Last Christmas, while wandering in Stockholm, I had meticulously planned each day’s activity. I knew the closer we drew to Christmas day, the more businesses would be closed. So I needed to pack in as much as I could before then. As the week wore on, and my bones had been chilled from being outside all day for a week, I stopped in at Stockholm’s Centralbadet to warm up and relax! Centralbadet is a bathhouse located in the centre of Stockholm, yet almost hidden away.
This magical place is tucked in off of one of the cities busiest shopping streets. Walking under the old wrought iron sign, and through the winter-worn garden, I almost felt as if I was someplace I wasn’t supposed to be. But after poking my head inside the large art nouveau building, I could smell the waters and warm cedar of the saunas. I knew I was in the right spot!
About Centralbadet
Centralbadet was opened in 1904. It was designed by architect Wilhelm Klemming who wanted to create a calming, natural retreat from the city. A window into nature. The sprawling interior covers 3,500 square meters, which is all quite the surprise considering the rather tiny entrance. Every corner of the spa features beautiful art nouveau designs and feels like you’re stepping back in time.
About Nordic Saunas
It is very Swedish to go to the sauna. The Nordic tradition of sauna dates back more than 1,000 years. Bathing in these peaceful waters and sitting in the hot sauna helps strengthen your body and soul. Saunas were early day pharmacies as even the ancient Romans used them as cure-alls. They are thought to lower cholesterol, build up the immune system, help you sleep better at night, reduce stress, clear up the skin, and more!
Price and Inclusions
The basic entrance price to Centralbadet includes access to their art nouveau swimming pool, the relaxing Roman bath and sauna area with hydrotherapy pool, thermal spa, Kneipp bath, cold pool, steam bath, and a;; the various saunas. During the summertime, you will also have access to the outdoor gym on the rooftop terrace. There is also an indoor gym for use throughout the year. If you want to save a lot of money, you can purchase just the basic entry package, which simply includes access into the baths and saunas.
The basic entry fee is:
Monday – Thursday: SEK 300 ($35 USD)
Friday – Sunday (and holidays): SEK 400 ($46 USD)
Relax Package
The ‘relax package’ gets you entry to everything above but also includes: a bathrobe, towels, slippers and a swim cap. This costs:
Monday – Thursday: SEK 410 ($47 USD)
Friday – Sunday and holidays: SEK 510 ($58 USD)
Note: Due to COVID, currently, you must make reservations even just for the waters. So be sure to book before you arrive as they are not accepting any walk-ins.
Spa Treatments
If you are interested in having a spa treatment, there are a myriad to choose from. Everything from classic Swedish (very appropriate) to hot stone, Thai and crystal healing. Each of these costs around 800 SEK ($92 USD) plus your entrance fee. Remember to book any of these treatments in advance to secure your spot with the massage therapist.
What to bring?
You’ll need a swimsuit for sure, and if you’re only buying the basic package, you’ll need to bring a towel and slipper with you as well. If you want to bring a swimming cap, you can, but as long as your hair is up, you don’t require one. I ended up buying the ‘relax package‘ during my visit since I didn’t want to lug around my wet towel at the end of the day. Also, those large comfy robes were totally worth it to lounge around in.
If you arrive in Stockholm and don’t have any of these items, almost everything is available for rent or purchase at Centralbadet upon check-in. When I came, I thought I had packed my bathing suit, but stupidly found that I had forgotten back of it back at the hotel! Luckily, I managed to rent on from the front desk for only $7 USD and was relieved not to have to run out in the cold again when I was all ready to relax!
The warm environment inside the spa is the perfect place for doing hair wraps and faces masks. The spa is totally cool with you bringing your own home, so don’t forget to grab one before you come. They also offer plenty for sale at the reception desk if you’d prefer to buy one there.
Etiquette & Advice
- Before going into the saunas or pools, always shower before entering. This cleanses your body from any sweat or dirt and prevents contaminating the pools. You must make sure to do this not just once, but anytime you move from the pools into the saunas and steam rooms. And vice versa.
- Here at Centralbadet, the spas are mixed genders, so men and women can both use almost all the facilities together. Bathing suits are required in the pool areas. But you cannot wear a bathing suit in the sauna and steam rooms. You are although required to wear a towel for modesty.
- The spa has one women’s only sauna, where women are allowed to remove their towel to relax in the nude. You have the option of keeping your towel on but don’t be shocked if you see most women there bearing all. There is something so freeing about doing this, and if you’re brave enough I would highly recommend it. No one will judge you, it is considered the norm here. But remember to ONLY do it in the women’s only sauna!
