Wellness, to the Finns, is a concept so ingrained that they have many words for it, from sisu to sauna to luonto (a love of nature) – and from the 19th century, Helsinki attracted visitors to its seaside baths and health resorts. One of its most loved institutions is Yrjönkatu, a Helsinki swimming hall built in 1928 as Finland’s first indoor pool. Almost everyone in Helsinki has swum here, and it’s a far cry from your average leisure centre.
Step inside Yrjönkatu, the newly reopened Helsinki swimming hall classic
Forget plastic decor, the overpowering smell of chlorine and vending machines selling crisps and fizzy drinks. In what was a wholly new concept at the time, Yrjönkatu offered bathing, grooming, medical diagnostics, dining and entertainment under one roof in the middle of the city. Visitors could enjoy two pools, three saunas, and good food, and rest on beds in private cubicles overlooking the water while having their shoes polished, clothes pressed, and hair styled.
After Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917, the country went on a construction drive. Architects blended Nordic Classicism with hints of art deco to create uniform streets and spacious courtyards. Yrjönkatu, which sits on a tight urban plot, is an elegant example of both styles. Its architect, Väinö Vähäkallio (1886-1959), was heavily involved in the modernisation of Finland, but the 5,284 sq m Yrjönkatu is one of his most loved buildings.
So loved, in fact, that during its two-year renovation, locals were vocal in their feedback. ‘Don’t change its soul. Preserve the atmosphere and character that make it so special,’ was the overwhelming response. And on this, the city has delivered.
The watery blue tiles, the cabins with their slimline mattresses and sanatorium feel, the hooks and rails and lights, are all intact. New (welcome) additions are an upgraded ticket office and lifeguards’ booth, extra lockers, a modern kitchen and improved disabled access. And in a bid to save energy, the water temperature has been lowered by five degrees to a constant 24°C.
The 1930s recession and the Second World War put paid to some of Yrjönkatu’s more utopian concepts; the saxophone orchestra and ballroom are gone, so too the on-the-spot doctor appointments – although the third-floor locker rooms where these took place are still intact and a new gym and physiotherapy equipment have been installed. Despite financial highs and lows and this recent renovation, the inclusive spirit of Yrjönkatu is just as it ever was.
Artwork, Noora Sandgren: Watery, 2026
For six euros, visitors have two-hour access to a locker and the ground-floor pool and sauna; over-68s go free and there are multiple discounts for members, students and children, many of whom learn to swim here. Other areas, such as the smaller third-floor pool, the cabins and the wood-fired sauna, cost extra and can be hired privately.
On the third floor, a log-panelled private room, built in homage to the great military statesman and former Finnish president Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951), is a nod to the bath’s glorious past. It can be exclusively hired for up to 20 people and serves as a reminder that Finns have always seen bathing spaces as those in which to conduct tricky negotiations and high-level diplomacy.
The mix of private and communal spaces at different price points is unusual for a civic swimming hall and undoubtedly contributes to Yrjönkatu’s universal and enduring appeal. Meanwhile, Yrjonkatu's iconic drink, sima, a mead-like lemonade, will be back by popular demand. It's typically drunk only in the spring, but the swimming hall was the only place in the city to serve it all year round, and now it will continue to do so.
Men and women swim on separate days, and nudity is not uncommon, though swimwear can be hired along with robes. Pre-renovation, the café at Yrjönkatu was a far cry from the waiters-and-white-napkin service of yore, but this autumn, restaurant Uimasalonki will step in (from Alvar Tallskog and Ville Tikkanen, the team that changed the fortunes of Helsinki’s White Hall) will step in. This week, the swimming hall reopens, bringing with it the uncommon but much-welcome notion that places to relax and reset rather than improve athleticism and optimise fitness are more needed now than they ever were.