Your base is Hotel Lilla Roberts in the Design District, with unhurried breakfasts and quiet rooms. The pace is slow and unhurried: arrive, settle, and let the heat do its quiet work, in the capitol of the land of sauna.
Between sessions there is sea air, short walks, and simple meals and urban living.
The Urban Escape
The Urban Escape
The Essentials
Duration:
3 Days – 2 Nights
Accommodation:
Two nights at Hotel Lilla Roberts
Saunas you visit:
Kotiharjun Sauna, Furuvik Seaside Sauna and Löyly Sauna
Food:
Breakfast is included – the rest you decide. We recommend options of quality if needed.
Group Size:
Flexible — ideal for solo travellers, couples, or small groups
Getting There:
Fly to Helsinki Airport (HEL) — private transfers to and from hotel included on arrival and departure
Experience Level:
Perfect for first-timers and seasoned sauna lovers alike
Season:
Available on weekends year-round
– My husband and I went went to Helsinki in the summer.
We can´t wait to go again for the winter
Cathrine, 56, Holland
Journey Overview
Friday - Arrival and first bath
Arrival in Helsinki before noon. Our private driver will transfer you to Hotel Lilla Roberts in the Design District, close to museums, shops and Esplanadi. The former electricity and police building is now a quiet boutique hotel with Nordic classicism and Art Deco details. Breakfast is well-rounded, and the bar and restaurant provide a natural gathering point.
Later, we will visit Kotiharjun Sauna in Kallio—Helsinki’s oldest wood-fired public sauna (1928), with separate men’s and women’s sections. Expect steady and traditional löyly.
When the heat peaks, step outside for a simple cool-down on the bench, and have a chat with the locals.
The evening is open. The hotel's Krog Roba and Bar Lilla e are obvious choices, and there are many good places within walking distance if you want to go out into the city. We'll help you with suggestions and booking if needed.
Saturday - A sauna day at the seaside & open evening
After breakfast, you go for a day at Furuvik Seaside Sauna. This award-winning sauna sits on a sheltered sandy bay, with the steam room and terrace opening straight to the Baltic Sea.
Sessions fit about 12–14 guests, with a small changing room, two bathrooms, shower and a locker for valuables. Between rounds you cool off outside and swim from the shore.
Late afternoon you return to the city. The evening is free.
Sunday - Löyly Sauna and departure
A quiet morning starts. After breakfast you go to the shoreline for a public session at Löyly Sauna (2016) in Helsinki is designed by Avanto Architects, International Architecture Award winner and listed in TIME’s “World’s 100 Greatest Places.”
This building consists of a black “core” with saunas and a restaurant, enclosed by a low, faceted shell of heat-treated pine, which forms wide, stepped roof terraces and allows the house to blend naturally into the coastline. The wooden slats act as both a climate shield, sun protection and a filter for views of the sea, while walkways and decks lead guests from urban spaces to the water’s edge. Access to the sea is direct year‑round, and there is space to sit between rounds with wide views over the water.
Löyly also functions as a social urban hub and meeting place with a restaurant and bar, so the visit can be rounded off with something simple to eat before departure.
From here private transfer to the airport and return home. If this appeals to you, you are welcome.
I wanted to make a trip that shows how sauna fits naturally into everyday life here. Three days, three saunas – enough to feel the Finnish rhythm, and to explore the authentic sauna culture.
It’s relaxed, local and quietly full of warmth.
Ida, Northern Star
Accommodation
For The Urban Escape we have chosen Hotel Lilla Roberts that is centrally located in Helsinki, in the Kaartinkaupunki / Design District
– a neighborhood full of architecture, fashion stores, cafes and museums just around the corner.
The buildings have an interesting history: first as a transformer station and later as a police station, before being transformed into the current boutique hotel in 2015. The architecture is influenced by Nordic classicism and Art Deco, with decorative elements, dark tones, geometric patterns and golden accents
Beautifully decorated room is your choice if you like a Art Deco. Relax during your holiday or between the sauna sessions on a sofa and enjoy the elegant and classy interior.
Hotel Lilla Roberts offers an elegant environment – a simultaneous dichotomy of the modern, and rich with history. In the hotel’s stylish lobby you can sense the times gone by, and be charmed by the wonderful history of the building.
Located amid the ultra-cool design district in the Kaartinkaupunki sector, Hotel Lilla Roberts is just a heartbeat away from the bustling center of Helsinki.
The Saunas
Helsinki has more than +60 public saunas. For The Urban Escape Northern Star owner Ida Kaijalainen has selected these 3 saunas,
that show the diversity of Helsinki´s blossoming sauna culture.
From the forest surrounded seaside sauna, across the historical and institutional sauna and to the vibrant modern urban sauna hub.
Furuvik Seaside Sauna
Located just 6 km from Helsinki Villa Furuvik’s area consists of a historic Villa Furuvik, a unique beach sauna, an idyllic courtyard sauna and an atmospheric barbecue shed. Transport to and from Helsinki included.
Kotiharjun Sauna
Kotiharjun Sauna has been a gathering place for locals for nearly a century. The building and interior carries a sense of timelessness. Men and women bathe separately, meeting outside between rounds to cool off in the fresh air. It’s an authentic and lively glimpse into everyday Finnish sauna life, unchanged, genuine, and full of character.
Löyly Sauna
An International Architecture Award winning sauna and listed in TIME’s “World’s 100 Greatest Places.”
Löyly has four saunas inside, restaurants and serves as a dynamic social hub. It is placed right on the Helsinki shorefront, and is a must-see sauna for all löyly enthusiasts.
Three Saunas • Two Nights • One Weekend
Practical details
Price: from 6,800 DKK / 10,000 SEK / 910 € per person
Duration: weekend format – Friday to Sunday
- Dates: available most weekends through out the year
Included:
- Accommodation (two nights) at boutique hotel Lilla Roberts
- Private airport transfers on arrival and departure
- All breakfasts
- 3 curated sauna experiences Kotiharjun Sauna, Furuvik Seaside Sauna & Löyly Sauna
- Private transportation to and from Furuvik
- Local guide on Saturday
- Online guided support from Northern Star
- All taxes
Not included:
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Additional meals
Weekend Get-Away • Helsinki´s Best Saunas • Stress Reducing
The Extras
Optional extras – tailor your journey with Northern Star
Make your experience truly your own by adding a selection of extras:
Private sauna sessions
Wellness add-ons (sauna yoga, massage, herbal treatments)
Comfort upgrades (single room supplement, boutique hotel or design apartment, private transport instead of shared)
Contact us for special requests — we’re happy to help shape your journey.
Gallery
The Scenery
