A sauna with a view

KOK.

SALT. © Shutterstock

After a long day of walking the streets and parks of Oslo, feet, muscles and eyes might be sore and tired and in need of a break. What better way to end the day than by relaxing in a hot and soothing sauna? Like everything else in Norway, however, a sauna is not just a sauna. In Oslo, you get saunas with a view. Unlike their neighbours in Finland, Norwegian saunas are not usually something you’ll find in people’s homes or with the same frequency. If private, they’re usually part of a family’s cabin in the mountains or other types of holiday homes, but most of them are public and found at sports facilities or hotels. In Oslo, however, the new craze is fjord saunas – saunas on, or by, the fjord.

SAUNA WITH A VIEW, DJS AND BAR SALT started out as a nomadic art project, travelling Norway with its spectacular pyramid constructions designed by Sami Rintala and Kyrre Kalseth as well as artist Joar Nango. Next to the buildings, The Arctic Pyramid is a 70-metre-long wooden structure inspired by traditional fish-racks, which is used for art and installations. Having started out in Svolvær in the north of Norway in 2010, SALT has travelled through Sandhornøy south of Bodø, Bergen, and in 2017 the complete project opened in Oslo, where its temporary stay has been extended to 2023. SALT

Located at Langkaia with a view of the Oslo fjord and the Opera House, SALT has four saunas to choose between, including Árdna, which is one of the world’s biggest saunas, sitting 100 people. The structure has panoramic windows facing the fjord, making for stunning views whether mid-summer with bright summer nights or warm, comfy and sheltered from blizzards in the winter. Árdna keeps a temperature of 60-80°C (140–176 Fahrenheit) and has its own bar and DJ on the weekends. The smaller saunas – Skroget, Himmelsauna and Naustet – are also available for private bookings. Naustet’s main space is a café selling traditional waffles with brown cheese and baked goods. For bigger meals, SALT’s outdoor space has food trucks in the summer season, serving the big outdoor seating area.

Outside, you’ll also find two cold water pools, one with freshwater and one with seawater, as well as showers. Some people also choose to cool off in the fjord after a session in the sauna, and ladders let you climb back up to the docks again.

In addition to offering saunas, art and food, SALT is an entertainment venue, with big national and international names playing concerts, and quizzes, panels and talks are also a regular part of SALT’s programme.

D I V E S T R A I G H T F R O M THE SAUNA INTO THE FJORD If you don’t just want to look at the fjord while in a sauna, how about a sauna on rather than by the fjord? At Sørenga, you’ll find Oslo Fjord Sauna, a sauna club with a fleet of floating saunas. The original sauna, Måken (‘the seagull’), was built out of driftwood found by the Oslo fjord by sauna idealists, and has since been joined by Skarven (‘the cormorant’), and Anda (‘the duck’). The latter is the latest addition, a round structure built as an amphitheatre with a large window overlooking the fjord and archipelago. O S LO FJ O R D S A U N A

There’s also a hot tub holding up to seven people. This requires a separate booking but is advised as an add-on to an existing booking with a sauna. The saunas operate with drop-in hours or can be booked privately in advance. Located right outside the Opera House, and equipped with ladders for easy climbing, the saunas are perfect for quick dips in the fjord to cool off.

www.oslofjordsauna.com

Oslo Fjord Sauna.

Oslo Fjord Sauna.

Oslo Fjord Sauna.

KOK.

C O M B I N E A F J O R D C R U I S E WITH A RELAXING SAUNA KOK also offers floating saunas, but in addition to floating near the harbour by the Opera House in Bjørvika, it offers fjord and sauna cruises. With three saunas named after the light-phenomena Morild, Vega and Aurora, KOK allows you to enjoy a trip around the inner Oslo archipelago in the comfort of a sauna, with the added opportunity of a cooling dip in the fjord. The boats run on solar power, leaving no engine noise to disturb your peace as you enjoy the view from the sauna. KOK

There are two- and three-hour cruises. The shorter Sauna Cruise allows single seat bookings, whereas the longer version, jordcruise, is for group bookings only. The three-hour Fjordcruise is planned along with the captain and gives you greater freedom to visit a seaside restaurant along the way, should you want to.