Embrace the heat in Tallinn’s public saunas!

The Tallinn Sauna is also known as the Tartu Road Sauna due to its location on Tartu Road opposite the Central Bus Station. It is the oldest public sauna in Tallinn that is still active.

The building was completed in 1882 and was very modern for its time. In addition to a sauna, it also included a laundry house, horse stable and apartments. You can still feel the historical ambience in the rooms, especially when looking at the brick ceiling vaults and beautiful chandeliers.

The men's sauna is open all week except Wednesdays, while the women's sauna is open on Monday, Friday and Sunday. You can also reserve a party room with a sauna.

If you get an unexpected urge to go to a sauna or if you have forgotten your sauna bag, you can still head towards the Tallinn Sauna, as you can buy birch sauna whisks, flip-flops and drinks and rent a towel on-site. It's a good idea to bring cash just in case.

The sauna on Raua Street has been operating since 1936. The sauna is open every day except on sanitation days the first and third Monday of every month.

There are separate men's and women's saunas and a shared steam sauna. In addition, you can also book an hourly sauna for your group.

The experience is enhanced by the sauna whisks sold on site – eucalyptus and red oak are available in addition to the usual birch. After a sauna, however, it's a good idea to relax in the Fe cafe, named after the chemical symbol for iron.

The Kalma Sauna in Kalamaja in also among the oldest public saunas in Tallinn. Having been completed in 1928, the sauna building with its magnificent architecture has been renovated many times throughout the years, but in a way that the building’s history and soul have remained. Despite the somewhat frightening name (kalma meaning ‘grave’), there is nothing to fear here – the name is a clever abbreviation of Kalamaja Sauna.

Men’s and women’s saunas are open every day. Men can enjoy both a wood stove sauna and a steam sauna, while the women's sauna room is heated by electric heaters. In addition, everyone has the opportunity to cool themselves in a small pool.

Groups can also rent a large or small hourly sauna, whether for a simple sauna evening or for celebrating official events and anniversaries. The large hourly sauna also has a pool in addition to the regular equipment.

Soft drinks are on sale if you’re thirsty, and necessary sauna accessories are also available. 

This is another interesting sauna in Kalamaja, one belonging to the vaudeville club Heldeke!. The electric sauna is heated every Wednesday and Sunday, with both days including a two-hour mixed sauna session.

In mixed saunas, people are either naked or cover themselves with swimwear or towels, whichever option you feel most comfortable with. However, shyer visitors may find it useful to know that the changing room is also unisex. On the other hand, mixed saunas are the perfect opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of a sauna with companions of the opposite sex.

A bar is open on sauna days, from which you can buy drinks to enjoy in the sauna room. You can also refresh yourself in a cool pool.

You can also book the Heldeke! Sauna for private events.

The exciting igloo saunas at Iglupark are located by the sea in Noblessner. Saunas that can fit up to 10 people can be booked for your group at an hourly rate for at least two hours at a time. The price also includes cleaning products.

A good sauna and refreshing sea air on the private terrace will ensure a relaxing experience that you can complement with a swim in both summer and winter if you so desire.

After the sauna, Noblessner's refreshing eateries are within walking distance, from Michelin-starred top restaurants to Asian flavours, a community bistro and a beer restaurant.  

The previously mentioned beer restaurant Põhjala Tap Room offers good food, brews its own beer and also rents out a private sauna!

The sauna can be rented during the restaurant’s opening hours. The modern rooms can fit up to eight guests, all of whom can use the sauna room, showers and a breakroom with a sofa and chairs.

If you visit the sauna at Põhjala Tap Room, we recommend complementing your experience with a tour of the brewery and delicious meals from the restaurant. 

How did people bathe in saunas in the olden days? The Estonian Open Air Museum demonstrates the heating of Pulga Farm’s sauna on the third Thursday of every summer month. From around 12:00-16:00 you can see how a smoke sauna is heated and learn about old sauna traditions.

There is no reason to worry if you are not previously familiar with saunas – Tallinn is the right place to learn! In Estonia, there are over 100,000 saunas in total, meaning that there is one sauna per 13 people. 27% of all private houses and 11% of all apartments (in apartment houses with at least three floors) have saunas. A lot of people also have a sauna in their summerhouse. In addition, there are numerous public saunas and many sports clubs, swimming complexes and other public spaces also have their own sauna rooms.  

It is therefore safe to say that Estonians are experienced at bathing in saunas and if you just follow their actions you will be fine. Another possibility is to ask for advice from locals, as every Estonian would love to introduce their sauna culture to foreigners.

It is advised that you do not eat a large meal before going into a sauna. It is better to have a few snacks and enjoy larger meals after visiting the sauna. 

Leave your belongings in the changing room and then take a shower before you enter the sauna. When entering a sauna, you will need something to sit on and, if you believe you need one, a refreshing drink (in a plastic bottle for the sake of safety). Some prefer to cover their head and hair with a sauna cap or towel.  

It is customary to be naked while in a sauna, especially among family and people who are of the same sex. In mixed saunas, follow instructions and the way other people in the sauna are dressed. Swimwear or a towel wrapped around your body are an acceptable way of covering yourself in a sauna. However, some swimming complexes forbid swimwear in saunas to prevent chlorine from vaporising, so make sure to read the signs.

All people are equal in a sauna and even if everyone is naked, it has nothing to do with sexuality. Looking at other people’s bodies, commenting on them or touching them is therefore considered extremely inappropriate. 

A sauna is a place where both the soul and the body are cleansed. Traditionally, saunas are a holy place where people used to go to give birth or die. Therefore, everyone stays calm and peaceful while in a sauna. You can sit or lie down on the sauna’s resting area. Some prefer to enjoy their sauna in silence, while some prefer to make relaxed conversation. Both methods are fine, but loud shouting is definitely not permitted in a sauna.

There are no rules when it comes to heating the sauna by splashing water on the heated rocks, you can do it whenever you feel like it (or not at all). If there are other people in the sauna, it is polite to ask them whether they are fine with it before you heat the sauna. The answer will probably be yes.  

If you are able to whisk yourself with a sauna whisk, then you should definitely try that. Whisking yourself with a sauna whisk made of birch leaves improves your skin’s blood circulation, accelerates your body’s metabolism and removes dirt from your skin. It may look extreme, but in reality it is like a pleasant and relaxing massage. Birch leaves also smell amazing in a sauna.

You can spend as much time as you like in a sauna. You will feel it when you need to go out to cool yourself. Make sure to drink enough water. Soft drinks or beer are also appropriate. Many public saunas sell drinks suitable to be consumed on-site.

You can go back into the sauna once you have cooled off in the resting room, changing room, in the yard, under the shower or with a swim. There are no rules for going back and forth, you can do it however and whenever you please. It is, however, considered polite not to open the sauna door right after heating the sauna, or the freshly heated steam will go out.

If you wish to use body oils, honey or other cosmetic products while in a sauna, make sure to first enquire whether it is allowed. If it is allowed, make sure your products will not stain the sauna’s resting area or floor.  

After enjoying the sauna for a sufficient amount of time, wash yourself and then cool yourself in the changing room or in the yard. Make sure to have enough clothes with you so as not to get cold on your way back. After bathing in a sauna, enjoy your relaxed feeling and find some calm activities to do. Also make sure to eat and drink sufficiently.