Exhilaration zips through you when leave the hot sauna and plunge into the cold water of Oslofjord. To me, the first moment of immersion felt like I was wearing an electric body stocking all over my submerged skin.
“This is the best thing I have ever done in my life!” My mom exclaimed, treading water.
For someone who’s been around 75 years, that’s saying something! But I felt the same: Just ecstatic that we decided to try out an Oslo sauna boat. And kind of wishing I could do this every morning.
Oslo sauna boat: What it’s like and why you should try it
Alternating between a sauna and cold water is a classic Scandinavian activity. But doing the sauna/cold plunge routine in the middle of a beautiful city like Oslo lends a modern flair. Floating saunas are relatively new in Norway; the first ones popped up in Oslo in 2011. But now there are so many floating saunas in Oslofjord that just sitting on a waterfront bench, you can smell the burning wood.
I loved the Oslo sauna boat experience so much, I went twice last summer: once with my son and once with my mom.
You should not hesitate to make a sauna boat and fjord swim part of your Oslo itinerary!
Arriving at the Oslo sauna boat
When my son and I arrived at KOK Badstuer in Langkaia — the waterfront area with a view of Oslo’s Opera House — a young man with blond curls greeted us in Norewgian. He looked like a typical Oslo dude — until I admitted I couldn’t speak Norwegian and he switched to California-accented English. It turns out Tyler was from just a few miles north of where I live in the Bay Area!
Tyler showed us to one of KOK’s sauna boats, docked so close to the company’s dock that stepping on board is easy. Just outside our sauna, there was a non-private changing area where we could leave our shoes, cell phones, and whatever else we didn’t need to bring inside the hot room. They also had a locker room shared by all the saunas.
Entering the sauna
Inhaling that comfy smell of hot wood, we stepped into our assigned sauna. It had a window with a view of the opera house and the lovely green harbor. Tyler showed us the pile of cut wood and instructed us to add a log to the stove each time we came in from swimming. There was a bucket of water and a ladle and a 15-minute hourglass. The thermometer read 150 degrees F.
We shared our sauna with four other people, who were all vacationers from England. We spread our towels on the hot wooden benches and begin relaxing in earnest, as well as chatting and getting to know our sauna mates. The view was terrific: Besides the white opera building with its walkway sloping down into the harbor, we saw She Lies, the stunning iceberg sculpture that perpetually floats around Oslo Harbor. A few small ships rested on the water.
From sauna to Oslofjord
After 15 minutes elapsed, we walked out onto the deck and jumped into the fjord. The first plunge is always the best, in my opinion. The shock of temperature change is pure ectacy. We trod water, swam a few strokes toward the opera. Waved at tourists disgorging from a cruise ship. We were part of the waterfront.
After the next sauna sesh, my son James decided to jump off the platform on top of the boat. Then I tried it, cautiously. I plunged deeper than I expected below the surface, and water shot up my nose. (Note: I ended up with congested ears after this experience; I probably wouldn’t do it again.)
The water is clean, with little debris — we only saw a few sticks floating around. Tyler promised us there’s nothing in the fjord that would bite us. I could see my white limbs under the water’s surface, but not the bottom of the harbor.
When my Mom and I went a week later, we chose Oslo Badstuforening, aka the Oslo Sauna Association. The set up here is a little different: Instead of getting assigned to one sauna boat, we were welcomed to circulate among seven of them, which vary in temperature and view. It’s nice — especially if you want privacy. I liked KOK better, though, because we became friendly with the other folks assigned to our sauna. We only chatted a little with other sauna-goers at Oslo Badstuforening.
The most memorable person we met when hopping from sauna to sauna was a heavyset young Norwegian guy who sat with a homemade felted wool hat on his head. When I asked if he had made it, he said a friend’s mother had made it for him. He explained that, counterintuitively, the wool hat protected his head from the intensity of the sauna’s heat.
After the sauna
After 1.5 hours, Tyler told us our time was up. After I had jumped in and out of the fjord about five times, my towel was saturated with water. (I notice that the web site advises you bring two towels — I agree!) Fortunately, our visit was on a warm summer day. So I didn’t mind putting a light sweater over my bathing suit and walking back to our lodging like that.
If I was doing an Oslo sauna boat in winter, I’m sure that I would only swim once or twice. Then I’d spend plenty of time drying off in the sauna before changing into dry clothes to wear home.
Oslo sauna options
We did what KOK calls a drop-in or community sauna, and what Oslo Badstuforening calls shared sauna. The cost at KOK was around $30; Badstuforening was about $26. Both companies also offer the opportunity for groups to book an entire private sauna.
