Rovaniemi Ice Swimming

In Rovaniemi the classic winter evening ends with a wood-heated sauna and a few seconds in a hole cut through the ice. You can do it in a private 1958 sauna on the Kemijoki river bank, or ride out to a lake in the forest with a guide and a meal after. We compared four trips, from a 90-minute session for ~$89 to a four-hour evening with smoked salmon. Each comes with its price and its catch.

  • Ice season: roughly December to AprilThe rivers and lakes freeze over in early winter, and the holes stay open until the thaw. In summer the same saunas end with an open-water swim
  • Seconds, not minutesA first dip lasts a few breaths. Most people go in two or three times between sauna rounds and come out grinning

In a hurry? Our top pick is Pajasauna's private river sauna: ~$89 a person for 90 minutes in a smoke-scented 1958 sauna with the frozen Kemijoki a few steps away. Book it here.

Book on GetYourGuide Book on Viator

Compare all 4 trips

If you only have a minute

Which Rovaniemi ice swim should you book?

Say a friend flying into Rovaniemi asked us where to try the sauna and the ice hole. Over a cinnamon bun on Koskikatu, this is what we would tell them.

For most visitors the trip to book is Pajasauna's private sauna on the Kemijoki, from ~$89. You have the sauna and the river ladder to yourselves for an hour and a half, the host explains how to get into the water and then leaves you in peace, and it has more reviews than the other three together. You reach it by bus 14 or taxi.

Want a ride from the hotel and dinner after? Nordic Adventures' lakeside evening costs ~$172 with smoked salmon in a log cottage. Their home sauna by a forest lake is ~$101 with snacks by the fire. If you want a campfire and a hot tub option for your own group, look at NordicUnique's forest sauna at ~$145.

Nobody can promise a clear sky. Check what each trip costs with the extras and how a first dip goes, see how each evening is spent, then read the small print we pulled out before you pay.

Our pick

The sauna we would book: Pajasauna on the river

It is the cheapest of the four, the only one that is yours alone without paying extra, and it carries 400+ reviews at 4.9. The price of that quiet is getting there yourself.

Green northern lights over the dark Kemijoki river with a small fire glowing on the bank by the sauna Our pick

Private Traditional Sauna & River Ice Plunge, Pajasauna

★★★★★ 4.9 from 400+ reviews on GetYourGuide · free cancellation up to 24 hours before

The renovated, wood-heated sauna started life in 1958 as a blacksmith's bathhouse. It stands at Pajatie 11 on the Kemijoki bank, on the Muurola side of town, about 20 minutes by car from the center and a 5-minute walk from the bus stop.

The host gives you a short tour and hands out towels and clogs with drinking water. Then the place is yours. You throw water on the stones as often as you like, step out onto the terrace to cool down, and walk down to the river for the dip.

On a clear night you watch for the aurora over the islands and hills across the water. By day the view is the frozen river itself. Then you change, dry your hair with the hairdryer provided and head back to town.

Duration
1.5 hours
Group
Private, your group only, up to 5
Setting
A 1958 wood sauna on the Kemijoki
Address
Pajatie 11, 97140 Rovaniemi
Provided
Towel, clogs, hairdryer, drinking water
Swimsuit
Optional, per the listing
Limits
No under-5s; not for heart conditions or limited mobility
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours; reserve now, pay later
Price per person from ~$89 Private · river sauna
GetYourGuide Viator

Live availability and prices on GetYourGuide

Powered by GetYourGuide

How the session runs, step by step

This is the order the listing describes. How many rounds you do in 90 minutes is entirely up to you.

Out of the center

  • Bus 14 from the center to the stop Kemintie 2356, or the train
  • A 5-minute walk along Pajatie, following the signs
  • A quick tour of the sauna and terrace, down to the bathing spot

Hot and cold

  • Rounds in the wood-heated sauna, water on the stones for steam
  • Down to the Kemijoki for the dip, back up to the terrace
  • Dry off and change, then catch your ride back to town

What the price covers

You pay for the sauna and the riverbank, with the kit included. Getting there and anything to eat are up to you.

