Sauna in Helsinki: Löyly, a Floating Sauna or a Guided Session?
4 min read
For a first sauna in Helsinki, buy the Löyly entry ticket: it is the most reviewed sauna offer by a wide margin, and you only need swimwear and a plan for the sea. Choose the floating sauna if you want something smaller and wood-fired, and the guided session if you want someone to explain the customs. Whatever you pick, read the booking page for swimwear rules before you go, because they differ from sauna to sauna.
Löyly: the ticket most people book
The Löyly sauna entry ticket costs €29 for two hours and has 409 reviews, with a rating of 4.8. Löyly sits on the waterfront at Hernesaarenranta 4. The page describes a smoke sauna and a wood-burning sauna, each taking around 20 bathers, with direct access to the sea. It also describes separate changing rooms and showers for men and women, while the saunas themselves are mixed.
Swimwear is required in the saunas, and the page says it can be rented on site; nudity is listed as not allowed. The ticket page lists a towel, a seat liner, shampoo and shower gel as part of the entry. The age limit for the sauna facilities is 18 without a guardian, and children under 10 can enter free if they share a locker with a parent. One line on the page says the ticket is only valid for entry at 1 pm, so check the time slot you are offered. The page marks it as likely to sell out and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The official Löyly info page gives sauna hours that differ by weekday and lists adjusted hours around Christmas and New Year, so look at it before you travel.
The floating sauna
The Floating Sauna Hiisi ticket costs €12.60 for one hour. It is a wood-fired sauna in the Töölö district with a host who greets you and explains the sauna, and it is limited to 10 people. The page calls it a self-guided session with no set programme, so you do not get a guide. You bring your own towel and swimwear, and the page says the sauna is a shared unisex area. It lists people with mobility impairments, heart problems or respiratory issues as not suitable. In winter the sauna is moored permanently, and the page invites you to swim in the sea, even in winter, only if you feel like it.
The guided session
The Sauna with a Finn tour costs €59 and runs about three hours in English for up to seven people. It starts at 10.30 in front of the Finnish National Theatre, next to the main railway station. A walk of about 1 hour 15 minutes takes you roughly 2 km to a public sauna, with stories about sauna history and mythology on the way. The main location is Löylykontti Sörnäinen, and if it rains or the sauna is unavailable the group can use Allas Sea Pool. You get about one hour of sauna and sea swimming and traditional non-alcoholic drinks. A swimsuit is mandatory. The page says it suits adults and teens aged 15 and over and lists as not suitable children under 15, pregnant women, people with heart problems, high blood pressure or epilepsy, people who have had recent surgery, wheelchair users and non-swimmers; swimming in the sea is only for those who can swim. It also says the sea is cold in autumn and winter.
| Option | Time | Group | Bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Löyly entry ticket | 2 hours | Public sauna, around 20 per sauna | Swimwear (rentable on site); towel included |
| Floating Sauna Hiisi | 1 hour | Up to 10 | Your own towel and swimwear |
| Sauna with a Finn | About 3 hours | Up to 7 | Swimsuit, towel, water, sandals |
Before you go
Pack flip-flops or sandals and a bag for wet things. If you have heart or circulation problems, or you are pregnant, ask a doctor before using a hot sauna and a cold sea; of the three pages, Hiisi and Sauna with a Finn list heart problems as not suitable, for Löyly, ask the venue. Both of those pages also say the cold dip is optional, and at Löyly too you can simply cool down outside instead.
Our recommendation
Book the Löyly ticket for a classic first sauna, with children under 10 welcome if they share a locker. Book Sauna with a Finn if you are 15 or older and want the stories and a guide with you the whole time. See all sauna experiences in Helsinki for more.
