Baths
Swimming is perhaps not the first thing you associate with Sweden, given our cold climate. But we have a very vibrant bathing culture that is practiced all year round – with everything from going to municipal swimming pools to summer and winter swimming outdoors. Swimming while traveling is a great way to immerse yourself in a culture.
In our family, as in many others, we love to swim in open water. In a lake or the sea. When it's cold outside, we combine it with a sauna. Also, there are several spas and bathhouses that are well worth a visit such as
Centralbadet, Sturebadet, and Yasuragi.
Centralbadet
At the historic Centralbadet from 1904, with its beautiful undulating forms in Art Nouveau style, there is something for everyone. Here, on an area of 3,500 square metres, you can, among other things, swim in an unique swimming pool, swim in hot and cold pools, and relax in a unique Nordic sauna landscape.
On the roof there is a sun deck to sunbathe on. When you enter from street Drottninggatan 88, in central Stockholm, you are greeted by a beautiful mini-garden oasis where you can also have lunch.
The bath is a recreational gem where mental relaxation and physical activity go hand in hand. Most tourists miss to visit this wonderful bath house ;). If you want a massage or other treatments, book in advance.
If you're historically interested in Centralbadet, you google-translate this website.
Sturebadet
Sturebadet is Stockholm's most exclusive indoor spa and fitness facility. It was inaugurated in 1885 and is located in Sturegallerian (shopping mall with many nice small shops in the higher price range) at street Sturegatan 4 in central Stockholm. The baths were badly damaged by fire in 1985 but were rebuilt.
Today, Sturebadet is the oldest preserved bathhouse in Stockholm and has been protected as a listed building since 1986. If you're historically interested in Sturebadet, you google-translate this website.
Actually, you've to be a member for this bathhouse, but you can book “as a member for a day”. The bathhouse's website is only in Swedish (use google-translation), and if you need help with it just tell us.
Yasuragi
To the spa Yasuragi you can take the boat from Vaxholm, or the boat stop Fredriksberg which is closer to the Metz Cottage ("Commuting"), to the yetti-stop Hasseludden. Just 900 metres from the jetty is the Japanese-influenced spa (including hotel and restaurant). It was built by the Swedish Workers' Union (LO) in 1970–72. The spa opened in 1997 and in 2003 LO left it as an owner.
Yasuragi is Japanese and means "inner peace and harmony" and the facility has become popular among Stockholmers who want a break from everyday life, unwind, and find new energy. It is a place of relaxation rooted in the Japanese bathhouse culture. The atmosphere breathes stillness and reflection.
It may feel odd to come here, both to meet the 70s "concrete brutalism" and Japanese bathing culture when you are in Sweden, but it is a place worth visiting for its tranquillity, various saunas, and baths. Book your visit in advance. The bathhouse's website is only in Swedish (use google-translation), and if you need help with it just tell us.
When you come to Hasseludden, you will also see several culturally and historically interesting and well-preserved villas, so-called summer pleasures, which are typical of the older buildings in the Stockholm archipelago (which you have come to know at Resarö and in Vaxholm).