Included
  • Private use of the sauna and terrace for 1.5 hours
  • Towel and clogs, plus a hairdryer
  • Drinking water
  • A host who shows you how to get into the river safely
Not included
  • Transport from your hotel
  • Food
  • A shower you can count on (Viator says there is none)
  • A guaranteed aurora

Between us, before you go

A word from one cold-water convert to another. Check the bus back before you pick a time slot. The listing says no public transport runs out for the 8:00 pm session; on some afternoons and weekends there is no bus home either, so a taxi becomes part of the price.

The toilet is a dry one, and the listings disagree about a shower, so bring a hair tie and plan to wash at the hotel. Our guide to reaching the sauna lists every gap in the timetable.

Why it beats the evening trips

You are not sharing the bench with strangers, and you set the pace of every round. It costs less than half of the dinner evening, and its 400+ reviews average 4.9. Private or group sets the two styles side by side.

What you give up is the hotel pickup and a meal. The session is also the shortest here, so it suits a sauna lover more than someone who wants a whole evening planned.

Who we would not send on it

Anyone with a heart condition or limited mobility, whom the listing itself turns away. Travelers without a car who can only go late in the evening or at the weekend, unless they budget for a taxi. And anyone who wants dinner by the fire, who will be happier on Nordic Adventures' salmon evening.

Book it if

You want the sauna and the river to yourselves for a while, at your own pace, in a place with some history. It suits couples and friends, and a first-timer who would rather gasp in private than in front of a group.

Skip it if

Ready for the river?

Pajasauna is on GetYourGuide (4.9 from 400+ reviews) and on Viator (5.0 from 62 reviews). Both let you cancel for free up to 24 hours before, so you can check the bus times and the forecast first.

GetYourGuide Viator

The evening itself

How a Rovaniemi ice swim works

Every trip here comes down to two choices. Do you want a sauna to yourselves or a guided evening with other people? And do you want to make your own way there, or be collected at the hotel?

Style · your own sauna

Private, by the river

Pajasauna

1.5 hplus the bus or taxi each way, at your own pace

The host sets you up and steps back. Nobody times your rounds or watches you climb down the ladder. You arrange the transport, and there is no food.

Style · an evening with pickup

Out to a forest lake

Nordic Adventures, NordicUnique Travels

3–4.5 ha van from the hotel, a guide, food by the fire

Someone else drives you out of the city lights and heats the sauna, then cooks after. The sauna is often shared, and the bill is higher. A clear night out there gives the best shot at the aurora.

Rovaniemi weather and the ice season across all twelve months

  • Ice-hole conditions on lakes and rivers
  1. Jan-9°C high16 °F

    Thick ice, short days, the darkest skies

  2. Feb-8°C high18 °F

    Hard frosts, light returning in the afternoon

  3. Mar-3°C high27 °F

    Solid ice, longer days, aurora still in play

  4. Apr3°C high37 °F

    Late ice, the thaw begins toward the end

  5. May10°C high50 °F

    Ice breaks up, meltwater in the rivers

  6. Jun17°C high63 °F

    Midnight sun, cold open-water swims

  7. Jul20°C high68 °F

    The warmest water, a lake swim after the sauna

  8. Aug17°C high63 °F

    Dark nights come back late in the month

  9. Sep11°C high52 °F

    Autumn colors, chilly water, first auroras

  10. Oct3°C high37 °F

    Cold open water, no ice yet

  11. Nov-3°C high27 °F

    Freeze-up starts, the ice is not yet reliable

  12. Dec-7°C high19 °F

    Ice holes open, Christmas crowds in town

Temperatures are rough daytime highs in Rovaniemi; a cold spell can push the air far lower, and the water under the ice stays just above freezing. The bars show roughly how reliable the ice is for a proper ice hole, which varies from one winter to the next. Highlighted months are the ones we would pick. The ice season in detail.

