If your idea of heaven is sweating out in the heat in preparation for a bracing plunge into ice cold waters, then be sure to explore some of the best saunas in Gothenburg. The city and its surroundings are home to multiple different types of sauna experience.
Discover remote saunas by the sea where you'll hear beautiful birdsong the second you step out of the heat on your way into the water. Or stick closer to the city and explore options across all price brackets where city slickers can unwind after a busy day in the heart of it all. All you need to do is take your pick.
- 1
Frihamnen Port
Gorgeous shipyard sauna where the old and the unique collide
- Budget
- Couples
Centenary Park (Jubileumsparken) at the Frihamnen Port is home to a spectacular public sauna facility. The sauna is located on the other side of the Göta Älv Bridge from the centre, so it's easy to reach by foot over the bridge or just a few stops away if you decide to go by bus or tram from Malmö Central Station.
The newly built and imposing sauna structure sits right by the water in this old shipyard environment. The gorgeous building is reminiscent of the port's history with its sheet-metal facade and changing room walls made from thousands of recycled glass bottles.
Location: Frihamnen 7, 417 55 Gothenburg, Sweden
Phone: +46 790 169592
Map - 2
Gothenburg Sauna Rafts (Göteborgs Bastuflotte)
Work up a sweat on the water, Swedish-style
- Unusual
If you're looking for an utterly special and Scandi sauna experience to share with your travel companions, then why not rent one of the Gothenburg Sauna Rafts? Take the car or a commuter train to Aspen where you will then be transported to your very own floating sauna by RIB boat.
Once on board the raft, you and your companions will be free to enjoy yourselves in the sauna and the sea before firing up the barbecue and enjoying your evening in style. The modern rafts have ample seating for you and your friends as well as a ladder which you can use to get down into the bracing, revitalising water.
Location: Aspen, 443 51 Lerum, Sweden
Phone: +46 707 444780 / +46 709 154097
Mapphoto by Kimmo Virtanen (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
- 3
Öckerö Hamn Marina
Get the real archipelago sauna experience
- Couples
The island of Öckerö is a great place to enjoy a sauna experience in the archipelago right from the marina. You can reach the island by bus or car from Gothenburg in just over an hour and the sauna is located only a short walk away from the ferry berth.
Soak up the heat with views of the sea and when it comes time to cool down, you can plunge into the water right from the sauna's very own jetty. Once finished you can replenish your body with a hearty bite to eat from one of the local cafés while savouring those gorgeous sea views just a little longer before returning to the city.
Location: Björnhuvudsvägen 49, 475 31 Öckerö, Sweden
Open: Weekdays 10 am to 10 pm, weekends noon to 10 pm
Phone: +46 31 962555
Map - 4
Saltholmen Open-Air Bath House (Saltholmens Kallbadhus)
Feel the pulse of history at a distinguished bath house
- Couples
- Unusual
The Saltholmen Open-Air Bath House (Saltholmens Kallbadhus) has a distinguished history and offers a sauna and swimming experience enveloped by nature. To reach the bath house, take a bus or tram to Saltholmen and then walk the short distance between the stop and the bath house.
Be sure to enjoy the calm and tranquillity of the green spaces around the bath house. Those who prefer an au naturel sea swimming experience in particular will love this bath house as there is a strict no-swimsuit policy and all gender identities are welcome. If you're feeling particularly chipper, the bath house also offers a winter bathing experience where you can run straight from the ice-cold water into the warming embrace of the sauna.
Location: Saltholmsgatan 54, 426 76 Västra Frölunda, Sweden
Phone: +46 31 290377
Mapphoto by Averater (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
- 5
Arken Hotel & Art Garden Spa
Try out 5 different types of sauna
- Couples
- Luxury
The Arken Hotel & Art Garden Spa is an oasis of tranquillity where you can relax and enjoy revitalising treatments, right by the water's edge. The hotel's location is a little hidden away down by the Port of Gothenburg on the island of Hisingen, but can be reached in just 15 minutes by car from the centre.
Arken is a top-rate spa hotel despite the somewhat rough location close to the city's container port, offering calm and serenity as well as the possibility to escape from the world for a couple of days. Sauna aficionados won't be disappointed as there are 5 different varieties to try: outdoor, steam and salt, dry, natural stone and ice.
