Relax at the Best Spas in Helsinki, One of the World's Happiest Cities
Helsinki, Finland. [Photo credit: Tapio Haaja]
Helsinki is Finland’s capital and most populated city located on the Gulf of Finland. The city has been long recognized by media outlets worldwide for its high standard of urban living. Time magazine named it one of the world’s greatest places in 2021, it was ranked the fourth-friendliest city in Europe in the Condé Nast Traveler 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards, and it was named one of the world’s happiest cities in the 2024 Happy City Index by the Institute for Quality of Life.
Founded by King Gustav I of Sweden in June of 1550, Helsinki began as a trading town named Helsingfors. Today, the city is Finland’s most significant hub for politics, education, finance, culture, and research; and some 680,000 people call it home.
One of its most striking features is the abundance of 20th-century architecture, seen in places like its art nouveau central train station designed by Eliel Saarinen and the modern Finlandia Hall designed by Alvar Aalto. But don’t fret, nature lovers, as Finland is one of the most forested countries in Europe and thus Helsinki offers plenty of access to green spaces like Keskuspuisto, Helsinki’s central park.
Dine on the flavors of Helsinki at Michelin-star restaurants or cozy seaside cafes. Outlets to note include Restaurant Palace, Baskeri & Basso Bistro, Café Savoy, and Vinkkeli, among others. And when you’re ready for some TLC, pay a visit to one of the city’s standout spas, saunas, and wellness outlets—Helsinki has them in abundance, so read on to hear about all they have to offer.
Read on to discover our top picks for the best spas in Helsinki and find the best flight deals to Finland when booking your next getaway.
Kämp Spa & Fitness at Hotel Kämp
Pohjoisesplandadi, 29, Helsinki, 00100, Finland; (+358) 90-5619-2727
This 130-year-old hotel was born out of the dreams of Carl Kämp, born in 1848 and moved to Helsinki at a young age. After making a name for himself in the restaurant industry, his next goal was to design, fund, and build a modern and continental hotel in Helsinki.
The hotel’s regal design was crafted by architect Theodor Höjier; it was also the first hotel in Finland to have an elevator. Today, Hotel Kämp features 179 guest rooms, Notes by Kämp restaurant serving up a collection of shareable dishes and playful cocktails, and Kämp Spa & Fitness.
Housed on the hotel’s eighth floor, Kämp Spa & Fitness features a menu of treatments and services, a traditional Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus-scented steam bath, and a holistic wellness gym. Signature treatments here include the Helsinki Harmony during which guests can expect a body exfoliation, hot-stone massage, and a scalp massage, and the Northern Lights, featuring an aromatherapy full-body massage and a personalized facial, among others.
Receive a package deal by booking the Kämp Breakfast & Spa, which provides a delicious buffet breakfast; a 45-minute back, neck, and shoulder massage; and a visit to the Finnish sauna or steam room. Additional spa services include body and foot massages, facials, sugaring and waxing, and on-the-go treatments for a bit of quick TLC.
Lapland Hotels Bulevardi
Boulevard 29, 00120, Helsinki, Finland; (+358) 9-2525-1111
Visitors will find Lapland Hotels Bulevardi in Helsinki’s Punavuori district, with more than 100 of its guest rooms offering their own private saunas. If this piqued your interest, consider the Mystique Deluxe Sauna Twin or Double, the Arctic Deluxe Spa Twin or Double, the Lapland Suite, or the Lapland Penthouse Suite, among others.
If you choose a room without its own sauna, rest assured the hotel also offers public sauna facilities on the first floor. Additionally, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Kultá Kitchen & Bar, serves up cuisine that honors traditional northern Nordic ingredients; while the Lounge Bar offers refreshing drinks and light bites.
If you’re looking to get your heart rate up, the hotel’s gym, also housed on the first floor, is open 24/7.
Löyly
Hernesaarenranta, 400150, Helsinki, Finland; (+358) 50-476-8741
Find a unique sauna-restaurant combination at Löyly, located on the waterfront of the Gulf of Finland. The saunas, with both public and private options, are traditional smoke and wood-burning saunas that can accommodate about 20 people at any one time.
The seaside location offers direct access to the open water in which you can take a dip to cool off after a sauna session. If you’d prefer more privacy with friends or family, consider booking the smaller, private sauna for up to 10 people, which also features a private terrace.
When you’re ready to eat, head to the restaurant with its glass, panoramic windows for water views while dining on delicious Scandinavian fare. Notable menu items here include the Löyly Burger, beetroot risotto, Jasper’s Salmon Soup, and Toast Skagen, among others.