- Try to keep any talking to a low volume when in any of the pools. In the steam and sauna room, they aim for almost total peace and quiet. If it’s just you and friend alone in there, you can quietly talk for sure. But, if anyone else enters, it’s polite to keep silent as many people use these hot rooms for meditation.
- Drink lots of water! It’s essential when using the hot steam and sauna rooms to keep hydrated. Sometime you might feel a bit dizzy, so don’t hesitate to leave and cool down. Centralbadet also has these super neat cooling stations, which blow cold air directly at your body. Stand in front of one, and you’ll immediately cool down your body temperature.
- Never push yourself! If you feel hot, take a break. Head back to the pools and cool down. Everyone can handle the heat for different periods of time. Don’t feel like you need to keep up with the Swedes who can stay inside these sweltering rooms for ages. They are made of different stuff!
The Experience
Dressing Room
After you pay for your entry into the spa and are provided with any towels or robes (if you purchased that package), you’ll head next into the male and female changing rooms. The dressing rooms are stunning, and one of my favourite places in the spa visually. It was a treat to change and dress at the end of the session in this beautiful environment. One of my favourite things were tiny shell-shaped sinks with water lilies painted on to the porcelain. Almost all of the decor and furnishings are originals from the 1900s, and each item felt so precious and unique.
After showering and changing into your bathing suit, you head out of the dressing rooms into the buttercream painted hallways which lead you throughout the complex of pools and saunas. It really does feel like a maze, with narrow hallways leading up and downstairs to get to your destination.
Roman bath
The first thing we did upon entering was to seek out the famous Art Nouveau swimming pool. Walking into the room, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this space. The ceiling’s bowed roofline framed with stage lights and the walls were illuminated in pale yellow, pinks and rose. On the left side of the room, towering palm trees and green plants gently swayed.
This room is truly the piece-de-resistance of the spa. I took a seat on one of the cedar lounge chairs and took it all in for a few moments. The pool was the PERFECT temperature to swim in. Not too hot but not too cold so you could slip right in. If I lived in Stockholm, I’m sure I would be here everyday! There were a few shower stalls on the back wall, which were adorned in the most elaborate undersea designs. Coral reefs burst with colour, and painted ceramic fishes swim joyously around them.
There is a small upper balcony area above which wraps around the pool. In one of the corners, hidden up there, is a large hammock, and if you’re lucky enough to find it empty, be sure to jump right in!
Thermal bath
After swimming around the refreshing waters of the main pool, we headed into the thermal bath area. Thermal bathing has been around since Roman times. A thermal bath is a hot or tepid bath used to treat both chronic and acute diseases and provides relaxation and stress relief. It improves circulation, which helps deliver nutrients and remove toxins from various parts of the body. Entering this part of the spa, you find this giant marble statue greeting you upon entry. While this is a replica, the original icon which it is based on, ‘Winged Victory of Samothrace,’ is on display at the Louvre. She was a relic of the 2nd century BC and was thought to once belong on a Roman ship’s prow. Her connection to the water is why perhaps she feels very appropriate situated here.
Hydrotherapy Pools
There were two warm pools in this room. One was a Hydrotherapy pool that used jacuzzi jets. Inside were these long underwater lounge chairs that you lay on while the warm waters whipped around below. The hydrotherapy water supports your weight, which helps relieve pain and relax your muscles.
The water was much warmer in the pool nearby, but there were no jets, so you could simply sink right in and indulge in the almost steaming waters. I love a warm bath, so this perhaps was my favourite of the heated pools.
Cold Pool
Right beside the warm waters are two narrow pools with a set of stairs that descend into them. Be warned, this water is COLD! And I mean almost freezing. A cold pool dip is another traditional Nordic treatment. Historically, Scandinavians would sit in hot saunas, dug out of the earth, and then jump into the frozen lakes’ cold waters. This hot-cold-circuit is now something you’ll see in almost every modern-day spa. To complete a traditional circuit, you bath in hot water and then take a cold plunge. This is then followed up with stepping into a steam bath or sauna to bring the body back to its natural state. Then repeat.
How to Use A Cool Water Pool
The cold water pool here is pretty easy to use. Instead of dunking yourself in cold water, which is pretty intimidating, you simply walk down the stairs, which naturally dips your body in and out of the cold water. It still requires a bit of bravery but trust me, it really does make you feel amazing, and you’ll be proud you tried it!
The Circuit
Many people say you should complete the circuit of hot-cold-hot three times during your visit to get all the benefits of the Nordic waters. There is something almost meditative about focusing on this cycle. It requires you to step away from daily life’s stress and do nothing but relax and focus on your body. There are several lounge chairs to relax on here but if you wish to move on, step through the doors in this room towards the sauna area.
Saunas
As you head into the spa’s Sauna area, men and women are sent through a separate set of doors where they must take off their bathing suits and cleanse in the shower. You leave your bathing suits in the change room and enter the sauna area with only your robe or towel.
