Outdoor saunas in Helsinki

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.