St. George Care at Hotel St. George
Yrjönkatu, 13, 00120 Helsinki, Finland; (+358) 9-4246-0050
Embodying the intersection of luxury and wellness, Hotel St. George is situated near Helskinki’s Old Church Park and features 148 guest rooms and five suites. Parts of the seven-floor property date to the 1840s, although newer updates and additions were designed by architect Onni Tarjanne—known for designing the Finnish National Theatre in 1902—and completed in 1890.
On-site, guests and visitors will find two culinary outlets, the Wintergarden Restaurant and Bar and the St. George Bakery. The former is built into the hotel’s courtyard and is covered by a glass roof inspired by classical conservatories of the 18th and 20th centuries; its menu features artful cocktails, Finnish tapas, and other delectable fare.
The bakery, as you might likely assume, serves up fresh-baked bread, sweet pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads, smoothies, wines, and, of course, coffee. When you’re ready to relax, head to the hotel’s St. George Care, a spa and fitness center.
Treatments here include massages, with its signature being The Revival Experience, during which guests receive focused pressure on the upper back, neck, face, and scalp. Facials, such as The Hydra Mineral Skin Therapy Session, are designed to brighten the facial complexion using antioxidants and a facial massage.
Body treatments, including the St. George Head to Toe Luxury Treatment, revitalize the body and mind using a hot-stone massage, foot treatment, facial, and scalp massage. Express treatments are available for those on a time crunch looking for some quick rejuvenation, while a restorative hand bar combines manicure services with back massages for the ultimate pampering experience.
The Maria Spa at The Hotel Maria
Mariankatu 23, 00170 Helsinki, Finland; +(358) 9-8860-0100
Located within The Hotel Maria, one of Helsinki’s most prestigious addresses, The Maria Spa is inspired by revered royal Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. Offering a sophisticated escape with Nordic hospitality, the spa is a haven for renewal, drawing from the country’s pristine natural beauty.
Its stunning amenities include an atrium lounge with a glass roof and lush greenery, a traditional Finnish sauna, cold and warm water plunge pools, a Jacuzzi, a changing room with Diptyque shower and skincare products, Atrium Bar, and a uniquely designed steam room. The spa also offers the region’s first Wellness Concierge, who tailors each experience according to guests’ individual preferences.
Spa Profile: The Maria Spa at The Hotel Maria
The spa’s menu consists of signature treatments crafted by fresh cosmetics pioneer Niki Newd, incorporating luxury products from Biologique Recherche to blend Nordic expertise with French beauty care. Recommended treatments include the Biologique Recherche Second Peau Facial Treatment, a two-hour experience that gives skin the ultimate glow.
Guests can also combine different types of treatments or devices on the spa menu in order to achieve personalized and effective results. Personalized wellness weekends are also available for spa-goers to experience.
VALO Hotel & Work Helsinki
Mannerheimintie 109, 00280 Helsinki, Finland; (+358) 10-340-4000
VALO Hotel & Work Helsinki prides itself on its sustainability practices, from multiuse spaces to reduce energy use and the incorporation of sustainable materials to energy-efficient systems. It’s been Green Key certified since 2020, has an “Excellent”-level BREEAM International In-Use certificate from 2022, as well as a Sustainable Travel Finland certification from 2023.
One of the hotel’s most notable features is its traditional Finnish log saunas, handcrafted in Pielavesi by craftsman Jaakko Holma. Located on the hotel’s rooftop, the saunas provide stunning views of the surrounding landscapes.
Between sauna visits, cool off in the cold pool or relax in the jacuzzi. Back inside the property, there is also a larger relaxation pool, a steam sauna, a small fireplace, a pool bar. After some much-deserved TLC, grab a bite at Bistro ELO, Valo Hotel’s on-site restaurant that highlights seasonal and locally grown fare.
Menu items guests might spy include chorizo balls in a basil-tomato sauce and garlic-herb yogurt, pilaf rice, cod loin braised in white wine, creamy Tuscan chicken and parmesan, and herb-marinated tofu and caponata vegetables, among others.
[Photos courtesy of spas and hotels]
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Amanda Christensen is a writer and editor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with experience covering a range of business, lifestyle, and tourism topics. She has a passion for traveling and experiencing the world through a multitude of lenses, using her work to share with readers how they might best accomplish that themselves. View her work at amandachristensen.journoportfolio.com.