How each evening is spent

  • Getting there and back
  • Sauna and the ice hole
  • Food by the fire

Hours count from the start and come from the listings; the colored split inside each bar is our rough guess. Viator gives Nordic Adventures' dinner evening as 4.5 hours, and Pajasauna's travel depends on your bus or taxi.

  1. Pick the formatA sauna to yourselves, or a guided evening with a meal and other guests. Private or group.
  2. Check the iceProper ice holes run from about December to April, with open-water swims in summer. When the ice holds.
  3. Plan the ridePajasauna means a bus or a taxi; the other three collect you at the hotel. Getting there.
  4. Know your limitsHeart conditions rule you out on three of the listings, and beginners stay in for seconds. Is it safe for you.

Hoping for the northern lights as well? The evening trips out of town have darker skies than the city, and a clear night between sauna rounds is the moment to look up. Your odds from the ice hole.

How to choose

How to pick the right sauna and ice hole

The cold water feels the same on all four. What differs is who shares the bench with you, plus how you get there and what waits once you are dry.

Time

Ninety minutes at Pajasauna plus the bus, three hours with NordicUnique, about four with Nordic Adventures' dinner. The four-hour evening.

Privacy

Pajasauna is yours alone, and NordicUnique books whole groups. Nordic Adventures' two trips are shared, with up to 15 at the home sauna. Private or group.

Food

Smoked salmon and potatoes on the dinner evening, sausages over a campfire with NordicUnique, snacks by the fire at the home sauna. Pajasauna serves none. Every price in one table.

Budget

From ~$89 for the private river sauna to ~$172 for the evening with pickup and dinner. NordicUnique's jacuzzi tier costs more than its basic ~$145. The costs compared.

Getting there

Three of the four collect you at your hotel. For Pajasauna you take bus 14 or the train, and some evening slots have no bus at all. How to get there.

First time?

Every host shows you the way in, and nobody makes you go under. A few seconds in the water counts. Your first ice swim.

Everything else to do in Rovaniemi

The 4 trips

Four ways into the ice hole, side by side

We read every sauna and ice swimming listing for Rovaniemi on both booking sites and kept the four with real ice holes and enough reviews to trust. Each card gives the price and the length beside the company's name. It also names the catch, with a button for each site that sells it.

Three bathers in swimsuits sitting on the wooden benches of a warm wood-heated sauna Our pick

Private Traditional Sauna & River Ice Plunge, Pajasauna

The one we would book for a first ice swim.

Ninety minutes alone in a renovated 1958 blacksmith's sauna on the Kemijoki, south of the center. The host shows you around and how to enter the river, then leaves you to your own rounds of steam and cold water, with the terrace in between.

  • Rating4.9 from 400+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • Duration1.5 hours, plus your own travel
  • Tour companyPajasauna
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsPrivate; the lowest price; the most reviews by far
  • Ideal forCouples and friends, or a nervous first-timer

Good to know: No transport and no food. Some evening and weekend slots have no bus there or back, and Viator says there is no shower. Not for children under 5 or anyone with heart problems. The river sauna up close.

~$89per person
GetYourGuide Viator
Green northern lights rising behind snow-laden spruce trees on a clear Lapland night Dinner included

Sauna, Ice Plunge, Dinner and Aurora (if lucky), Nordic Adventures

The full evening, with someone else doing the driving.

A van collects you from one of about 15 hotels and drives out to a sauna by an Arctic lake north of the city. You alternate sauna rounds of 10–15 minutes with the ice hole or a roll in the snow, then sit down to smoked salmon and potatoes in a wooden cottage.

