Saunas in Stockholm: Public Bastu, Floating Saunas and Spa Baths

A few years ago, finding a good sauna in Stockholm meant a hotel basement, a public swimming pool or a membership you didn’t have. Not any more. The city is in the middle of a sauna boom. There are community saunas on the waterfront of Södermalm, wood-fired saunas with their own jetty, bookable lakeside saunas in the forest, guided sessions with steam, scent and breathing, and grand old bathhouses that have been heating their saunas for more than a century. And almost all of them come with the thing that makes a Nordic sauna what it is: a plunge into cold water afterwards.

This guide covers the best saunas in and around Stockholm: public and community saunas in the city, historic bathhouses, nature saunas with a lake to jump into, spa resorts, guided sessions, and the floating saunas and sauna boats of the archipelago. It also explains the etiquette (including when to wear a swimsuit and when not to), how to do a winter ice plunge safely, and what to bring. Details were checked in September 2026 with the operators and Visit Stockholm’s sauna guide, last updated in July 2026. Saunas change their sessions and prices often, so book through each operator’s own site.

Best in the city: Hornstullsbastun at Bergsund Strand, with 90-minute bookable sessions, and Tanto bastu on the shore of Årstaviken.

Best nature sauna: Hellasgården in the Nacka nature reserve, about 15 minutes by bus from Slussen, roughly SEK 110–150, with a lake plunge all year.

Most historic: Centralbadet, an Art Nouveau bathhouse on Drottninggatan, open since 1904.

Most luxurious: Sturebadet at Stureplan, open throughout the rebuilding of the Sture block.

Day-spa escape: Yasuragi, a Japanese-style spa in Nacka, with hot and cold baths and several saunas.

Swimwear: usually off in single-sex saunas and on in mixed ones. Hornstullsbastun requires a swimsuit.

Winter water: 2–5 °C. Hellasgården keeps a hole open in the ice.

Sauna culture in Stockholm

The bastu, as Swedes call the sauna, has been part of life here for more than a thousand years, first as a place to wash and later as a place to gather. Finland is the country most associated with the sauna, and Finnish habits have shaped Swedish ones, but Sweden has its own traditions: the summer-house sauna by the lake, the sauna in the basement of the apartment block, and the public bathhouse. Stockholm built grand bathhouses at the turn of the 20th century, when bathing was part of public health, and two of them, Centralbadet and Sturebadet, are still going.

What’s new is the boom of the last few years. Across the Nordics, the sauna has become a social and wellness trend, and Stockholm has caught it: community saunas and bookable lakeside saunas have opened around the city, guided sauna rituals have arrived from Germany and the Baltic states, and cold-water bathing has become a winter obsession. For a visitor, that means more choice than ever, and saunas that are easier to book by the session without a membership.

Stockholm’s saunas at a glance

Public and community saunas in the city

Hornstullsbastun

A newly opened public sauna, Hornstullsbastun sits on the waterfront at Bergsund Strand, by Hornstull on the western end of Södermalm. You book a 90-minute session in advance, and there are separate times for men, for women and for everyone together. Unusually for a Swedish sauna, swimsuits are required at all sessions, which makes it an easy first sauna for visitors who aren’t comfortable with nudity. It’s close to the red metro line at Hornstull, and the area is full of cafés and bars for afterwards. Our Södermalm guide has the neighbourhood.

Tanto bastu

On the shore of Årstaviken, on the south side of Södermalm, Tanto bastu is run by a non-profit sauna association and opens to the public at set hours, with sessions for men, for women and mixed. Guest sessions start from about SEK 50, making it one of the cheapest saunas in the city, and the bay is right there for a cold dip. It feels like a local’s sauna, because it is one. Combine it with a walk through Tantolunden’s allotment gardens and along the water.

Lilla Sauna

For a private session, Lilla Sauna on Södermalm is a wood-fired sauna with panoramic views over Riddarfjärden and a dock for a cold plunge. You book the whole sauna, so it’s best for couples or small groups who want the place to themselves, and the crackle of a wood fire is a different experience from an electric heater.

Stockholm 1897

By Djurgårdsbron, the bridge to Djurgården, Stockholm 1897 combines a sauna with a restaurant on the waterfront, so you can sweat, cool off and sit down to dinner in one place. It’s a good way to end a day at the Djurgården museums. See our Djurgården guide.

The city’s swimming pools

Most of Stockholm’s public swimming pools have saunas in their changing rooms, included in the entry price. They’re single-sex and plain, but cheap and open all year, and they’re the everyday saunas of ordinary Stockholmers. The big city pool at Eriksdalsbadet, on Södermalm, and the historic Forsgrénska badet, in the Medborgarhuset building at Medborgarplatsen, are two central options.

