Salla VartiainenHelsinki – visiting Löyly the Sauna!
One of the most Finnish things that exists is the Sauna. And Finland has a sauna culture that can be traced back tens of thousands of years!
Taking a sauna is about much more than just cleaning your body, and I, as a Swedish Finn, really, really love the sauna! Probably extra much since I don´t have access to it in the same way the majority of the Finns do.
So the highlight for me on our short 7 hours visit to Helsinki was of course to visit the sauna Löyly!
Me posing with the view from Uspenski Cathedral
Tickets, good to knows and location
In Finnish Löyly is the word for the hot steam that arises in the sauna when you pour water on the hot rocks of the heater. And Löyly sauna, which shares name with the steam, has 4 different saunas, all open to the public.
Currently (year 2025) the ticket price is 26 euro for two hours and children under 10 years can join you for free. Bathing clothes are mandatory in this mixed sauna and can be rented for 8 euro.
The sauna is located at Hernesaaren ranta in Helsinki, right by the sea. And everyone is welcome to come and sauna here! But remember – it is recommended to book before arrival to be sure to get tickets!
The Löyly building
Is it a pyramid? Is it a wooden igloo?
The Löyly building has an interesting architecture. Wood meets concrete and creates this very calm and relaxing atmosphere. A bit similar to many art museums actually.
It is not surprising at all that the building has won many awards.
The different saunas in Löyly
There are four different saunas here. Two “normal” electrically heated saunas, one traditional smoke-sauna and one traditional wood-heated sauna.
We start with one of the “normal” saunas. It´s quite small and the heat is a little tired but there is a big window which lets us look outside to the relax area.
Outside of the sauna area a wooden structure shields you so you can be outside while still remaining invisible to outsiders.
The next sauna we try is the traditional wood-heated sauna. Here the heat is much better. We sit in silence and relax, let the sauna sweat out all the toxins from our bodies. It is very relaxing and feels really really therapeutic and healing.
When we come out of the sauna we step outside to the wooden terrace and I suddenly surprise my self by taking a dip in the cold cold sea!
The third sauna is also a “normal” sauna, located in a small house on the terrace. We step inside and discover that it has a beautiful view facing the sea. Here the heat is nice and really hot and after a while we step out again.
Instead of going to the smoke-sauna we returned to the wood-heated sauna which quickly became out favorite. There is something about the heat that is different in a traditional wood-heated sauna. It is softer in some strange way.
We spent totally around 1.5 hour in the saunas and the showers before we decided that it was time to eat lunch.
Restaurant
There is a restaurant in the Löyly building with many tables facing the sea. We both opted in for the sauteed reindeer with mashed potatoes, which turned out to be an excellent choice!
After the food it was time to return to the boat back to Stockholm. Happy and relaxed we enjoyed a 45 minutes walk right by the seaside back to the Viking Line terminal.
Conclusion:
Well worth to visit! We will absolutely be returning!
xoxo/Salla V