Outdoor saunas in Finland

Helsinki, Finland

A floating sauna and pool complex in Helsinki's harbour, directly opposite the Market Square and the Presidential Palace. 3 saunas and 2 pools, one heated, one Baltic seawater. Touristy by Helsinki standards, but the setting is unbeatable and the sea pool in winter is genuinely bracing.

Espoo, Finland

A small seaside sauna in the yard of Villa Rulludd at Hyljelahti in Espoo, taken by one group at a time along with the adjoining cottage and grounds. The shore of the Gulf of Finland is a few steps away, and groups bring their own food and drink. Sauna evenings run through the summer.

Helsinki, Finland

A hired sauna floor beside Pasila station, run by Pasilan Saunatilat alongside its sister space Esterin Sauna. Two saunas open onto a 200 m2 room with a kitchen, lounge seating, fireplaces and a balcony to cool off on. The whole place goes to one group, booked by the hour in the day or as an evening shift.

Tampere, Finland

A smoke sauna and an electric sauna on a lake shore in forest about 13 km from central Tampere, in a 1968 building extended in 2006. A group hires the whole place, with an outdoor hot tub, a grill on the veranda and a separate meeting room. Swimming is in the lake in summer and an ice hole in winter.

Tampere, Finland

A public wood-fired sauna on the shore of Näsijärvi, run by Tampere's winter swimmers' club. An ice hole is kept open through the winter, and entry is pay-at-the-door with no booking. Quiet hours are set aside at some sessions, and a smaller yurt sauna shares the changing rooms.

Kaarina, Finland

A farm at Piikkiö in Kaarina with two smoke saunas and an ice-swimming hole cut in a pond in the woods. Through the winter it sells open Tuesday evenings that anyone can book online, using one or both saunas depending on the night. The rest of the year the saunas go with private hire of the estate.

Oulu, Finland

A wood-heated sauna on a raft moored at Tuira beach in Oulu, run by volunteers from the local shore sauna society since 2014. Swimsuits are worn, the changing rooms are separate, and cooling off means the Oulujoki river beside you. It runs from May Day into autumn, with a quiet sauna on Wednesdays.

Helsinki, Finland

A lakeside sauna complex in the Sipoonkorpi forest, 30 minutes from Helsinki centre. A smoke sauna heated for hours, a frigid lake for plunging, and birch trees in every direction. The winter weekend smoke sauna sessions are as good as it gets: dark sky, snow underfoot, hot smoke.

Rauma, Finland

Three wood-heated saunas stand on the shore of Narvijärvi, twenty minutes from Rauma, lit every day of the year. The family who took on the old municipal beach sauna in 2019 still run them. Swimming is from the sandy beach in summer and an ice hole in winter, with a heated outdoor pool and a café on site.

Espoo, Finland

Two sauna rooms with their own lounges at the A Grid startup centre on the Aalto campus in Otaniemi, one taking 10-15 on the upper benches and a smaller one taking four or five. A courtyard terrace serves as the cooling area and catering comes from the restaurant downstairs. One group hires the space: there are no public shifts.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki's most architecturally striking public sauna, a timber-lattice building on the Hernesaari waterfront with direct sea access. The smoke sauna and wood-heated sauna sit side by side, both opening onto the Baltic. There is a restaurant on site for afterwards, and it earns the hype.

Espoo, Finland

One of Löylykontti's self-service shore saunas, this one stands on Matinkylä swimming beach in Espoo with a panorama window to the sea. Book a bench place on a shared hour or the whole sauna for your group, then let yourself in with a door code. Swimming runs all year, and the outdoor rinsing shower opens June to September.

Helsinki, Finland

Two container saunas sit on the Sörnäinen shore promenade, with heated steps running from the terrace down into the sea. Book a slot online and let yourself in with a door code, either a shared bench place or the whole sauna for your group. Swimming carries on through the winter.

Helsinki, Finland

The City of Helsinki's wood-heated shore sauna sits on the south side of Länsi-Pihlajasaari, a ten-minute water bus from Merisatama or Ruoholahti. One group books it at a time for a three-hour slot, up to seven people, and heats it themselves with the firewood provided. The sea is a few steps from the door.

Helsinki, Finland

Three wood-fired saunas on the sea at Länsiulapanniemi in Lauttasaari, run by the Helsinki police summer home association but open to anyone. Public sessions are booked and paid for online in advance. A group can also hire the saunas privately and heat them itself, and a dock by the shore is used for swimming and winter dipping.

Kaarina, Finland

A small wood-heated sauna and hot tub on a wooded plot in Kaarina, close to the Turku boundary. It has been in use since 1946. Bookings are for your own group, with six to eight fitting the sauna and a covered outdoor area for the rest.

Helsinki, Finland

A wood-fired sauna boat moored at the Mustikkamaa marina in Helsinki, run by Saunalautta.fi alongside its smaller m/s Sauna. The 12-metre vessel takes sixteen at the dock, with a heated hot tub, a sheltered lounge and a ladder into the sea. It is booked whole, by the shift or as a cruise.

Helsinki, Finland

A wood-heated sauna raft moored at Taivallahti in Töölö, with a roof terrace, a shower and room for ten on the benches. Public hourly turns are booked online seat by seat, and the whole raft can be taken privately, and in summer it leaves the dock for anchored cruises for up to twelve. Swimming is straight off the deck.

Helsinki, Finland

Two traditional smoke saunas on the northern tip of Vasikkasaari, with the Helsinki skyline across the water. Sea swimming and a hot tub sit beside them, and the RÖK summer kitchen cooks over open fire and smoke. A boat runs out from the Market Square on summer weekends, and the island is also let for private events.

Tampere, Finland

A wood-fired yurt sauna on the Näsijärvi shore at Kaupinoja in Tampere, sharing the beach with the older public sauna there. Walk in during opening hours and pay the sauna tender directly, or use a ten-visit card. Swimming is from the shore, year round.

Helsinki, Finland

A free, volunteer-run sauna on Mustikkamaa, the island park a footbridge away from Kalasatama. No staff, no booking, no rules beyond basic sauna etiquette. Bring your own towel and an open mind: Helsinki at its most democratic.

Helsinki, Finland

A rooftop sauna and function space above Teollisuuskatu, hired whole by the group. The sauna seats twelve and opens onto a 200 m2 terrace with an outdoor hot tub, alongside changing rooms, lounges, a billiard table and a karaoke room. Grill and sauna catering menus can be added to a booking.

Tampere, Finland

Sauna buildings on the Pyhajarvi shore at Varala sports institute, hired by groups rather than open to walk-ins. Six lakeside saunas take eight to twelve each and come with a fireplace or lounge room, terraces stepping down to the water. A separate log sauna can be booked with a hot tub.