As we moved through the fjords, in many beautiful spots we saw one common type of construction – slick, modern, wooden containers, often with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. Some were built on the bank of a fjord; others were floating on a jetty connected to the shore via a bridge. They looked like tiny homes designed to accommodate no more than a couple of people. If it is your first time in Norway, you might think these are just cabins. But they are not! This is a widely popular attraction among the locals and visitors – a Nordic spa.
The idea is simple. It is a hot sauna of the type common in Northern and Eastern Europe. And as you are sweating your troubles away, while sprawled out on wooden benches, you can also enjoy unparalleled views of the Norwegian landscape: fjords, mountains, and waterfalls. But the beautiful view is not the only feature. To cool off, you can open the door, take a few steps, and plunge right into the freezing water.
We have already written in this blog that if we see a sauna in a foreign country, we do not hesitate and immediately join in the fun. In Georgia, Japan, Estonia, and Türkiye, we went to a sauna eager to learn the customs and traditions of the local bathing, but in none of these places, we had to plunge into the icy water afterward. And jumping into the Norwegian Sea seemed crazy even for us, the thrill-seeking weirdos. The fjords, even in July, experience constant rain, fog, and gusty winds, and the water rarely looks like an inviting place to swim. However, the more we saw these saunas sprinkled in picturesque locations and the happy, sweaty people plunging into the water, the more the idea grew on us.
The day we decided that we would do a Nordic spa was when we saw someone jumping into the Norwegian Sea without even going to a sauna. In Undredal, a pretty village located on the bank of a UNESCO-recognized Nærøyfjord, we sat down in a restaurant facing the fjord. Right next to us, there was a table with two blonde girls drinking beers and eating fries. We heard them chatting in some Nordic language until one of them got up and walked out of the restaurant. Second later, we saw her on the pier, quickly stripping to her swimming suit and then casually diving into the fjord. She did not jump out of the water immediately, as we expected, but swam around for a good two to three minutes. When she returned to the restaurant, she rejoined her friend and continued sipping a lager like nothing happened.
“Was the water cold?” Julia asked the blonde girl when she made eye contact with us.
“Not really. It is warmer than from where we are from. We are from Iceland.”
And so, we decided that if foreigners come here to plunge into the cold Norwegian water, so should we. There was a spa right next to the restaurant where we were sitting. But we figured that it made more sense to get pneumonia or bronchitis closer to the end of the trip and not while we still had 10 more days left in the country. Another reason to do it later was because the second leg of our trip was in the Arctic Circle! And if we were to do a plunge, why not do it in the northernmost place? Makes for a cooler story, right?
After spending a week in the fjords, where the sky was cloudy and it rained a lot, we expected the weather on the Lofoten Islands to be even worse. But to our surprise, that was not the case and we had mostly sunny days there. And the craziest thing was that at times the islands looked like a warm Caribbean destination. Climbing the mountains, it was easy to forget we were in the Arctic Circle as we saw gorgeous moon-crescent white sand beaches with turquoise-blue water below us. Still, despite the heavenly color, the water in the Norwegian Sea was freezing cold and we wondered if we would have enough courage to plunge into it later.
Finally, on the last day, as we were heading to the airport, we stopped in Svolvær to do something that could have become either one of the highlights of the trip or a giant mistake. Because this was our only chance to do a Nordic spa, we chose a spa on the higher end. LYST Lofoten Sauna Svolvær was highly rated and associated with a nearby upscale hotel. We booked a 1.5-hour session online and paid around 35$ for each of us.
One of the concerns we had before booking the spa session was that we did not pack any swimsuits. After all, we did not expect we would do any swimming in Norway. However, the websites for every spa we checked insisted that swimwear was mandatory in the sauna. So, we just hoped that my boxer shorts and Julia’s sports tunic would suffice and would not get us kicked out.
After picking up towels, bathrobes, and key fobs to the spa at the hotel’s reception desk, we headed for our bathing session. The spa was on a floating jetty in a harbor with a view towards the fjord and the mountains. The view was incredible. Inside, the spa had two spacious saunas, changing rooms with hot water showers, and a toilet. It was the fanciest spa we have ever been to. Still concerned whether we had the proper sauna attire, we headed to one of the saunas. Julia opened the door, looked inside, and then jumped back, closing the door.
“You know what? I think we will be fine in our underwear here. There is a completely naked woman inside.”
Apparently, it is not uncommon for the locals to take everything off in these saunas, and when spa websites ask for swimsuits, they simply ask to wear something and not to go commando. We decided not to disturb the naked woman and occupied the other sauna.
For the next hour and a half, we sweated profusely in the hot sauna, while resting on wooden benches and taking in the views of the Norwegian Sea, the harbor, and an elegant three-mast ship moored nearby. And yes! We did it! We jumped into the cold Arctic water! And not once … but three times! Each of us! The first plunge was the most terrifying as it required courage to take that first step to throw yourself into the cold water. And as your body hits the Arctic water, you immediately experience what feels like thousands of tiny electric shocks running through your body. My first plunge lasted only a couple of seconds as my brain frantically signaled: “Get out of the water immediately!! It is freezing. You are going to die!” The second and third plunges, after we had a chance to warm up more in the sauna, were more enjoyable because we were aware of the body’s reaction to the cold water. I even went for an extended swim in the harbor to impress Julia and the previously naked Norwegian woman who was now wearing a swimsuit and cheering for me from the floating platform.
When our time was up, we left the spa feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Nordic spas are known for their health benefits, such as improved blood circulation, a boost to the immune system, and increased metabolism. But for us, in addition to health benefits, the whole experience was also pure fun and a fitting end to our crazy journey through the Lofoten Islands in the Arctic Circle.
