This European city now has an entire island dedicated to saunas
Saunasaari was previously only open to those who made private bookings
Koichiko
An island in Helsinki entirely dedicated to saunas has opened to individual visitors for the first time.
Saunasaari, one of 300 islands in the city’s archipelago, was previously only open to those who made private bookings.
Now, individuals can reserve slots on Fridays and Saturdays, which include access to the smoke sauna facilities followed by a dinner.
The island is connected by a bridge to the larger Vasikkasaari island, where many Finnish residents have cottages for the summer months.
Those have booked a visit will be collected from the Market Square port in Helsinki and taken to the island by boat, which takes approximately half an hour.
Alternatively, visitors can sail across the open water in their own vessel, which reduces the price of the session.
Once guests arrive, they have access to two smoke saunas, the sea and a hot tub, which can be enjoyed before dinner.
Summer kitchen RÖK serves meals cooked over an open fire, with the menu including dishes such as smoked fish, grilled beef entrecôte and shared vegetables.
The boat returns to the port at 9pm. The evening sauna experience costs €128 (£110) per person, or €108 (£93) without transfers.
Dinner is included, but wine pairings can be added for €34 (£29) and a towel rental for €10 (£8.60).
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