Location: Oljevägen 100, 418 34 Gothenburg, Sweden
Open: Monday–Thursday 9 am to 9 pm, Friday 9 am to 9 pm (Late Night Spa to midnight), Saturday–Sunday 8 am to 9 pm (Lat Night Spa to midnight)
Phone: +46 31 7262500
Map - 6
Kajkanten Floating Sauna (Kajkantens Relaxflotte)
Enjoy some tranquillity on a floating sauna
- Couples
The Kajkanten Floating Sauna (Kajkantens Relaxflotte) on the island of Vrångö is a great place to combine the tranquillity of the archipelago with the heat of the sauna in the company of good friends. Take the boat out to Vrångö from Saltholmen and then walk a few hundred metres to arrive at the sauna.
Once out on the water, you can also enjoy a lovingly prepared dinner as the sauna is fully equipped with its own kitchen. Or if you fancy a spot of summer barbecue, there are grilling facilities back on the quay. After dinner, when the sauna is nice and toasty, you can step into the heat and sweat out, take a revitalising dip in the water and enjoy the sunset from the cosy wooden deck.
Location: Vrångö Hamnväg 24, 430 83 Vrångö, Sweden
Phone: +46 734 000174
Map - 7
Askim Sauna (Askims Bastu)
Warm up in the sauna or the tub
- Couples
Askim has long been a popular bathing spot and even if the once infamous 'sauna trains' no longer deliver happy bathers in their hordes, the area is still home to a cute and cosy sauna. The easiest way to arrive is by taking a bus from town and then walking the short distance from the bus stop.
Warm up in the sauna before cooling off with a salt bath, either in the sea or in the facility's bath tub. Afterwards you can nourish your body with a bite to eat in the café before heading back into the city again.
Location: Askims Strandväg 20, 436 45 Askim, Sweden
Open: Wednesday–Friday noon to 7 pm, Saturday–Sunday 10 am to 2 pm (mixed sauna)
Phone: +46 736 593582
Map - 8
Hagabadet Bath House
Enjoy a tranquil bath house in the city centre
- Couples
- History
- Luxury
Hagabadet Bath House is a distinguished bath house right in the centre of the city. Nowadays the bath house is actually a chain running several health clubs all around Gothenburg but the original is located, as the name might suggest, in the district of Haga.
Its location right next to Järntorget Square makes it an inviting refuge from the bustle of the city, and easy to reach both by foot and by tram. Cool off in a Roman bath, cast away your stress with a heavenly massage or unwind with a spot of yoga before spending some quality alone time in the revitalising sauna.
Location: Haga Östergata 6, 413 01 Gothenburg, Sweden
Open: Monday–Thursday 6.30 am to 10 pm, Friday 6.30 am to 9 pm, Saturday 8 am to 9 pm, Sunday 9 am to 8 pm
Phone: +46 31 600600
Mapphoto by Jens Hunt (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
- 9
Upper House Spa
Treat yourself to a spa day
- Couples
- Luxury
Upper House Spa is the place to go if you're looking for a thoroughly luxurious and urban relaxation experience. The spa is located right in the thick of it all, next to the busy Korsvägen Tram Stop and the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre (Svenska Mässan), high up in one of the imposing Gothia Towers.
Inside awaits a spa experience unlike any other, with the opportunity to try out several different types of sauna. If a traditional dry sauna seems altogether too vanilla, then step into the steam room or enjoy a truly exotic experience at the spa's excellent hammam.
Location: Gothia Towers, Mässans Gata 24, 402 26 Gothenburg, Sweden
Open: Monday–Thursday 7 am to 9 pm, Friday 7 am to 10 pm, Saturday–Sunday 9 am to 10 pm
Phone: +46 31 7088325
Map - 10
Hyppeln Guest Harbour
Indulge in a spa experience on one of the archipelago's smallest islands
- Couples
Hyppeln Guest Harbour offers the tranquillity of the outer archipelago as well as a port-side sauna experience. Hyppeln is one of the smallest and most remote islands in the Gothenburg Archipelago and home to a cute little sauna right by the guest harbour. It's the perfect place to heat up before plunging into the sea or enjoying a fresh water shower on the jetty. And when your sauna experience is complete, you can enjoy some hearty grub at the island's restaurant and smokehouse.
The best way to get here is to rent your own boat as otherwise you will need to take several ferries across the archipelago. Alternatively, take a direct bus from Gothenburg to Burö Färjeläge and hop on the free Nordö Ferry to Hyppeln.
Location: 475 52 Hyppeln, Sweden
Phone: +46 72 7186655
Map