Löyly and Helsinki public saunas: prices, booking, swimwear rules and ice swimming

💡 The Short Version: Finnish sauna culture is on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Löyly in Hernesaari has a smoke sauna and a wood-fired sauna with a ladder into the Baltic (€29.00 for two hours; book ahead). Allas Sea Pool floats in South Harbour by Market Square, with five saunas and heated 27°C pools (€19.00 weekdays, €24.00 weekends). Kotiharjun Sauna in Kallio (€16.00, walk-in only) has been wood-fired since 1928. Or book a tour: a Löyly sauna entry ticketad from €29 covers 2 hours with a smoke or wood-burning sauna and a swim in the Baltic, and a small-group Allas Sea Pool sauna trip with a guidead is €152.

⚠️ Book your Löyly slot in advance. Afternoon and weekend slots routinely sell out days ahead. Reserve on Löyly’s official booking portal before you arrive.

Helsinki’s public saunas compared

Löyly: coastal design and the Baltic plunge

The City of Helsinki commissioned Löyly (Hernesaarenranta 4) to revive the former industrial port peninsula of Hernesaari. Avanto Architects (Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen) designed it, and it opened in 2016.

Löyly, Hernesaari. Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• The building: A black structure wrapped in more than 4,000 heat-treated, FSC-certified Finnish pine slats. Outdoor wooden stairs climb to a rooftop deck facing the Gulf of Finland towards Tallinn.
• Two saunas:
  1. Smoke sauna (savusauna): Heated for hours before opening, giving a dark, smoky steam. It is the only regularly heated public smoke sauna near the centre.
  2. Wood-fired sauna: A continuously burning stove.
• The Baltic plunge: A terrace and metal staircase lead into the sea. In summer the water is 16°C to 19°C; in winter an aerator keeps an ice hole (avanto) open.
• Included: A towel, disposable seat cover (pefletti), locker key and Finnish shampoo and body wash. Changing rooms and showers are separate for men and women; the saunas and terrace are mixed, with swimwear required.
• Dining: The restaurant next door serves Finnish classics, including fish soup and game meatballs; see where to eat in Helsinki.

Allas Sea Pool: swimming in the heart of the harbour

Allas Sea Pool is a floating spa complex at Katajanokanlaituri 2 A, beside Market Square and the Presidential Palace.

Allas Sea Pool, South Harbour. Photo: Paasikivi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• Five saunas: The Panorama Sauna (80°C) has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the archipelago ferries, the Corner Sauna is 90°C, and three floating saunas sit over the seawater basin.
• The pools:
  1. Warm water pool (25 metres): Heated to 27°C year-round, so you can swim lengths outdoors while snow falls.
  2. Baltic Sea water pool: Filtered seawater that follows the sea temperature, from 20°C in July to 1°C in January.
  3. Children’s pool: Open in the warm summer months.
• Fares and hours: Open 365 days a year from 06:30 on weekdays and 08:00 at weekends. Adults pay €19.00 Monday to Thursday (and Friday before 14:00) and €24.00 from Friday afternoon through Sunday. Discount tickets for students and pensioners cost €14.00 to €18.00.

Kotiharjun Sauna: wood-fired in Kallio

Kotiharjun Sauna at Harjutorinkatu 1 in the working-class quarter of Kallio dates from 1928 and is the last traditional wood-burning commercial public sauna in Helsinki.

Kotiharjun Sauna, Kallio. Photo: Matti Paavonen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

• The stove: Split birch logs heat several tonnes of stones, and the stored heat lasts all evening, giving a soft steam.
• Separate sections: Men bathe on the ground floor and women on the first floor. Bathers go unclothed; swimwear is not allowed, but you may wrap a towel round yourself.
• Cooling off: Between rounds, bathers sit on benches on the pavement of Harjutorinkatu in towels with a cold drink.
• Prices and extras: Admission is €16.00 (students and seniors €13.00). Birch whisks (vihta) are sold in season, and back-washing can be booked on some evenings.

Sompasauna: volunteer-run by the sea

Sompasauna is on the shoreline of Mustikkamaa (Kansanpuistonpolku 5).

Sompasauna, Mustikkamaa. Photo: Olimar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• Origins: Built without permits in 2011 on the wharves of the former Sompasaari cargo port, it was demolished several times before the city gave the Sompasauna Volunteer Association a permanent site on Mustikkamaa.
• Self-service: There are no staff, ticket booths, showers or running water. Bathers chop birch firewood, carry seawater to ladle over the stove and swim from the granite rocks.
• Cost: Free, open 24 hours a day all year. A donation box and a mobile payment QR code pay for fuel. Clothing is optional and photography is forbidden.

Kulttuurisauna and Sauna Hermanni

• Kulttuurisauna (Merihaka): Designed in 2013 by architect Tuomas Toivonen and the Japanese designer Nene Tsuboi, at Hakaniemenranta 17. A low-emission wood-pellet stove heats it, and the mood is quiet: groups larger than two are turned away and speaking above a whisper is discouraged. Evening sessions must be booked; swimwear is not allowed.
• Sauna Hermanni (Hämeentie 63): Founded in 1953 in the Hermanni district, with mid-century decor, vintage magazines and electric stoves. Walk-in only; swimwear is not allowed.

Sauna etiquette

1. Shower first: Wash with soap before entering the hot room.
2. Sit on a cover (pefletti): Never put bare skin on the benches; use a towel or disposable liner.
3. Throwing water: Anyone may, but ask first: “Saako heittää löylyä?” (“May I throw water?”).
4. Drink: Heat dehydrates you; drink water between rounds.
5. Leave when you are warm enough: Nobody is timing you.

What to explore next

• Winter: Helsinki in winter and Christmas.
• Island saunas: Lonna and Pihlajasaari, in the Helsinki archipelago islands guide.
• Hotels with saunas: Where to stay in Helsinki.