Wood-fired saunas in Finland

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

Helsinki's last remaining public wood-fired sauna, operating continuously since 1928 in the Kallio neighbourhood. The löyly is fierce, the benches are worn smooth, and the regulars don't say much. This is sauna at its most essential: no design concept, no brand, just heat.

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.

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.

Kuopio, Finland

A 1950s logging-camp cabin on the shore of Kallavesi, six hundred metres from the Rauhalahti hotel along a sand track through a nature reserve. Its smoke sauna has held more than a hundred bathers at once. Traditional evenings run every Tuesday year round with a buffet dinner and live music.

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; in summer it leaves the dock for anchored cruises for up to twelve. Swimming is straight off the deck.

Oulu, Finland

Three saunas stand in the woods on the Tervatoppila estate in Oulu: a VIP sauna and two smoke saunas, Iso-Savu and Pikku-Savu, with a hot tub in the yard. The stoves are lit year round, and a booking includes the Tervatupa cabin and its fireplace. The place is hired by one group at a time, minimum ten people.

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.

Jyväskylä, Finland

A 1951 quarry workers' sauna in the Halssila district of Jyväskylä, bought and restored by the local sauna society and back in use since 2019. The sauna room is wood-heated, with underfloor heating, an outdoor hot tub and a view towards Jyväsjärvi. The society sells public shifts alongside private hire for groups.