  • Rating4.8 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 4 hours, with hotel pickup
  • Tour companyNordic Adventures
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, pay later
  • StrengthsPickup and dinner; dark skies for the aurora
  • Ideal forTravelers who want the whole evening arranged

Good to know: The highest price here, and the sauna is shared. Bring your own swimsuit. Aurora chances run on evening departures from late October to mid-March, never promised. Not for children under 10. The evening in detail.

~$172per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A hand feeding a split birch log into the glowing firebox of a sauna stove Top rated

Wood-fired Sauna and Ice Swimming, with Transfers, Nordic Adventures

A Lapland family's sauna, with the ride included.

You are collected at your hotel or at the Tourist Information on Koskikatu and driven to your hosts' home by a lake. After a talk on how the wood-burning sauna works, you get about 1.5–2 hours of sauna time and a maintained ice hole. Snacks and drinks by the fireplace round it off.

  • Rating5.0 from 32 reviews on Viator
  • DurationAbout 3.5 hours, with pickup
  • Tour companyNordic Adventures
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before
  • StrengthsLong sauna time; a real home; transfers included
  • Ideal forSolo travelers and couples without a car

Good to know: Sold on Viator only, with just 32 reviews so far. A shared group of up to 15 with no meal; no children under 14. The cold dip is optional. Shared or private.

~$101per person
Viator
Bathers in an outdoor hot tub on a wooden deck looking up at green northern lights Campfire on the ice

Northern Lights with Arctic Sauna & BBQ, Jacuzzi Option, NordicUnique Travels

A sauna by a frozen lake with a campfire, for your group only.

A guide picks you up within 10 km (6 miles) of the center and drives to sauna cabins in the forest. About an hour of sauna and ice swimming, with an outdoor jacuzzi if you book that option. Then come sausages and hot blueberry juice over a campfire on the frozen lake.

  • Rating4.3 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide
  • DurationAbout 3 hours, with pickup
  • Tour companyNordicUnique Travels
  • Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before
  • StrengthsPrivate group; a hot tub option; campfire on the ice
  • Ideal forFamilies and friends who want a hot tub

Good to know: Sold on GetYourGuide only. The lowest score of the four, and reviewers find the hour in the sauna short. It needs at least 2 people (4 on Sundays and holidays), and a swimsuit rents for about 15 euros. Aurora odds.

~$145per person
GetYourGuide

A quick heads-up: these are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links. Book through one and we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you and with no say in our ranking.

Before you go

Eight things about ice swimming that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page. Each one can decide whether your evening ends warm and glowing or stuck at a bus stop in the dark.

What you should know

  1. Pajasauna's buses have gaps. The listing says nothing runs out for the 8:00 pm slot. Some afternoon and weekend sessions also lack a bus home. Pick a slot with both legs covered or budget a taxi. The full timetable gaps.
  2. A swimsuit is not always optional. Pajasauna lets you go without, the salmon evening expects one in your bag, and NordicUnique rents one for about 15 euros. What to pack.
  3. Your first dip is seconds long. The water under the ice sits just above 0 °C (32 °F). Go down the ladder slowly while breathing out, then climb back out before your hands start to ache. The first dip in order.
  4. Heart trouble means ask a doctor first. Three of the four listings name heart problems among the people the trip does not suit. The dinner evening also lists pregnancy and back problems, plus anyone with a cold. Who should sit it out.
  5. The aurora is a bonus. Clouds decide, and no listing promises a display. Nordic Adventures sells the chance only on evening departures from late October to mid-March.
  6. The ice has a season. Holes are cut once lakes and rivers freeze, usually from about December. They close with the thaw around April. Before that, or in summer, the swim is in open water. When the ice holds.
  7. Small groups can be cancelled. NordicUnique needs at least 2 people on weekdays and Saturdays and 4 on Sundays and holidays, and refunds you in full if the minimum is not reached.
  8. Showers are not a given. Viator says Pajasauna has none, so pack a hair tie, a dry bag for wet things and plan to wash at the hotel. Towels come with three of the four trips.

