Helsinki to build floating sauna and swimming centre in Jätkäsaari

A floating wellness centre with saunas and swimming facilities will be built in Helsinki’s Jätkäsaari district, adjacent to the Länsisatama passenger terminal, after years of planning.

The project advances as the city has begun constructing municipal infrastructure and waterfront structures around the old harbour basin, Ahdinalta. However, the first phase will be smaller and temporary, designed to be moved if needed as surrounding construction continues.

Bluet Oy, a specialist in floating construction, has a private operator ready to launch a lighter, relocatable version of the centre, serving local residents and port passengers. The facility will include saunas, a café, and a small pool, though space constraints and a planned beach at the basin’s end limit the pool’s size. A separate indoor pool, Bunkkeri, will feature a long lane elsewhere in Jätkäsaari.

The city confirms the project can proceed even if nearby developments, such as the Royal Arena event space and hotel, face further delays. Municipal infrastructure for the wellness centre is now under construction, with the first phase expected to finish by late 2027. Final touches like landscaping and permanent access routes will wait until the broader area’s plans are settled.

Plans for a regional sports, culture, and leisure hub in Ahdinalta date to 2019, but most proposed facilities—beaches, hotels, arenas, and waterbus terminals—remain unfinished. The floating wellness centre’s water area reservation, renewed a few years ago, expires at the end of 2026 but will be extended.