Rajaportin Sauna

Tampere, Finland

Rajaportin sauna is the oldest working public sauna in Finland. It was founded in 1906 by Hermanni Lahtinen and his wife Maria. The main building with bakery and a shop was erected first, then followed by a smaller cottage, the sauna and a so called “taylor’s house”.

Today, the Rajaportti block belongs to the city of Tampere. Since 1989 the Pispala sauna association has been responsible for activities at Rajaportti and for maintenance of the premises. At the turn of the millenium, a Sauna café was included and premises for a masseur was provided.

Reference: Rajaportin Sauna

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Details

Founded: 1906
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Finland
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Diego Tan (2 months ago)
I’ve been to several saunas in Helsinki, up north in Lapland and even one in Tallinn, Estonia - but this particular one does get pretty HOT, even with just a tiny throw of ‘löyly’. Comparing to those ones, this is definitely more old school, more traditional and undoubtedly more authentic. There are even no lockers, only hooks and benches. Deeper in, you only have a fairly small room with two levels: down is where you bathe and up is where you get steaming. The best part is that everyone gets to experience the same level of heat, with no seating levels like you see in most saunas nowadays. It would’ve been awesome if there was a pool/ice swimming hole, but the cold water hose and going outside did it just fine for me. I love the cafe next door, when you can get beer, coffee, pastries and best of all, sausages with ketchup and mustard. The people in there are so, so friendly and welcoming - I had a pleasant chat with some of them in there and they were more than happy to guide you through the process. You get a mix of locals, people from all around Finland and tourists like myself, but we all got along so well, it was just so terrific. Otherwise it’s also completely fine if you just want to sit there in peace to relax and meditate on your own. If you want an authentic, unique, no-frills sauna, then I urge you to go to Rajaportti sauna. The absolute heart of Finnish culture. Easily accessible by bus from central Tampere. A sausage with plenty of fluids to relax afterwards will complete your day, and you’ll then realise the good decision you’ve made of coming all this way to Finland just to experience this.
Ville Hara (4 months ago)
Legendary old public sauna that is very well preserved in almost original condition. People are friendly even for tourists. Chilling out in between sauna sessions outside just on a simple bench is an experience. The quality of löyly is excellent as the stove is once heated type and wood fired. Washing without showers just pouring water on you was like in Japanese sento. Warm recommendation also for the cafe with excellent selection of beers.
Farina Achtel (5 months ago)
A very authentic, small, cute finnisch Sauna. I can recommend.
Oana Roska (5 months ago)
I just loved it! The oldest sauna in Finland. A great experience!
Sachin Kn (9 months ago)
Visit at least once for experience. It has it own vibe.
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