Two saunas facing the Baltic, a hole cut in the winter ice, and the oldest good habit in Finland.
There are more saunas than cars in this country, and almost none of them are luxuries. The sauna here is not a spa treatment you book once a year — it is an ordinary room, as plain and as necessary as a kitchen, where Finns have washed, talked, argued and said nothing at all for centuries. We have simply put ours where it belongs: at the water's edge. Heat on its own is only half of it. The sea is what completes it.
The first is wood-heated, and it is the real thing: a stove fed by hand, a bucket, a ladle, and löyly — the steam that rises when water is thrown onto the stones. It is a soft, heavy, enveloping heat, and it is worth the wait while the fire takes.
The second is electric and kept a little gentler — for a lighter session, a quick warm-up before breakfast, or anyone who would rather ease into it. Both have a single wide picture window facing the water, so you sit and watch the ice, the ferries and the light change while you sweat.
Through the winter we keep an avanto off our terrace — a square cut into the sea ice, with a wooden ladder and a handrail down into black water a degree or two above freezing. In summer there is no ceremony at all: you walk down the granite and swim from the rocks.
The cycle is simple, and worth being honest about. Heat until you have had enough. Walk out — the cold air alone is already part of it. Down the ladder, in to the shoulders, ten or fifteen seconds, and out again. Then rest on the terrace or in the quiet lounge until your breathing settles and the warmth comes back from the inside rather than the outside. Then, if you want to, do the whole thing again.
The first dip is a shock and everyone laughs at themselves. The second is easier. By the third you understand why an entire country does this on a Tuesday in February.
The Sauna & Sea Ritual
Heat, cold, rest and a pair of good hands — all of it together at the water's edge, a few steps from your room.
Wood-heated for true löyly, electric for a lighter heat — both with sea-view picture windows.
A hole cut in the sea ice with ladder and handrail all winter; open-water swimming in summer.
Wood-framed tubs on the granite terrace, kept warm from early morning until late evening.
Massages and simple, unfussy treatments — bookable at reception during your stay.
Nothing complicated — but a few things are worth knowing before your first session.
| Detail | Good to know |
|---|---|
| Sauna hours | Both saunas are open daily 07:00–21:00 for hotel guests. Private hours can be reserved at reception, and guests who book direct receive one private hour free. |
| Avanto conditions | Our staff check and measure the ice every morning. The avanto stays closed whenever the ice is unsafe or the weather turns — no exceptions. Reception will always know the day's answer. |
| Swimwear | Swimwear is worn in the hot tubs, in the avanto and anywhere on the terrace. In the saunas themselves, sit on your towel, as Finns do. |
| Towels and robes | A robe, slippers and sauna towels wait in every room and are replaced daily. Walk down in the robe — everyone does. |
| Treatments | Massages and treatments should be booked a day ahead at reception, as we work with a small team of local therapists. |
| Quiet lounge | The lounge between the saunas is for resting: low voices, no phone calls, no screens. It is the part of the ritual most people underestimate. |
Book direct for our best available rate, a free private sauna hour, and late checkout on Sundays.
Book Your Stay