Finland’s Helsinki Airport has heated up the world’s first runway sauna in order to help incomers relax and unwind as soon as they arrive in the famously happy country
The world’s first runway sauna has opened.
It is perhaps unsurprising that the world’s sauna capital, which is home to three million saunas or one for every two people, is the first to set one up on the tarmac. Finland’s Helsinki Airport has heated up the runway sauna in order to help incomers relax and unwind as soon as they arrive.
“Most airports have transit zones – some even have saunas. But only Helsinki Airport can offer a transit to Finnish happiness. It is the touchpoint to tune into the rhythm, values and mindset of Finland. Your story can go anywhere from here. To showcase this short transition, we built the world’s first runway sauna at Helsinki Airport,” says Anna Tuomi, Finavia’s head of marketing.
Helsinki Airport has been selected as the best airport in Europe seven times within the past eight years. According to Finavia, “it is a melting pot of diversity and a gateway to Finnish design and local values of trust and equity. The sauna culture welcomes everyone.”
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The word ‘sauna’ is the only Finnish word which has entered into mainstream usage around the world without being translated into other languages. It only takes approximately three hours from London and two hours from Berlin to land in Helsinki to experience the local sauna culture.
There are also three saunas right at the Helsinki Airport terminal — and more waiting in nearby hotels and around the airport area. From the airport, it’s only a short trip to explore the wide variety of saunas located across the Helsinki metropolitan area.
“Finland is known as the world’s happiest country and the timeless tradition of sauna is at the heart of Finnish culture. At Finavia, we’ve brought these elements together to celebrate Finnish happiness,” Tuomi added.
Aviation and saunas are two things that have been brought together before.
Ari and Jari Lehtinen, 57-year-old twins known for their unconventional sauna designs, have successfully launched their latest creation, which combines Finland’s love for saunas with getting up in the air.
The innovative flying sauna, weighing just 170 kg, ascended to an altitude of 2,300 metres during its inaugural flight, allowing its occupants to experience temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius while floating above the Finnish landscape. The flight lasted approximately one hour, with two sauna enthusiasts and two crew members on board.
Ari explained the motivation behind the project. “It’s always about attempting something that others don’t do. And sauna is always fun. People are usually in high spirits when saunas are involved. This is an incredibly good counterbalance for work,” he said.
This airborne sauna is the latest in a series of unique projects by the Lehtinen brothers. Previously, they created an underwater sauna, a hemp-constructed sauna, and a cowhide-covered mobile sauna. Their previous endeavours have taken them to extreme locations, including a sauna session atop Halti fell, Finland’s highest point, during a snowstorm.