Everything in one table

Four ice swimming trips, catch included

The four trips side by side. Each row sets the strength of a trip against its catch.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Tour Ideal for Price Length Starts from Tour company and rating Strength and catch Book
Pajasauna, private river sauna (our pick) A first ice swim in private ~$89per person 1.5 h Pajatie 11, by bus 14 Pajasauna
4.9 on GetYourGuide		 Yours alone, a 1958 sauna on the river. No transport, no food, bus gaps.
GetYourGuideViator
Nordic Adventures, sauna and salmon dinner A whole evening arranged ~$172per person About 4 h Hotel pickup Nordic Adventures
4.8 on GetYourGuide		 Pickup, a lake sauna, dinner in a cottage. Highest price, shared sauna.
GetYourGuideViator
Nordic Adventures, home sauna with transfers Long sauna time without a car ~$101per person About 3.5 h Hotel pickup or Koskikatu 12 Nordic Adventures
5.0 on Viator		 Up to 2 hours in a family's lakeside sauna. Viator only, 32 reviews, up to 15 guests.
Viator
NordicUnique Travels, forest sauna and BBQ Groups who want a hot tub ~$145per person About 3 h Hotel pickup within 10 km NordicUnique Travels
4.3 on GetYourGuide		 Private group, campfire on the ice, jacuzzi option. Lowest score, a short hour in the sauna.
GetYourGuide

Prices are regular "from" rates per person in US dollars and can change. The booking page always has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who climbed down the ladder

Fourteen travelers, some who swam under a sky full of stars and some on a grey, mild night, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★Private river sauna, 1.5 h

We caught bus 14 from the center at four, walked five minutes down Pajatie and had the old sauna to ourselves until half past five. The host showed us the ladder into the river, explained to go in slowly and breathe out, then vanished. I lasted about four seconds the first time and nearly a minute by the third round. Check the bus back before you book, though. We had to call a taxi because nothing ran home after our slot.

HLHannah L. · Leeds, UKGrey and mild
★★★★★Private river sauna, 1.5 h

Steam, river, terrace, repeat. Ninety minutes was exactly enough.

TMTakeshi M. · Osaka, JapanClear, frosty night
★★★★★Private river sauna, 1.5 h

A green ribbon of aurora appeared over the river while we sat on the terrace wrapped in towels. We forgot the cold completely.

CBCamille B. · Lyon, FranceClear, frosty night
★★★★☆Private river sauna, 1.5 h

The sauna itself is lovely and very traditional, with a proper wood stove and a calm host. One star off only because there is no real shower and a dry toilet, so pack something to tie your hair back.

JRJonas R. · Hamburg, GermanyGrey and mild
★★★★★Sauna + salmon dinner

The van picked us up at the Scandic and drove about half an hour out of town until there were no lights at all. Three of us shared the sauna, which felt cozy rather than crowded. Between rounds the guide cleared snow from the ice hole and stood by while we climbed in. Afterwards the salmon came out of the fire with potatoes and a dip, and we ate at a long table by candlelight. No aurora that night, and none of us cared.

ASAna S. · Lisbon, PortugalGrey and mild
★★★★★Sauna + salmon dinner

I am vegetarian and they cooked me something separate without any fuss. The cold water was a shock, the dinner was the best meal of our week.

RKRaj K. · Bangalore, IndiaClear, frosty night
★★★★☆Sauna + salmon dinner

Lovely evening, but we were seven in the sauna and it never got as hot as I wanted. Next time I would book a private one and eat in town.

EPEmily P. · Chicago, USAGrey and mild
★★★★★Sauna + salmon dinner

Minus 24 outside. Northern lights after dinner. My wife still talks about it.

LVLuca V. · Milan, ItalyClear, frosty night
★★★★★Lapland home sauna

We met at the Tourist Information on Koskikatu and drove out to a family home by a lake. Our host talked us through how the wood-burning sauna works before we went in, which made the whole thing feel less like a tour and more like a visit. We had nearly two hours of sauna, and the ice hole was kept clear with a ladder and a rope. Afterwards there were snacks and hot drinks by the fireplace and nobody was in a hurry to leave.

