Sauna Experience
Date & Time: Thursday, September 18, 19:00–21:00 EEST (in person in Helsinki)
Registration: Pre-registration is required. Sign up when you register for EPIC2025.
Cost: €5,80–18 depending on your sauna selection. Towel rental is an additional cost. By signing up during conference registration you are committing to attend the experience. You will pay the fee directly to the sauna when you arrive.
About Finnish Sauna
In Finland, saunas are more than just places to relax—they are an integral part of Finnish culture and identity. Over 3 million saunas across the country (population 5.5 million) are sanctuaries for both physical and mental well-being, offering spaces for meditation, socialization, and healing. They are not a luxury, they’re a necessity! The Finnish sauna tradition is renowned worldwide for its health benefits, including improved circulation and stress relief.
The EPIC2025 local team has organized three distinct, guided sauna experiences, each designed to provide an authentic taste of this unique Finnish tradition. You’ll go in small groups accompanied by a local guide, immersing yourself in the culture. Please note that you’ll pay the sauna fee yourself.
If you prefer to explore saunas alone, or these options are full, you can use the extensive list of local favorites that we will provide soon!
Selecting a Sauna
When selecting a sauna—with us or on your own—we suggest identifying the following characteristics so you have an experience that suits you:
- Gender: Some have separate saunas for men and women, and others are all gender (families often go to sauna together). Some have both options.
- Nudity: Saunas have rules about nudity—swimsuits may be optional, required, or not allowed. In Finnish culture, nudity in sauna is completely normal and natural; there is no sexuality or shame in sauna, and Finns are not shy about nudity. However, if swimsuits are optional, you will not feel out of place if you wear one—everyone is focused on relaxing and cleansing and will not take notice.
- Essential items and rentals: Bring a towel and, if you plan to wear one, a swimsuit. Many saunas rent towels and some rent swimsuits. We recommend bringing flip flops or slides. You may wish to bring basic personal items (e.g., a comb).
- Swimming: Some saunas have swimming pools or a cold plunge.
Guided Sauna Experiences
Allas Sea Pool
Cost: €18
Gender: 3 mixed saunas; 2 separate saunas (1 men’s and 1 women’s)
Nudity: Not allowed (a swimsuit is mandatory)
Rentals: Towels for €8,90
Swimming: Sea pool; heated pool; children’s pool
Restaurant/bar: Yes
More info: https://www.allaspool.fi/en/
Allas Sea Pool offers the opportunity to enjoy the heat of a sauna in a magnificent maritime setting—and a dip in a Baltic Sea pool. It has a lively restaurant, bar, and cafe, and is located next to the Sky Wheel in Helsinki’s iconic South Harbor.
Kotiharju Sauna
Cost: €16
Gender: Separate saunas (men’s and women’s)
Nudity: Optional
Rentals: Towels for €3; sandals (slides) for €15
Swimming: Not available
Restaurant/bar: No
More info: https://www.kotiharjunsauna.fi/en
Built in 1928, Kotiharju Sauna is the only remaining public wood-burning sauna in Helsinki. It’s located in the heart of the urban and trendy Kallio area, and was renovated in 1999. The wood-burning saunas let you enjoy the mellow heat of the traditional sauna experience. Very popular among locals.
Swimming Stadium
Cost: €5,80
Gender: 4 separate saunas (2 men’s and 2 women’s)
Nudity: Required in sauna (not in pools)
Rentals: Towels for €7; swimsuits for €7; lockers for €0,5 coin
Swimming: 50 metre pool; diving pool; children’s pool; wading pool
Restaurant/bar: Yes
The Swimming Stadium was designed by architect Jorma Järvi in the Functionalist style for the 1940 Olympic Games. The games were cancelled because of World War II, when the pools were used instead to store herring and vegetables. Construction was completed in 1947 and Helsinki hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics. The Swimming Stadium is also the oldest public outdoor pool in Finland. Saunas are a part of outdoor swimming experience.