A place for everybody': Stockholm to open its first publicly run sauna

"There is little doubt that Stockholm is a city of sauna-goers. All year round, from early morning to late into the night, the city's residents can be seen emerging from wooden huts, a trail of woodsmoke coming from the chimney, and lowering themselves into the deep brackish waters of the Swedish capital's shoreline. But, for locals and visitors alike, getting access to one of these saunas can be a bit like getting into the world's most exclusive private members' clubs: the most popular waterside venues have years-long waiting lists of thousands and when new places open up they disappear in minutes."

"In an attempt to change this, the city of Stockholm will in June open its first publicly run sauna with the mission of bringing sauna for all. The new facility, in Hornstull, a water-facing neighbourhood on the island of Sodermalm, is a pilot project which authorities hope will be the first of many city-run, membership-free saunas. Pia Karlsson, project manager from the City of Stockholm's transport office, said the 5.5m Swedish kronor (436,573) project had been born of a desire to move away from the prevailing model of sauna for the few."

"The municipality had wanted a sauna that was 100% accessible, so no membership. Accessible to the city's residents and our guests. The Swedish capital has relatively clean water, the ideal geographical setup, stretched over several islands, and plenty of willing customers for bada bastu the Swedish term for bathing and having a sauna made internationally famous by Finland's Eurovision entry last year, Bara Bada Bastu (Just Take a Sauna). Despite all this, the city has been slow to capitalise on demand for accessible quayside saunas."

Stockholm is known for year-round sauna culture, with residents using waterside saunas from early morning to late at night. Access to popular venues is difficult because many have long waiting lists and new openings sell out quickly. Some spots can be booked by non-members, but availability remains limited. To address this, Stockholm will open its first publicly run sauna in June in Hornstull, a residential neighborhood on Södermalm. The pilot aims to provide 100% accessibility with no membership requirements. The project is intended to shift away from the sauna-for-the-few model and serve as a first step toward more city-run, membership-free saunas.

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