Historic bathhouses

Centralbadet

Behind a wrought-iron gateway on Drottninggatan, the main pedestrian street of Norrmalm, Centralbadet has been welcoming bathers since 1904. It’s a beautiful Art Nouveau bathhouse, set back from the street behind a small garden, with a pool hall, saunas and steam rooms, and a spa offering massages and treatments. It’s an easy escape in the middle of the shopping district, and a warm refuge on a winter afternoon. Check the age limit and prices when you book, as rules for day visitors can change.

Sturebadet

At Stureplan, in the heart of Östermalm, Sturebadet is Stockholm’s most exclusive bathhouse, with more than a century of history. It sits inside Sturegallerian, part of the Sture block that has been rebuilt since 2022, and it has stayed open throughout the building work. Expect a grand pool hall, saunas, a gym, treatments and prices to match. It’s the place for a luxurious afternoon, and our guides to Östermalm and spa hotels in Stockholm suggest what else to combine it with.

Nature saunas

Hellasgården

If you only have time for one sauna, make it Hellasgården. It stands on the shore of the lake Källtorpssjön in the Nacka nature reserve, surrounded by forest, about 15 minutes by bus 401 from Slussen. After the sauna, you walk down the jetty and into the lake, and in winter a hole is kept open in the ice for those brave enough. It costs roughly SEK 110–150, and there’s a café, walking trails through the forest, and canoe and kayak hire in summer. It’s the most Swedish sauna experience within easy reach of the city, and it’s where many Stockholmers try winter bathing for the first time.

Make a day of it: walk one of the forest loops in the morning, have lunch in the café, then finish with the sauna and the lake. Our guide to Stockholm Outdoors, Nature & Wellness: A Year-Round Guide has the trails.

Saunify: lakeside saunas you book yourself

Saunify runs self-service saunas on the water at three places around Stockholm: Kaggeholm, on Lake Mälaren on Ekerö; Riddersvik, on Mälaren at Hässelby, open all year; and Skåvsjöholm, on the bay of Trälhavet outside Åkersberga, with views over the inner archipelago, also open all year. You can book a place in a shared session or reserve the whole sauna for your group, and a jetty takes you straight into the water. They’re quieter and more private than the city saunas, but you’ll need transport to reach them.

Smådalarö Gård

On the coast at Dalarö, south-east of the city, Smådalarö Gård has a wood-fired sauna with its own dock at Hemviken, suited to small groups. Combine it with a night at the hotel and dinner for a proper archipelago escape.

Spa resorts and wellness clubs

• Yasuragi, in Nacka, is a Japanese-style spa hotel by the water, with several saunas, including a steam salt sauna and a sleep sauna, and hot and cold baths inspired by Japanese bathing. You can visit for the day or stay the night. It’s the most complete spa day near Stockholm.
• Ellery Beach House, on Lidingö, is a wellness club with several saunas, pools and even padel courts.
• Djurönäset, on Värmdö in the archipelago, has classic, steam and sanarium saunas as part of a full-day spa. The sanarium is a milder, more humid sauna, a good choice if the heat of a traditional sauna is too much for you.
• Nynäs Havsbad, in Nynäshamn, is a seaside spa open all year, with views over the cliffs and the sea, and rooms for an overnight stay.

For more spa hotels in the city, see our guide to spa hotels in Stockholm, and for a special occasion, romantic things to do in Stockholm.

Guided saunas and sauna rituals

If you’d like more than just sitting in the heat, The Sacred Sauna runs guided sessions that combine heat, cold plunges, breathing exercises and aufguss, the German-style ritual in which a sauna master pours water scented with essential oils onto the stones and fans the hot air around the room with a towel. It’s theatrical, intense and surprisingly relaxing. Guided sessions are also a good introduction for first-timers, because someone tells you what to do and when.

Floating saunas and sauna boats

Stockholm is a city on the water, so it’s no surprise that some of its saunas float. Vaxholms Bastubåt, in Vaxholm, about 30 minutes from the city by road and a little over an hour by boat, is a floating sauna where you swim straight off the boat between rounds, looking out over the archipelago. Combine it with a day in Vaxholm, as our Vaxholm day trip guide explains.

In the city, sauna boats, some with hot tubs on deck, can be hired for groups, cruising the harbour while you sweat and stopping for a swim. They’re fun and pricey, and best shared among friends. Our guide to Stockholm tours explains what’s worth booking on the water.

