Your first ice swim in Rovaniemi, in the order it happens
Most people walk to their first ice hole sure they will turn back at the ladder. The heat of the sauna before and after does most of the work, and the order of things matters more than courage. This is how an evening usually goes, round by round.
Change and rinse, then warm up
You start in a changing room or cabin, swap your clothes for a swimsuit and leave your phone somewhere dry. Rinse off under a shower if your sauna has one, since not every rural sauna does.
Towels and clogs or slippers are provided on most of these trips. Our packing list covers the few things you still need, such as a warm hat for between rounds.
Eat something light a couple of hours before and skip alcohol until the evening is over. Take off rings and watches too, since metal gets hot in the sauna and cold fingers shrink.
The first round in the heat
Nordic Adventures' dinner evening suggests rounds of about 10–15 minutes. The air in a wood-heated Finnish sauna typically sits around 70–100 °C (158–212 °F), so take a lower bench if the top one feels fierce.
Ladle a little water onto the hot stones and a wave of steam rises, which Finns call löyly. It stings for a moment and then settles over you like a warm blanket.
Stay until you feel warm all the way through, not just flushed in the face. Then step outside for a minute and let your breathing settle before the walk to the water.
Walking to the ice hole
Keep your clogs or slippers on for the walk, because bare feet stick to frozen boards and hurt on packed snow. The hole, an avanto in Finnish, is kept open in the ice. Steps or a ladder usually lead down into it.
Pajasauna reviewers say the host shows them how to enter the water safely before leaving. On the shared trips the guide stays close by, and on any trip you should never go in alone.
Down the ladder, breathing out
Turn to face the ladder and go down slowly, one rung at a time. The first touch of near-freezing water makes most people gasp, which is the cold shock response. Breathe out long and slow as you lower yourself.
One reviewer measured the water at about 1 °C (34 °F) on a night when the air was -25 °C (-13 °F). Under ice the water stays just above freezing, so it feels much the same whatever the weather above.
Keep your head above water and never dive or jump in. Hands and feet hurt first, a sharp burning ache that tells you it is time to climb out.
A few seconds is enough
For a first dip, a few seconds up to your shoulders counts as a full success. Some people only go in to the waist the first time, and that is fine too.
Climb out, slip your feet back into the clogs and walk straight to the sauna. The tingling warmth that follows is what regulars describe as relaxing, and it is why most people go back for another round.
Nothing obliges you to go in at all. The listing for the lakeside home trip says the cold dip is optional, while the dinner evening lets you roll in the snow instead.
A patient first ice swim at a lakeside home
Nordic Adventures' 3.5-hour trip gives you about 1.5–2 hours of sauna time at the hosts' home, with a maintained ice hole and snacks by the fireplace. The cold dip is your call.
If the cold feels like too much
Some people reach the second rung and decide that is enough for the night. Climb back up, wrap yourself in a towel and head for the heat, because nobody on these trips keeps score.
A gentler option is to splash your arms and face from the ladder, or sit on the edge with your feet in where the steps allow. On the next round the water often seems less shocking, since you know what is coming.
Stop for the evening and warm up slowly if you start shivering hard or feel dizzy, or if you cannot get your breath back. Those are signs your body has had enough cold, and hypothermia is not something to test.
Repeat the rounds
Most evenings leave time for two to four rounds of heat and cold. One reviewer managed three or four, and each dip tends to feel a little easier than the one before.
Finish in the sauna or by the fire rather than in the cold. Dress slowly and drink some water. Your body keeps cooling for a while after the last dip, so warm up gradually instead of rushing into a hot shower.
Our safety guide explains who should skip the ice hole; anyone with heart or blood-pressure problems is on that list. Pregnant travelers and anyone unsure should ask a doctor first, since we are not doctors.
Which trip suits a first ice swim
A longer session gives you time to work up to the water. The lakeside home trip at ~$101 offers the most sauna time, with a guide who explains the tradition as you go.
Pajasauna at ~$89 gives you privacy if you would rather nobody watched you on the ladder. Our Pajasauna guide shows the jetty and the river ice hole you would use.
Compare all four on our price page. If company is the deciding factor, our private-versus-group comparison helps. For winter timing, see when the ice holds.