Visitors to Finland in search of a true cultural experience should go to the Urjönkadun Uimahalli, an art-deco bath house with three types of saunas and a swimming pool. There are few things more quintessentially Finnish than taking a sauna and swimming in the nude. The Finns invented the sauna and feel quite comfortable, unlike many of their Ango-American brethren, being naked. While sauna might a mixed gender affair in people’s homes, it is not at the bath house. There are separate days for women and men, but once you get inside there is little privacy from your fellow bathers. Bathing suits are not banned, but almost everyone goes without one. Those who desire a private sauna or a massage can reserve one ahead of time.
Saunas
The three different types of saunas in the bath house have their own unique benefits. The electric sauna is temperature controlled and the heat is usually dry. Think baking in the desert, but without the sun. People might throw water over the rocks in the electric sauna, which creates a quick burst of steam and instantly raises the temperature. The heat in the wood burning sauna is quite warm but the air feeels more moist than the electric sauna. Bring your towel, take a spot on one of the benches, and be careful not to lean against the sauna wall because the walls are hot and covered in soot. Slap yourself with one of the birch branches in the sauna to release a fresh, woodsy odor and increase circulation in your extremities. The steam sauna, often known as the Turkish sauna, is the most moist sauna of all and great for relieving stuffy sinuses and dry skin, two common side effects of being in Finland during the dark, cold, winter months.
Swimming Pool
The bath house has a small café open during the week with tables on the second floor of the hall, looking down on the swimming pool. The 25 meter pool is on the first floor of the complex, surrounded on both sides with rows of lockers. There is a bin in the pool area with leg buoys, kickboards, and flotation belts for “walking” in the water. The communal shower room and two of the electric saunas are downstairs, one set at 75 degrees Celsius (167 Fahrenheit), the other at 80 Celsius (176 Fahrenheit).
Details
The Urjönkadun Uimahalli is located at Yrjönkatu 21b in Helsinki, across from the Torni Hotel (the site of Cold War intrigue on the part of the Russian “diplomats” living in Helsinki at the time), tel +358 (0)9 310 87401. A single ticket is 4.20 euros for the first floor pool and electric saunas, 11 euros for the access to the second floor saunas and the pool. The men’s days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and the women’s days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The complex is open until 9pm on most days.
