A new sauna has opened on a private island in Helsinki, granting travelers access to a traditional aspect of Finland’s famed bathing culture—the smoke sauna—that was previously unavailable in the capital city.
What is Saunasaari?
Saunasaari, which literally means “Sauna Island” in Finnish, opened to the public on June 26. It sits on a small patch of land at the northern tip of Vasikkasaari, part of Helsinki’s archipelago of more than 300 islands and a short ferry ride from the city’s Market Square. Upon arriving, visitors can spend an evening moving between two saunas and two wood-fired hot tubs, cooling off in the Baltic Sea, and sitting down to a dinner cooked over an open fire, all while looking back across the water toward the city skyline.
What is a smoke sauna?
While the setting is scenic, Saunasaari’s most notable feature is that it has Helsinki’s only public smoke saunas, which many Finns consider to be the most traditional variety, meaning it provides an experience more commonly encountered in the countryside and at summer cottages. Known as a savusauna in Finnish, a smoke sauna is heated without a chimney. Unlike in electric and wood-stove saunas, in smoke saunas a fire burns for several hours in a stone stove, filling the room with smoke and heat. (Saunasaari uses a slight variation, a pellet stove lined with slate.) Once the space is hot enough, the fire is extinguished and the room ventilated before bathers enter.
What does the experience include?
Guests can enjoy a drink in one of two wood-fired hot tubs, or go for a bracing dip in the chilly water offshore (left); a set-menu dinner featuring whitefish, steak, roasted carrots, and more is included in the price of the experience (right).
Photos by Woodward Creative/Helsinki Partners
“The Finnish archipelago, traditional smoke sauna, open-fire cooking, and genuine hospitality are all deeply rooted in our identity,” said Saunasaari cofounder Nina Stenros. “We wanted to create an experience where visitors can step into that world without leaving Helsinki.”
Related: My Favorite Wellness Travel Tip? Talk to Strangers in the Sauna
Indeed, Saunasaari allows guests a chance to immerse themselves in Finnish sauna culture, which UNESCO added to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. The practice is so deeply woven into everyday life in Finland that the country has more than 3 million saunas for a population of roughly 5.6 million.
Beyond the saunas and wood-fired palju (hot tubs), Saunasaari has a collection of simple wooden buildings housing changing facilities, the kitchen, and the dining room. Guests choose either meat or vegetarian set menus; the former includes smoked whitefish in sour cream sauce as an appetizer and a grilled beef entrecôte entrée, while the latter consists of a roasted carrot starter and a grilled cabbage main. Both come with sides of potatoes and a green herb salad, as well as campfire-roasted rhubarb and vanilla ice cream.
How to visit Saunasaari
For individual travelers, Saunasaari is currently open on Fridays and Saturdays as part of its “Sauna and Dine” offering. A ferry leaves Market Square at 5 p.m. and returns at 9 p.m. The experience, with ferry transportation, sauna and hot tub time, and dinner at the wood-fired kitchen, Rök, costs €128 (about US$146 based on current conversion rates) per person. Visitors should bring their own towels and swimsuit. The entire island can also be reserved for private events.
Related: You Need to Get Yourself Into a Floating Sauna This Summer
