Winter Sauna & Ice Dip Experience: This is Löylykontti in Kivenlahti, Espoo

Photo: Löylykontti

On a cold February evening, a small group walks along the shore of Kivenlahti searching for a container building, which is said to hide a sauna and its warmth inside.

We park the car in a free parking area near the marina. After walking a few hundred meters, we spot the faintly lit Löylykontti (address: Merivalkama 11, Espoo). A code opens the door, and behind it, we find a small but functional changing room. We undress into our natural attire and head towards the sauna.

Löylykontti is now a small sauna service that has landed in various locations, including Sörnäinen in Helsinki, Matinkylä in Espoo, Kivenlahti, Laaksolahti, and even after-ski spots at Tahko. Reservations are made online, after which the guests receive codes to access the facilities. The saunas are heated through computer control, and there is no one on-site except for the sauna users themselves. A totally individualistic experience!

The first culture shock for our group are the user-friendly sauna stove controls! No buckets or ladles, just a collection of buttons beneath the benches, which, when pressed, activate a pipe system inside the stove to release a fine mist of water onto the stones. Pressing a button creates a moist, soothing heat in the room, the perfect contrast to the frosty air outside sparkling with ice crystals.

From the sauna window, we watch couples out on evening walks, dogs sniffing around the roots of pine trees, and the dark, icy bay. At the end of the pier, thawed water bubbles up, and we head towards it. (Always whenever the opportunity arises!) A small plexiglass structure protects us from the coldest wind as we plunge into the nearly zero-degree water.

In the winter, the sauna doesn’t have shower facilities, likely due to the risk of pipes freezing and general wastewater legislation. In any case, historically, saunas in Finland have been located also on dry land. Often, washing has been done either with a separate bucket of washing water or without it. In the classic Finnish literary work Seven Brothers by Aleksis Kivi, the brothers often bathe in the sauna without a shower. In Löylykontti, in the winter, after-sauna rinsing can be done either in the ice hole or at home, and that’s what we did.

The smallest addition with the highest return for any ice-dipping experience are slippers or sandals to protect your feet from the icy ground, a robe for those chilly walks to the pier and back as well as gloves and hats if you wanna be professional about it.

After enjoying our two hour slot we decided that we will make a return visit to Kivenlahti in the summer when the mercury is above freezing.

Check out Löylykontti’s website, Instagram, and Facebook.