A Journey Through Hot and Cold

With the rise of wellness journeys around the world, the humble Finnish sauna has quietly become a universal symbol of relaxation and renewal.

Some might see the sauna as a luxury, yet for Finnish people it is simply life: a daily ritual, a cultural foundation. With more than three million saunas for 5.6 million people, Finns even say a house without a sauna is not a home. And so when the warmth of the sauna embraces you, it invites you to understand the quiet power of heat. A sauna is not only hot; it is alive. Above all, it is a sensory experience.

The prime ingredient for it is simple, yet essential: löyly. Löyly refers to the steam that arises when water is thrown onto the hot stones of a sauna stove. Contrary to popular belief, the sauna is not dry. All senses awaken: you hear the hiss of steam; smell birch and wood; feel the warmth surround you. Löyly also means spirit of life and that tells you all you need to know.

At our Nordic Spa, you are invited to let go, relax, recover and return to the essential. The sauna is amongst the last places on earth where no phone is in sight. It is a rare chance to immerse yourself in the presence of this moment and reconnect with yourself. Let your body speak and tell you what does it need? Sauna supports muscle recovery, deeper sleep, blood circulation, and improves breathing. It is as much prevention as it is healing.

During the Folklore Sauna Treatments our saunottaja - sauna hosts - will guide guests through sauna the Finnish way, sharing ancient methods of healing, traditional sauna spells, and rituals that have crossed generations. Traditional methods meet modern wellness trends. 

In the quiet embrace of heat, time slows down. A gentle reminder that presence, simplicity and care for oneself are among life’s most profound luxuries.

The Cold: Courage & Clarity

Cold plunging is one of the latest wellness rituals to capture global attention. Many modern guides promote high-tech cryotherapy tanks or ice-filled tubs with precise temperature and strict time limits, but this approach is far removed from the simplicity of Finnish tradition, where cold plunging is done in nature, in pristine lakes and rivers.

Finland has 188,000 lakes: pure, clean water is central to life here. Ice swimming - avantouinti - is a natural way to build cold resistance, improve mental health, elevate self-esteem and strengthen the immune system. When immersed in icy water, the body releases a rush of hormones: endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin. Rather than swimming, it is more of a brief dip, lasting seconds to a few minutes. What other practice can claim to bring so many benefits in so little time?

Yet only a few brave souls dare to try the cold plunge. And this is understandable. The water feels like millions of tiny needles on your skin. The discomfort is intense, but the body quickly adapts. Brain regions responsible for emotions, decision-making, and alertness activate, triggering a natural “fight-or-flight” response. Then slowly, your mind clears. You become mindful of your breath. After a short while, the icy water is no longer entirely uncomfortable. You feel presence, stillness and even joy. When you finally step out, euphoria awaits. Your mind feels reset, your body energized, pain-free, worry-free.

There lies the magic of cold plunging. The benefits are immediate and powerful, making the initial discomfort only a minor inconvenience. Experienced cold swimmers often describe it as an addiction. Cold plunging can help ease anxiety, depression, PTSD, migraines, and arthritis, while boosting metabolism. There is no “required” time in the water as the benefits lie in the simplicity of the practice. The only rule is to listen to your body.

Contrast Therapy: An Ancient Cure for Modern Problems

The Nordic thermal cycle is built on a simple pattern: hot, cold, rest. In the heat, the body opens. Blood vessels dilate, the heart beats faster, and warmth flows through every limb. In the cold, the opposite occurs: vessels tighten, breath sharpens, and the mind awakens. This alternation stimulates circulation, strengthens the cardiovascular system, boosts immunity, and brings a surprising clarity of mind. After the cold, a moment of rest allows the body to integrate these shifts, to settle, to breathe. And then, the cycle begins again.

A common misconception is that contrast therapy requires strict timing or specific temperatures. In truth, there is only one guiding rule: listen to your body. It knows when to linger in warmth, when to meet the cold and when to pause. Hot and cold become a conversation between body and mind, effort and ease, awakening and release. The experience is profoundly meditative: a return to essential instincts.

Connecting to Finnish Culture: Training your Resilience

The challenge of moving between hot and cold is not the easy path, yet meeting the sharpness of cold and the intensity of heat becomes a sensory reminder that you are alive. Building resilience is at the heart of this practice, and in Finland, this quiet courage has a name: sisu. Sisu is the Finnish spirit of calm strength: the determination to continue, even when the way forward feels difficult.  Here, heat, cold, rest, and care come into alignment, a modern expression of the same quiet resilience at the heart of Finnish culture.

Sisu is a source of national pride, much like the sauna itself. Jasper Pääkkönen, Finnish actor and founder of the public sauna Löyly in Helsinki, once said that the sauna is the Finnish equivalent of going to church: a place where families gather to cleanse, connect, and restore, to purify their soul. It creates a sense of belonging and community. 

Embracing Natural Elements: the Secret of Mindfulness

Sauna and cold plunge share a deep appreciation for untouched, clean nature. The more time you spend outdoors, the more your respect for it expands. Swimming in natural waters inspires a desire to protect and preserve them. Wellbeing, when kept simple - enjoying a sauna, swimming in a lake, walking in the forest - becomes accessible to everyone. In Finland, nature is never far; it is part of everyday life.

Nestled within the forest and resting along the shoreline, our spa is immersed in the quiet presence of nature. The frozen lake resting in silence, the steady rhythm of the trees, the pale winter glow: all of it becomes part of your experience. Here, nature is not an escape but a companion, guiding you back to calm and clarity.

Water, air, heat, cold - the elements are our oldest teachers. And the more time you spend with them, the more mindful you become of how your habits and choices shape the world around you.

Hot and cold, effort and ease, stillness and movement: the contrast is where transformation happens. Through these elemental cycles, the body remembers its wisdom and the mind finds its calm.

At Skýra, this rhythm is an invitation: to slow down, to listen inward, and to rediscover the strength that lives beneath the surface. In many ways this is the heart of Finnish wellness: uncomplicated, honest, restorative.

Written by Camille Magrino, a member of Skýra’s Guest Services team. During her years living in Finland, Camille has developed a deep connection to northern nature through practices such as ice swimming and open-water bathing.

Letters from the North is a content series written by the Skýra collective and shaped by contributions from our team members.