Nordic Sauna
Centralbadet features over seven different saunas to relax inside. Each one is a little bit different, and I’d advise trying them all. Even if you think you don’t like saunas very much, you might find one that is more to your liking and a bit cooler than others you might have experienced before. The Nordic sauna is the most traditional, the mixture of dry, hot air helps sweat out all those toxins. They recommend you sit inside anywhere from 5 to 15-minutes, depending on how much you like the heat! But remember, never push yourself!
Singing Dunes
The Singing Dunes sauna features a low-pitched song that plays throughout the room. Sitting inside you’ll feel a gentle dessert breeze sweep across your body. In the centre of the room is a massive piece of salt, lit from below, which creates the most mesmerizing glowing effect. The ionized salt therapy it provides is thought to help with anxiety and insomnia. They recommend humming along to the song and meditating inward to help find inner peace and increase relaxation.
Aromatherapy
My favourite was the herbal and aromatherapy sauna, called the Kristall sauna. When you walk inside, the first thing you see is this huge piece of amethyst, and I mean HUGE. It was almost as big as I was! Here, you’ll find scents of fresh thyme, rosemary, mint and orange peel fill your nostrils. These herbs have been placed into the air via the steam inside the room. The smell was intoxicating, and I loved just sitting here and clearing my sinuses.
When sitting in the saunas, I would recommend you just close your eyes and listen to the sounds in the room, the soothing music which lulls your mind away from stress.
Infrared Sauna
The most comfortable sauna is sure the infrared as its the lowest temperature, almost just room temperature. There are lounge chairs inside this rather small room where you can sit and chat, as this room has a more casual atmosphere. Some people say they can experience positive effects in just 10-minutes from infrared light. Still, others sit here for almost an hour to bask in the relaxing energy waves. Infrared saunas are thought to help with collagen stimulation, skin brightness, and improved heart and vessel condition. So why not?!
Steam Bath
The steam bath is one of the most unique rooms. I’ve done steam rooms before, but never one this steamy! You can barely make out the white tiled floors for the thick steam all around you. The temperature is only about 45 degrees, but with 100% humidity, it can feel a lot warmer. Sitting down inside, it almost feels like it’s raining, the most gently drizzle, a genuinely ethereal experience. I usually can only stand a few minutes in the steam room but here with the lower temperature, I found myself meditating here for much longer.
Roof terrace
After completing a few rounds of the circuit, I wandered around the complex a bit more. This place is so vast, and when walking around certain areas, you felt like you might be going somewhere, you weren’t meant to be. Throughout my explorations, I discovered the barbershop, gym and even an artist’s residence office! But I was trying to locate the Roof Terrace! I finally made my way to the spiralling staircase, which led to the roof. Despite it being the dead of winter, the door to the outside was open, and I could peek my head out there. It was freezing, but the view was incredible! This place would be amazing to sit out on during the spring and summertime, and even in the freezing cold, I still soaked in the view. Then I immediately ran off back downstairs to jump back in the warm pool!
The Eco-bar
The eco-bar located inside the spa is like dining inside a rainforest. The indoor restaurant features lush greenery and light therapy illuminations above you. These bright therapy lights are meant to aid with depression some people feel during the darker winter months. Otherwise known as ‘SAD’ or seasonal affective disorder. You can hop from the waters into the restaurant without taking off your robe and dine in pure comfort. There are different locations where you can eat throughout the spa, some which offer only cafe like drinks and snack and other areas which serve up entire meals.
Food & Drink
The food is all organic and rich with nutrients, perfect for that revitalizing experience. You can also have wine, champagne or smaple some of their non-alcoholic beers. But for me, it’s always a cup of coffee and a dessert which calls my name! While the meals aren’t super cheap, they aren’t going to break the bank either, and honestly, I say go for it as eating here really adds to the entire experience.
My experience at Centralbadet was unmatched! It was one of the best spa experiences I’ve ever had, and I wished I had been able to stay longer. I’ve read mixed reviews about this place and was interested in seeing it for myself. While it might not be the cheapest spa or sauna, it is also one of the largest and offers more options and amenities than any other.
Most people seem to complain about the price, so I hope this post really helps you understand all the different things you can do inside, which comes with entry. I didn’t have time for a massage or spa treatment, and I still was there for hours and hours. I went out of there feeling beyond relaxed, and as a traveller, you can get really run down exploring a new city. And this was precisely what I needed to recharge and relax! I would recommend it to everyone visiting Stockholm for the first, second or really anytime!
Let me know if you’ve experienced a Nordic spa before and what your favourite part was!
Happy Travels, Adventurers!
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