Bastu och spa i Tallinn - en helg med spalyx och "basturitualer"

Why not spend a weekend at a spa in Tallinn? There are many different spas, and sauna traditions are hot - and very special. We tell you about our visit to three different spas and saunas in the Estonian capital.

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A weekend at the spa in Tallinn

We recently spent a long weekend with a spa in Tallinn, a trip we organised in cooperation with Visit Estonia. We visited three completely different places: a luxurious hotel spa with treatments, a huge spa with lots of pools and saunas and a place by the sea with cosy saunas in small houses. In two of the places we got to experience "sauna rituals"!

Spa in Tallinn: Telegraph Spa

If you are looking for a spa with treatments in the Old Town in the centre of Tallinn Telegraph Spa a good option. This spa is located in the luxurious Hotel Telegraafand you enter via the hotel lobby to find your way. We each tried a treatment here. Telegraph Stress Relief Massage respectively Telegraph Aroma Massage - and we were both very, very satisfied. Great treatments in a calm and relaxing environment!

Before or after the treatment, you can relax for a while by the pools, or maybe have a sauna. This area is not very big, but when we were here we were almost alone so it was still quiet and peaceful and the environment is very nice.

When we left the hotel, we couldn't resist checking out the restaurant Tchaikovsky. We didn't eat here, but we took some photos anyway, just because the decor looked so delicious!

Spa in Tallinn: Mustamäe Elamus Spa

The next spa we visited is called Mustamaea Elamus Spa and is located on the outskirts of Tallinn. This is a very large spa, where you walk through room after room of pools, surrounded by absolutely stunning scenery. Here, you can recline in various loungers or settle into comfortable seating areas.

We don't know how many pools there are - we lost count after a while - but there are many. There are large pools, small pools, hot tubs, warm pools, cool pools, children's pools, outdoor pools and probably several other kinds of pools too.

In one of the larger rooms, the environment is jungle-like, with rope bridges, water-spouting gorillas, and a bar shaped like a kind of monster maw. This room was where many of the families with children hung out.

The logo says "Spa 21+", which means that there are more than 21 saunas. At the moment there are 22 saunas in total, of different sizes, temperatures and types.

A very special experience that you can take part in here are so-called "sauna rituals". Boards on the premises publicise the day's events: the time, the sauna, the type of ritual and the name of the sauna master. Once you have paid the entrance fee, the sauna rituals are included in the price, so you just have to go to the right sauna at the right time.

Sauna rituals can vary, and the one we attended included music and sounds. Sometimes "sauna theatre" is also organised, where the sauna master takes the sauna bathers on a whole adventure in the small warm room...

There are three different food outlets inside the baths, all of which offer nice and relaxed environments.

We ordered a poké bowl with smoked salmon. Very good! Peter had a glass of white wine and I (Helena) ordered a beer. You can also get draught beer from a tap in the wall - you just press your wristband against a button, and you pay when you check out. Very convenient!

Sauna in Tallinn: Igloo Park

Last but not least, we must tell you about Igloo park, located in the area Noblesse oblige, in the harbour. There are a bunch of cosy saunas overlooking the water, which you can rent. There is also a small bar.

We got to try sauna bathing here, with what we also got to experience was a "sauna ritual", organised by the company Sauna lantern. Two guys, one of them a sauna master and the other a musician, performed a ritual that included calm voices and the sounds of musical instruments with a kind of ancient feeling attached to them.

The ritual also includes everything from snow and cold water to whipping with birch bark and, for those who wish, bathing in the icy sea.

How did it go for us? I (Helena) have always found it difficult to stay in a sauna for long because I find the heat uncomfortable and find it hard to breathe after a while. This makes bathing not very appealing either ...

Now, I'm not sure Peter was so "attracted" either, but he decided it was finally time to try. So it was the first winter swim ever for Peter! He probably won't be an inveterate winter swimmer after this, but he described it as an interesting experience and less difficult than expected.

All in all, it was a very special experience to take part in these sauna rituals. Thanks to the guys from Saunaelamus!

More spas in Tallinn

Are there other spas in Tallinn, besides the ones we tested? Yes, of course there are! For example, there are spas in several of the larger hotels. Here are some more spas you can find in Tallinn:

Aqua Spa, Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel
Health centre Club 26, Radisson Blu Hotel Olümpia
Meriton Wellness Spa, Park Inn by Radisson Meriton Conference & Spa Hotel
Pürovel Spa & Sport, Swissôtel Tallinn Hotel
Ring Spa and Sauna Centre
Sauna Oasis, Kalev Spa Water Park
Spa Eforea, Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel
Tallinn Viimsi Spa

Spa i Tallinn - Hilton tallinn Park — Peter in the hot tub at Hilton Tallinn Park, about seven years ago

More to see and do in Tallinn

A spa weekend in Tallinn is all well and good, but there's much more to see and do in Estonia's capital. First and foremost, you'll want to wander around the medieval city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you're here before Christmas, we highly recommend Tallinn's beautiful Christmas market. There are also many great restaurants in Tallinn, which you won't want to miss.

Have you tried a spa in Tallinn?

Have you tried a spa in Tallinn, or maybe a sauna? If so, which spa(s) did you visit? How was your experience?

Spa in Tallinn - good to know

Spa in Tallinn: You'll find day spas and spa hotels, with everything from swimming pools to various treatments. Book treatments well in advance.
Sauna in Tallinn: Sauna is a big thing and you can experience "sauna rituals" in several places.
Read more: You can find more information at Visit Estonia website

The three spas and saunas we visited

Telegraph Spa, Hotel Telegraaf, Vene tn 9, Kesklinna linnaosa, Tallinn. (Old Town.) Two pools, saunas and treatments. Read more here.
Mustamäe Elamus Spa, Akadeemia tee 30, Mustamäe linnaosa, Tallinn. (About 20 minutes by taxi from the centre of Tallinn.) Plenty of pools, 22 saunas, treatments, restaurants and sauna ritual programmes. Read more here.
Igloo park, Peetri tänav T5, Põhja-Tallinna linnaosa, Tallinn. (Noblessner Area.) Round small saunas for hire. Possibility of swimming in the sea. Read more here.