together. A sauna at Löyly costs £16.85 (19€) per person or £266.10 (300€) for a private sauna.
Next on the sauna list was Sky Sauna.
This is exactly as it sounds – a sauna in the sky. Essentially the Helsinki version of the London Eye, but one of the pods has been transformed into a sauna!
This is a great experience for a special occasion.
Our morning began with a pre-sauna hot tub overlooking the harbour before we walkie-talked the wheel controller to let him know that we wanted to jump aboard.
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He then stopped the wheel, and our sky sauna began.
We still had the walkie-talkie, so if things got too hot, we could ask to be let out – but we managed a full three turns of the wheel before hopping out for a cold shower and back in again.
It was definitely an experience I wont forget – the views from the wheel are beautiful and include the stunning Uspenski and Helsinki Cathedrals, Market Square, the old Market Hall, and the Baltic Sea.
Sky Sauna costs £213 (240€) per hour for up to four people.
As well as the newer saunas, we were also keen to try out a more traditional option.
A short bus ride out of the city centre,and we arrived at Kaurilan Sauna.
Surrounded by green woodland, Kaurilan Sauna is an authentic 19th-century sauna building, which was originally located in Tuusula and was transported to Helsinki in 1995 by owner Saara Lehtonen.
Initially, it was used by Saara and her family, but in 2009 she decided to share this special place with the public.
It feels like a much more traditional sauna experience at Kaurilan.
The log cabin is cosy, with beautiful homemade linen furnishings. There are no electric lights, so the sauna is lit just by candlelight.
Saara also makes gorgeous soaps, deo-creams and beauty products using natural ingredients that can be bought at Kaurilan and across Finland.
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Kaurilan Sauna costs £14.20 (16€) per person. You can hire the sauna from £159.70 (180€).
Each sauna offered a completely different experience, but I came away with a new respect and understanding for Finns and for saunas.
I dont think you fully experience the importance of sauna until you have one in Finland.
In fact, sauna is the only Finnish word that is used in other languages!
Other things to do in Helsinki:
Helsinki is filled with different food and drink options.
For drinks, head to the Helsinki Distilling Company for excellent cocktails and a distillery tour to see how their gin and whiskey is made. Tours cost £13.30 (15€) per person.
Enjoy the best of Helsinkis restaurant scene with a dinner at Ragu, located in a beautiful historical building near Esplanadi Park.
Make sure you order the surprise menu – five courses of Italian-inspired cuisine using seasonal Finnish ingredients – which costs £50.50 (57€). You can also order wines to match for £43.50 (49€).
Island hop around Helsinkis many islands, including beautiful Lonna Island, is essential. An island-hopping ticket is £7 (8€) for adults.
A short walk from Kaurilan Sauna is Seurasaari Museum Island.
This open-air museum contains 87 buildings moved to the island from different locations around Finland, showcasing the history and life of Finns during the last four centuries.
Buildings include a sauna, cottages, farmsteads and manors and boathouses. Entry to Seurasaari museum island is free.
Where to stay in Helsinki and how to get there:
The funky Hotel F6 has rooms from £162 (180€) per night, including breakfast.
Fly to Helsinki from London Heathrow with Finn Air from £78 return.
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Hayley Lewis is a travel writer, blogger and producer. For more on saunas in Helsinki head to alovelyplanet.com or follow Hayley on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Facebook.
(Top picture: Hayley Lewis)
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