Other Oslo sauna options:
- Sauna cruise! These aren’t called “sauna boats” for nothing. At KOK, groups of up to 10 can charter the sauna boat to cruise around the harbor for two hours, at a cost of around $300 to $500.
- Sauna ritual. Oslo Badstuforening describes the “sauna ritual” as “a guided, quiet sauna session” that might involve fragrance, meditation, stretching or “gentle beating (voluntary!) with a bunch of leafy birch.” I know what I want to do next time I go to Norway!
- Sauna bar. A little ways down the waterfront, the food truck/nightlife mecca SALT offers a bunch of saunas, including a big one with a bar inside it — and DJ sessions.
- Sauna with colleagues. This sounds cringey to my American sensibilities, but KOK offers company packages so co-workers can sauna together.
- Nude sauna. While the general rule in Oslo public saunas is to wear a bathing suit, some offer the opportunty to book a nude session at certain times. Or go to The Well, a large spa outside the city where nudity is the norm in the sauna as well as the other areas.
Norwegian sauna etiquette
Our friend in the wool hat asked the rest of us each time before dumping a ladleful of water on the stove, which was good sauna etiquette. The resulting steam feels a lot hotter than the air, and not everyone wants that.
More sauna etiquette best practices:
- Shower first. We weren’t instructed to shower before entering the sauna — maybe because they knew we’d be in and out of the fjord anyway. But showers were available.
- Swimwear or naked? Most public saunas expect you to wear swimwear, but gender-separated saunas such as those at gyms may not. Just ask if you’re not sure.
- Sit on a towel. The reason they tell you to bring two towels is so you can use one dry towel to sit on and the other to dry yourself. That way your used towel isn’t leaving a big wet spot on the bench (like mine did, oops).
- Pay attention to guidance on noise level. The atmosphere in most of the floating saunas we tried was social and chatty — even party-level noise when there was a big group sauna’d together. But there was also a sauna labeled “silent.”
Oslo fjord sauna FAQ
- How much do Oslo sauana boats cost? KOK charges $33 for a 90-minute session in a shared sauna. Badstuforening charges about $27 for the same.
- What should I bring to an Oslo sauna experience? You’ll wear a bathing suit in the sauna and in the fjord. Bring two towels: One to sit on in the sauna and one to dry off with and cover yourself afterwards. You should also bring a water bottle.
- Do I have to book a sauna experience in advance? They recommend booking ahead, but we were able to walk in on two different summer mornings. We did check the websites before heading over to verify that the sessions were not fully booked.
- How cold is the water in Oslo Fjord? We found the water in summer to be cool but not as cold as you might expect. Since you get very warm in the sauna before jumping in, it will feel refreshing. I haven’t done the Oslo fjord sauna experience in winter, but I can only imagine that the fjord is bracing in December!
- Can I bring my cell phone in the sauna? You’ll probably want to bring your phone to the sauna company, in order to snap a few photos of yourself or companions jumping in the fjord. But it’s not recommended that you bring your phone inside the sauna. The heat isn’t good for it. Besides, other sauna users might not appreciate the presence of a phone in this relaxing space. Personally, I left my cell phone in the changing area just outside the sauna door, and didn’t worry about it getting stolen. Inside the sauna boat company is a low traffic area.
Norwegian saunas outside Oslo
Of course, Oslo isn’t the only place in Norway where you can experience this traditional pleasure. Probably any city and many towns boats a sauna boat or other public sauna where you can warm up.
- Bergen has sauna boats floating along the waterfront, including City Sauna (where you can rent your own sauna hat!)
- In Trondheim, ‘stu offers a floating sauna on the fjord, and one sauna in a bunker. The bunker sauna is self-service: You pay online, they send you an entry code, then you have to start the fire yourself, with the provided wood. Allow an hour for the sauna to heat up.
- If you’re in Flåm for the Norway in a Nutshell itinerary, you can add a sauna to your experience. FjordSauna Flåm is in the marina just steps from the town center, and their saunas have a hatch so you can go directly from the hot box to the water.
- Other cities. A company called Pust offers saunas in Tromsø, Bodø and two other cities.
- In Kirkenes, way up by the Russian border, in winter you can sign up for a sledride or snowshoe hike to a sauna at a wilderness lodge. There, you can “ice bathe” in the lake or roll in the snow between sauna sessions.
The first time I saw sauna boats in Norway, I held back. I didn’t know how it worked, whether it was a private club, or what. My mom also wasn’t sure at first. Would the water be too cold for her? My advice to you is to not hesitate! Most floating saunas in Norway are easy to book online, and often walk-up spots are available too. Go ahead and enjoy!