Winter: the sauna and the ice hole

The sauna comes into its own in winter. There’s nothing quite like stepping out of 80 °C heat into snow, walking down a jetty and lowering yourself into a hole in the ice. The Baltic and the lakes around Stockholm are 2–5 °C in winter, and the shock is intense, but so is the rush of warmth and well-being afterwards. Swedes call winter bathing vinterbad, and a growing number swear by it.

To do it safely:

1. Warm up first. Spend 10–15 minutes in the sauna so you go into the water warm.
2. Go in slowly, using the ladder, and keep your breathing calm. The first gasp is the cold-shock response; let it pass.
3. Stay in briefly. Thirty seconds to a minute is plenty; beginners can just dip and get out.
4. Keep your head above water, and never dive or jump into icy water.
5. Never go alone, and only use a supervised hole or an established sauna’s ice hole, never unknown ice.
6. Warm up again in the sauna, and repeat if you like. Finish with a warm drink.

Skip the ice plunge if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, if you’re pregnant, or if you’ve been drinking. Hellasgården is the classic place to try it. See our guide to Stockholm in winter for the rest of the season.

Sauna etiquette

Swedish saunas are relaxed places, but they have rules, some written and some not. Follow these and you’ll fit right in.

• Shower before you go in, and wash off properly, to keep the sauna clean for everyone.
• Sit on a towel, always, if you’re unclothed. Never sit directly on the wooden bench.
• Know the swimwear rule. In single-sex saunas, most Swedes are naked, and nobody looks. In mixed saunas, swimwear is the norm. Some saunas set their own rules: Hornstullsbastun requires swimsuits at every session. If in doubt, ask, or follow what everyone else is doing.
• Keep your voice down. Visit Stockholm’s advice is to respect the stillness. Quiet conversation is fine; loud chatter isn’t.
• Ask before pouring water on the stones. It raises the heat for everyone in the room.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water between rounds, and don’t drink alcohol in the sauna.
• No phones or cameras. Taking photos in a sauna or changing room isn’t just rude; in Sweden it can be a crime. Our guide to photography rules in Stockholm explains the law.
• Leave when you’ve had enough. There’s no prize for staying longest. Listen to your body.

For the wider picture on Swedish manners, see our guide to Swedish cultural etiquette.

What to bring

• Two towels: one to sit on and one to dry off. Some saunas rent them; many don’t.
• Swimwear, even if you plan to go without, for mixed sessions and the plunge.
• Flip-flops or sauna slippers, for wet floors and, in winter, the walk to the jetty.
• A warm hat and a robe for winter bathing, to keep warm between the water and the sauna.
• A water bottle.
• Toiletries, as not every community sauna has shampoo and soap.
• A padlock or a coin, depending on the lockers.

How to choose

• First-timers and the nudity-shy: Hornstullsbastun, where swimsuits are required, or a guided session with The Sacred Sauna.
• The classic Swedish experience: Hellasgården, with forest, a lake and, in winter, the ice hole.
• On a budget: Tanto bastu’s guest sessions, Hellasgården or a city swimming pool.
• A rainy afternoon in town: Centralbadet, a short walk from the shops of Norrmalm. See also Stockholm on a rainy day.
• Couples and small groups: Lilla Sauna or a Saunify sauna booked for yourselves.
• A treat: Sturebadet in the city, or a day at Yasuragi.
• The archipelago: Vaxholms Bastubåt, Djurönäset or Nynäs Havsbad. See the Stockholm archipelago guide.

Three ways to build a day around a sauna

Södermalm: vintage, views and a waterfront sauna

Spend the morning in the vintage and design shops around Hornsgatan and Mariatorget; our guide to vintage shops in Stockholm has the route. Walk up to Monteliusvägen for the view over Riddarfjärden, then continue west to Hornstull for lunch. In the afternoon, book a session at Hornstullsbastun on Bergsund Strand, and finish with dinner in one of Hornstull’s relaxed restaurants. On a weekday, swap in Tanto bastu’s public hours on Årstaviken instead.

Djurgården: museums, then heat

Start at the Vasa Museum at opening, walk the Djurgården shore path in the late morning, and have lunch on the island. In the late afternoon, head back towards Djurgårdsbron for a sauna at Stockholm 1897, and stay on for dinner by the water.

Nacka: forest, lake and ice

Take bus 401 from Slussen to Hellasgården in the morning and walk a loop through the Nacka nature reserve. Have lunch in the café, then spend the afternoon between the sauna and the lake, or, in winter, the ice hole. You’ll be back in the city by early evening, pleasantly exhausted. Our guide to walking in Stockholm suggests more routes.

