From saunas and ice baths, through forest therapy and locally grown menus, to award-winning SPA-hotels and blueberry-scented hand creams. You can take an exciting wellnwss journey through Swedish Lapland, keeping your feet firmly rooted on Arctic soil.
In the north of Sweden, the sauna is more than just heat – it’s a way of life. A deeply rooted ritual that promotes relaxation, recovery, and overall well-being. From improved circulation to reduced stress and better sleep, sauna bathing offers a natural path to health – with the Arctic landscape as your backdrop.
For those seeking luxurious wellness, there are several standout options: Across the region, you’ll find spas that draw inspiration from nature – using wildcrafted ingredients like birch, and Arctic berries in treatments designed to heal and restore. Whether you’re relaxing in a floating spa, unwinding on a rooftop, or embracing nature’s elements in a traditional sauna, wellness here is not just about luxury – it’s a way of life.
A breath of fresh air never hurts. That has always been our roundabout way of trying to explain what it is that makes nature good for us human beings. But the results of more and more research in recent years have shown just how beneficial spending time in the great outdoors is for human health and wellbeing. Science confirms a piece of time-honoured folk wisdom. It’s time for a walk in the woods.
Sauna, or bastu in Swedish, is something as natural to people in the north as the midnight sun and the northern lights. It used to be something of a prerequisite for life in the Arctic, and now it is a rich part of the culture itself. Sauna is the essence of life up here.
With lightly packed backpacks we head out for a hike to a cabin in the woods. To breath that fresh summer air, hang out with friends and create our own adventure spa by the lake.
From saunas and ice baths, through forest therapy and locally grown menus, to award-winning SPA-hotels and blueberry-scented hand creams. You can take an exciting health journey through Swedish Lapland, keeping your feet firmly rooted on Arctic soil.
Sauna, or bastu in Swedish, is something as natural to people in the north as the midnight sun and the northern lights. It used to be something of a prerequisite for life in the Arctic, and now it is a rich part of the culture itself. Sauna is the essence of life up here.
Slow down. Share the moment. Embrace the heat. And always honour the steam. Here’s how to turn your first sauna experience, or bastu as we say in Sweden, into something truly unforgettable.
Anders Appelgren
The sauna Solar Egg was created by Riksbyggen together with artist duo Bigert & Bergström and installed in Kiruna. Since then, the sauna has become a global success and taken on a tour around the world.
Places still exist where there's no point asking for the password for the wifi. Places where you leave your mobile behind to spend some quality time with others – or perhaps with yourself. The Sámi eco-lodge Geunja and the camp in Tjuonajokk are two of Swedish Lapland's finest places.
Even with people there, the calmness of the place stands out. Geunja Sámi Eco Lodge stands there, carefully tucked in between the shores of a crystal clear lake and the foot of a high mountain.
We were kindly allowed to read the guestbook from Logger's Lodge, filled with ecstatic reviews from world celebrities, ordinary people and people in love who have visited to forget about all the must-dos for a while and get utterly spoilt. We felt we had to go there ourselves to experience it.
Running is in human nature. Long before urbanisation, jogging and rubber-soled shoes made tarmac commonplace, we kept to the trails. These days, trail running is enjoying a renaissance. Running for the experience and running for those who prefer personal challenges to personal bests.
February means time for the Scandinavian Winter Swimming Championship in Skellefteå. The championship is also part of the Winter Swimming World Cup as well as an appreciated festival for the entire city – all founded on a declaration of love for the cold and dark.
Dog sledding through vast expanses of white is in many ways synonymous with a winter adventure in Swedish Lapland. Håkan Stenlund took a tour in the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve. Following the footsteps of Jack London, in a way.
Sauna, or bastu in Swedish, is something as natural to people in the north as the midnight sun and the northern lights. It used to be something of a prerequisite for life in the Arctic, and now it is a rich part of the culture itself. Sauna is the essence of life up here.
Slow down. Share the moment. Embrace the heat. And always honour the steam. Here’s how to turn your first sauna experience, or bastu as we say in Sweden, into something truly unforgettable.
Anders Appelgren
What happens when a father and son decide to spend a couple of days in the Gulf of Bothnia archipelago? Well, first, you have to promise that there will be mobile phone coverage and then keep your fingers crossed that you’re right. Then you can safely assume there’ll be no trace of the kid during the entire trip.