SNSarah N. · Auckland, New ZealandClear, frosty night
★★★★★Lapland home sauna

Long sauna time, kind hosts, and my first ice swim ever. I went in twice and screamed both times.

MOMateo O. · Buenos Aires, ArgentinaGrey and mild
★★★★★Lapland home sauna

As a Swede I thought I knew saunas, but the lakeside one here was softer and steamier than ours. The hosts let us take our time. I would book it again in summer for a lake swim.

KJKarin J. · Gothenburg, SwedenClear, frosty night
★★★★★Forest sauna + BBQ

We booked the jacuzzi option for our group of four and had the forest cabins to ourselves. Sauna, a quick run to the frozen lake, then straight into the hot tub with steam rising all around us. The guide grilled sausages over a campfire on the ice afterwards and poured hot blueberry juice while we watched the clouds for gaps. We saw a faint aurora for about ten minutes. The hour in the sauna did go quickly, so do not expect a slow evening.

DWDaniel W. · Toronto, CanadaClear, frosty night
★★★★☆Forest sauna + BBQ

The hot tub was the highlight for my kids. Bring your own swimsuit to skip the rental.

YCYuna C. · Seoul, South KoreaGrey and mild
★★★★★Forest sauna + BBQ

Small private group, a friendly guide who played music in the van, and sausages on the ice. Simple and fun.

PGPieter G. · Utrecht, NetherlandsGrey and mild

Been already?

Tell the next swimmer how it went

Share your sauna evening and your first steps down the ladder. We read every review before it goes up, and we publish the critical ones too.

Your rating
The weather on the night

At least 40 characters, 40 to go

Towel on

Book Pajasauna for your ice swim

If you are in Rovaniemi and want one honest sauna evening with a dip through the ice, we would book Pajasauna's private river sauna. The old wood stove does the work, the Kemijoki does the rest, and nobody else is on the bench.

You can hold a place now and pay nearer the day. Cancelling is free until 24 hours before, which leaves time to check the bus back. Bring a warm hat for the terrace.

~$89

per person · 1.5 hours · private

GetYourGuide Viator
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later
  • ✓ Towel and clogs provided, plus a hairdryer
  • ✓ The sauna and the river to yourselves

Good to know

Why Finns walk from a hot room into a frozen lake, and what you are doing

Five minutes of reading makes the hiss of the stones, the ladder in the ice and the quiet on the bench much easier to understand.

The Finnish sauna is a small wooden room heated by a stove to somewhere around 70–100 °C (158–212 °F). In Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle where the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers meet, the cold half of the ritual comes ready made for half the year.

01A room heated by wood

All four trips on this page use wood-fired stoves rather than electric heaters. The fire heats a pile of stones, and the stones heat the room. Feeding the stove and listening to it crackle is part of the evening. The 1958 river sauna.

02Löyly, the steam

Throwing a ladle of water on the hot stones sends a wave of steam across the benches. Finns call it löyly, and it feels hotter than the thermometer says. Ask before you throw if you share the bench.

03The avanto

An ice hole cut in a frozen lake or river is an avanto, which the hosts keep open through the winter. Most have a ladder or steps and a cleared path from the sauna. Ice swimming in Finnish is avantouinti.

The moment most people remember is the walk back up from the ice, laughing at nothing while they steam in the frost.

04What the cold does first

The first seconds in near-freezing water bring a sharp gasp and fast breathing, the cold shock response. Lowering yourself slowly while you breathe out gets you through it, as long as your head stays above water. Who should sit it out.

05Rounds, not records

The rhythm is heat and then cold, a rest, then the same again. Nordic Adventures' listing suggests 10–15 minutes in the sauna before the dip, and most people manage two to four rounds. Nobody is counting your seconds in the water.

