Jussi Tiainen / OOPEAA
Lonna Sauna
Facilities
Baths
A Finnish dream: a tradition sauna by the sea close to the city centre. On Lonna Island, just off the coast and historic harbour of Helsinki, a delicate and small-scale public sauna offers view of the Helsinki archipelago and a possibility to bathe in the relaxing atmosphere of a contemporary yet traditional log sauna. Outdoor showers offer a full-body experience of the seaside winds.
Cities and towns
National parks
UNESCO sites
UNESCO global geoparks
Main roads
Airports
Cruise ports
Case
Infrastructure
Walking path
Rocks / Cliffs
Grass
Trees / Forest
River / Ocean
On the border between urban and nature
Lonna Sauna offers views of the silhouette of the city on one side and of the open sea on the other. The sauna fits in the context of a group of historical military structures built during the Russian rule in the 19th century. The compact building has a handcrafted wooden log structure left bare and a sculptural pitched roof in zinc plate. The steam rooms have wood-burning stoves, which offer an authentic bathing experience while enjoying the view to the sea. While the atmosphere is that of a traditional Finnish sauna, the use of larch in the furnishings and the large window openings create a clearly contemporary feel.
Awarded contemporary architecture with a traditional twist
Lonna Island is situated a short waterbus ride away from Helsinki Market Square, next to the Suomenlinna Fortress Island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Until 2016, the small island was occupied by the Finnish army, after which it was opened to the public, like many other islands in the Helsinki archipelago, as the Helsinki Maritime Strategy entails. The small sauna is part of the continuum of the tradition of public saunas in Finland and of the newly revived urban sauna culture. On the border between urban and nature, Lonna Sauna offers views of the silhouette of the city on one side and of the open sea on the other. The compact building has a handcrafted wooden log structure left bare and a sculptural pitched roof in zinc plate. The steam rooms have wood-burning stoves, which offer an authentic bathing experience while enjoying the view to the sea. While the atmosphere is that of a traditional Finnish sauna, the use of larch in the furnishings and the large window openings create a clearly contemporary feel.
Key facts
- Location
Lonna Island, Kruunuvuorenselkä, Helsinki, Region of Uusimaa in Southern Finland
- GPS points
N60°09'14.1" E24°59'27.6"
- Protection Framework
- Larger Project Framework
Helsinki archipelago
- Estimated number of visitors a year
10,000 in the sauna and 60,000 on the island in 2019; due to covid-19, the numbers dropped in 2020 and 2021 to 7,500–8,500 and 30,000
- High season
May–September
- Low season
Closed October–April
- Project Owner
Governing Body of Suomenlinna
- Designer
Anssi Lassila, OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture
- Year of construction
2017
- Materials
wood (larch), zinc roof
- Landscape type
Coastline, waterscape