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Wellness · Helsinki · 25 Jun 2026 · 02:25 GMT+7

Helsinki turns the sauna into a civic attraction

Public saunas are becoming the way visitors meet the city, not just warm up in it.
MV
By Marisol Vega
Wellness desk · 25 Jun 2026
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Helsinki
On the ground in Helsinki
Key takeaways
Helsinki’s wave of architectural public saunas has turned a private ritual into a civic attraction, and a reason for travellers to visit in winter.
It is wellness as public space.

Helsinki’s wave of architectural public saunas has turned a private ritual into a civic attraction, and a reason for travellers to visit in winter. The sauna is now the city’s living room.

It is wellness as public space. WorldTravelBrief follows the design-led bathhouses.

Helsinki
On the ground in Helsinki
By Marisol Vega · WorldTravelBrief
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Helsinki turns the sauna into a civic attraction — WorldTravelBrief