Hotel saunas

Many Stockholm hotels have a sauna, from the big chain hotels to boutique hotels with a small spa floor, and it’s worth checking before you book, especially for a winter trip. Scandinavian hotel saunas are usually free for guests, and often single-sex or bookable. For a full spa, see our guide to spa hotels in Stockholm; for grander options, luxury hotels in Stockholm; and for character, boutique hotels in Stockholm. A hotel sauna is handy, but it’s no substitute for a lakeside sauna with a jetty. Do both if you can.

Saunas with children

Swedish children grow up with saunas, and many families bring them along, but keep sessions short and the heat moderate, and stay with them the whole time. Public swimming pools, where the sauna sits next to the pool, are the easiest family option. Many private and community saunas set their own age limits, so check before you book. Our guide to Stockholm with kids has more family ideas.

When to go

Saunas are open all year, but the experience changes with the seasons. In winter, from December to March, the contrast between heat and icy water is at its most dramatic, and the sauna is the best way to beat the dark. Autumn is a lovely season too, with the lakes still swimmable into October and the forests in colour. In summer, the sauna is more of an evening ritual, after a day of swimming, and the long light means you can plunge into the lake at 10 pm in daylight. Weekday daytimes are quietest everywhere; weekend afternoons and evenings are the busiest, so book popular saunas ahead.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best sauna in Stockholm?

For the classic experience, Hellasgården in the Nacka nature reserve, with a lakeside sauna and a plunge into the lake, about 15 minutes by bus from Slussen. In the city, Hornstullsbastun at Bergsund Strand and Tanto bastu on Årstaviken are the best community saunas, and Centralbadet and Sturebadet are the historic bathhouses.

Do you have to be naked in a Swedish sauna?

No. In single-sex saunas most Swedes are naked, but swimwear is fine. In mixed saunas, swimwear is the norm, and some saunas, such as Hornstullsbastun, require swimsuits at all sessions. Always sit on a towel if you’re unclothed.

How much does a sauna cost in Stockholm?

It varies widely. Tanto bastu’s guest sessions start from about SEK 50, and Hellasgården costs roughly SEK 110–150. Historic bathhouses, private wood-fired saunas and spa resorts cost considerably more. Check prices with each sauna when you book.

Is there a public sauna in central Stockholm?

Yes. Hornstullsbastun at Bergsund Strand on Södermalm is a public sauna with bookable 90-minute sessions for men, women and mixed groups, and Tanto bastu on Årstaviken has public hours. Most city swimming pools also have saunas.

Can you do an ice plunge in Stockholm?

Yes. In winter, Hellasgården keeps a hole open in the ice of Källtorpssjön next to its sauna. The water is 2–5 °C. Warm up in the sauna first, go in slowly, stay only briefly, and never do it alone or after drinking.

Is Sturebadet open during the Sturekvarteret construction?

Yes. Sturebadet at Stureplan has stayed open throughout the rebuilding of the Sture block, which began in 2022.

What is the etiquette in a Swedish sauna?

Shower before you go in, sit on a towel, keep your voice down, ask before pouring water on the stones, stay hydrated and never take photos. Follow the swimwear rules of each sauna.

Are there floating saunas in Stockholm?

Yes. Vaxholms Bastubåt in Vaxholm is a floating sauna where you swim straight off the boat, and sauna boats can be hired for groups in the city. Several city saunas also sit right on the waterfront, with the lake or sea for a cold dip.

Hellasgården also makes an excellent end point for a walk: the lakeside trails of the Nacka nature reserve start at the door, and Sörmlandsleden runs through the same reserve. Our guide to hiking near Stockholm has the routes, including the first stage of Sörmlandsleden from Björkhagen metro station.

More Stockholm guides

• Stockholm Outdoors, Nature & Wellness — hiking, swimming and skating.
• Stockholm in Winter — the season, honestly.
• Spa Hotels in Stockholm — stay where the sauna is.
• Södermalm Guide — home of the city’s community saunas.
• Vaxholm Day Trip — with a floating sauna.
• Kayaking in Stockholm — the other way into the water.
• Swedish Cultural Etiquette — the unwritten rules.
• Stockholm Archipelago — saunas by the sea.

Photo credits

Bathing jetty at Hellasgården (featured image): Hellasgården, 20221008 by AleWi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Centralbadet’s pool hall in 1906: Centralbadet 1906 by Frans Gustaf Klemming, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The gateway to Centralbadet: Centralbadet 2009a by Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sturebadet’s atrium in 1896: Sturebadet, atrium, 1896 by an unknown photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The lodge at Hellasgården: Hellasgarden 2008 ute by Holger Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.