06Manners on the bench

Sit on a towel and keep your voice low, with the phone left in the changing room. Drink water between rounds and skip the alcohol until you are dry and dressed. What to pack covers the rest.

1958The year Pajasauna was built as a blacksmith's sauna

~0 °CThe water under the ice (about 32 °F)

10–15 minA sauna round before the dip, per Nordic Adventures

Dec to AprThe rough season for ice holes

Hoping for the aurora between rounds? Our guide Northern lights from the ice hole explains which trips give you the darkest sky.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about ice swimming in Rovaniemi

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

How much does ice swimming in Rovaniemi cost?

The four trips on this page start at ~$89 per person for Pajasauna's private river sauna and ~$101 for Nordic Adventures' home sauna with transfers. NordicUnique's forest sauna and BBQ is ~$145, and the evening with salmon dinner is ~$172. Every price and extra is in our cost guide.

Which ice swimming trip should I pick?

For most visitors, Pajasauna's private sauna on the Kemijoki. It is quiet and well run, and also the cheapest. If you want a ride and a meal, Nordic Adventures' salmon dinner evening. For a hot tub and a private group, NordicUnique.

When can you go ice swimming in Rovaniemi?

Once the lakes and rivers have frozen hard, proper ice holes run roughly from December to April. The start depends on the winter. Outside those months the same saunas end with a swim in open water, which is still cold in autumn. When the ice holds.

How long do you stay in the water?

A few seconds to start, maybe half a minute once you are used to it. You go in after a sauna round, then warm up again before the next one. Staying in longer than your body is happy with brings no prize. Your first dip in order.

Is ice swimming safe?

For healthy adults who go in slowly, keep their head above water and never swim alone, the hosts make it routine. Three of the four listings rule out people with heart problems, so ask a doctor first if you have any heart or blood pressure condition, or if you are pregnant. Who should sit it out.

Do I have to go in the water?

No. Nordic Adventures' home sauna calls the cold dip optional, and on the dinner evening you can roll in the snow instead. Plenty of people enjoy the sauna and cool off on the terrace.

Do I need a swimsuit?

At Pajasauna it is optional, since the sauna is private. Nordic Adventures' dinner evening asks you to bring one, and NordicUnique rents them for about 15 euros. Nine things to pack.

How do I get to Pajasauna?

Bus 14 drops you at the Kemintie 2356 stop, about 5 minutes on foot from the sauna, and the train is another option. Not every evening or weekend slot has a bus both ways, so check the timetable before you pick a time, or take a taxi. Getting there.

Will I see the northern lights?

Maybe, if the sky is clear and dark and the aurora is active. Nordic Adventures sells the chance on evening departures from late October to mid-March, but no trip can promise it. Your odds from the ice hole.

Can children come?

It depends on the trip. Pajasauna takes children from age 5, NordicUnique accepts children with paying adults, the dinner evening starts at age 10 and the home sauna at 14. Keep the dips very short for young swimmers.

Is food included?

Nordic Adventures' dinner evening includes smoked salmon with potatoes and soft drinks. NordicUnique grills sausages over a campfire and serves hot blueberry juice, and the home sauna has snacks by the fire. Pajasauna offers drinking water only.

Are the saunas private?

Pajasauna is private for up to 5, and NordicUnique books private groups of up to 12. Nordic Adventures' two trips are shared, with up to 15 at the home sauna. Private or group.

What should I wear between rounds?

Your swimsuit and a warm hat, plus the provided footwear (clogs or slippers). Wool socks and boots help for the walk to and from the sauna, and a dry bag keeps wet things away from your clothes.

Can I cancel for free?

Yes. All four can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before, and on GetYourGuide you can reserve now and pay later. If NordicUnique does not reach its minimum group size, you get a full refund.

Read before you travel

Guides to the sauna and the ice hole

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.