Why it's holistic
- Arctic Bath's wellness centres on Swedish sauna and cold-bathing culture: heat in the saunas and hot baths, then the river plunge at the middle of the building.
- The hotel presents this as a meeting of that culture with the serenity and quiet of nature, and its spa rituals use all-natural ingredients.
- The cabins sit close to the water and the birch forest, and the seasons change what the building does, from floating on the river to frozen into it.
- The hotel works with local guides, which ties a stay to the surrounding community.
About
In summer the circular main building of Arctic Bath floats on the Lule River; in winter it freezes into the ice. At its centre is an open-air cold plunge, ringed by saunas, hot baths and a spa treatment room, and the floating restaurant is part of the same building. The hotel's 12 cabins are split between six floating cabins on the river, three land suite cabins and three land family cabins among the birch trees. Architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, working with the team behind the nearby Treehotel, drew on the old practice of floating felled timber down the river. The village of Harads is in Swedish Lapland, south of the Arctic Circle. Local guides lead excursions from the hotel.
Wellness Experiences
Cold TherapySauna & SteamSpa Treatments
