notes from what i can remember from a finland trip in 2022

HELSINKI

Kotiharjun Sauna (1 sauna)
Neon sauna sign
Gender segregated, nude bathing
Bleacher seating, many levels, at least six? Concrete all around with wood slats seats to sit on
Old wooden lockers
Shower room between locker room and sauna – just a bunch of shower heads along the wall no separators
Chess with a guy with painted red fingernails

Cafe Kuusijärvi (5)
Savusaunas
Lunch buffet
Gender segregated locker rooms with two electric saunas inside
Three savusaunas outside for all, two smaller and one larger
Joined Finnish guy with French girlfriend for several rounds
Arrived right at opening (1pm), one sauna 128°C (262F), old Finn sitting outside totally red
Right beside lake, cold plunge/swim between rounds from one side of the dock to the other

Löyly (2)
Architecturally amazing
Both saunas stairs to raised platforms, very dark inside
Round ship looking light under platform on one room
Outside deck to plunge into harbor
Inside large soaking showers, very large timber to be used for sitting and other benches near shower area to relax.
Room with fire in middle and nice seating also for relaxing
Bar available for beers and long drink

TAMPERE

Kaupinojan Sauna (1)
Brick walls
Stairs into lake with large pump to keep one small section unfrozen
Sauna sausage-dedicated grill
Several tiers of seating on both sides of hot room, not really enough room not to get dripped on if full of people
Many people, more quiet
Plywood seats to sit on in sauna with spray and washing station outside hot room

Rauhaniemen kansankylpylä (2)
Loads of people – very social hangout
Right on lake
One long room
One smaller square room
Sorta on top of each other, definitely in the drip zone on lower bench
Crowded such that young guys entering had the man sitting next to the stove throw a bunch of löyly to make room by steaming out the ones who had been there a while
Deck to hole in lake for cold plunge
Grills, sausage available for purchase at reception

Rajaportti Sauna (1)
Claims oldest public in Finland
White washed (lime?) plaster walls; only wood was wooden bench boards on top of concrete
Gender segregated
Large, bearded Finnish man with sauna tattoo on forearm, seen later in the cafe eating a a large sausage
Discussion about Russian invasion of Ukraine in locker room, but in Finnish. I was filled in with few details
One guy who has a home sauna but comes to this one as well, at least once a week
Originally one hot room but now separated with a wall for men women but still served by the same single stove. Just open your side’s lid when you want it hotter or want to throw löyly.
Single platform on essentially a second story with wash benches and basin below – most had to duck a little under there

Kuuma Saunaravintola (2)
Two beautiful savusaunas
Outside deck with plunge deck into harbor
Order window on deck for bar
Karju beer bear logo branded into end of some pieces of stacked wood
Unisex but individual showers right outside of sauna room

ROVANIEMI

Nautilus Gym Rovaniemi (1)
In locker room
A Finnish guy very skilled at tossing löyly from the bench to the precise parts of the stove he was aiming for
Large pool outside locker room
Tile room with wooden
High humidity

LEVI

Northern Lights Village Levi (1)
Private sauna
Large panoramic windows even up to roof, unfortunately no northern lights
Beautiful hot room
Sauna wasn’t on to start and didn’t get super hot
Hot tub outside

Hotel Levi Panorama (2)
Room sauna, small two person cabin sauna
Gender segregated
Hotel sauna, round with stove in middle
Saw northern lights for the very first time on my last round of sauna is the trip from large panoramic window in sauna