Elamus Spa — Local services in Tallinn

I recently had the opportunity to use my Stebby ticket, which granted me access to the Spa21+ area, swimming pools, saunas, the large pool, and the gym. I made use of everything except the gym, but it's reassuring to know it’s available if needed. What sets this spa apart from others is its policy of allowing unlimited time inside.

The staff were very friendly when I called ahead to inquire about indoor scooter storage, and they even extended my ticket’s expiry date just in case. Upon arrival, I was provided with a towel and a robe, both of which I used, although I had brought my own towel as well. I was initially directed to the 21+ area, which offered a variety of themed saunas and a large pool.

Due to ongoing construction on the children's side (which is usually the shortcut point to the Spa21+ area, if I recall correctly), I had to go through the foyer to reach the swimming pool side from their dressing room. This wasn’t much of an inconvenience.

During my time on the 21+ side, I noticed a loud drumming sound in most of the saunas, likely from the bass of the main area’s music system. While the music inside the saunas complemented the themes, I found it to be too loud.

I participated in two sauna rituals, which were offered free of charge throughout the day, usually every 30 minutes to an hour. One ritual involved a honey and salt scrub, while the other focused on shea butter skincare. The facilitator provided clear instructions and detailed the benefits of each ritual. I made sure to stay in the sauna and rest by the poolside for the recommended time to maximize the effects on my skin.

One suggestion I have is to add more clocks or hourglasses around the 21+ area, particularly in the saunas, to help guests keep track of time. This would also be beneficial in the regular swimming area.

Around 20:00 on a Wednesday, the 21+ area became quite noisy as more people arrived, although it had been quiet earlier. This isn’t a fault of the spa, just an observation.

Lastly, despite signs prohibiting jumping, I saw several children and even a few adults jumping into the pool. I'm not sure if anything can be done about this, but it’s something that I noticed.

Overall, I had a fantastic time. The food and drinks were reasonably priced, though a bit more salad alongside the fish and chips would...

Visited on a Saturday in November 2018, about a month after the place opened. The good: the spa is stylish with lots of different saunas (about 10), a few jacuzzis, lots of seating (lounging chairs and beds), a big paddling pool (with a full-size swimming pool next door). Drinking water was free and you could buy drinks and food from the bar with your wristband. The visiting time is quite long - 4 hours. They offer massages and other treatments, though of course those cost extra. The bad: it seems they allow way too many people in at a time with the spa extremely crowded which means we had a hard time finding a free locker (did find one in the end) and also a parking spot (did not find a spot in the official spa lot, had to park on the side of a nearby road). Some of the passageways in the spa are too narrow thus creating bottlenecks, also some of the flooring seemed to be of wood which was quite slippery. Most saunas are quite small only fitting around 8 people at a time. There are very few showers next to the saunas to rinse yourself off. The showerrooms themselves had plenty of showers, but very few places to hang your things. Also, while not a negative on its own, keep in mind that the general spa (Elamus) is very much orientated towards families. Children ages 0-5 are admitted for free (a much broader range than other local spas offer, usually you have to pay for kids aged 2 and up) and although there is a separate kiddy area a bit out of the way, the noise of shrieking children encompassed the whole spa, making our visit more stressful than relaxing. The adult prices for the Elamus spa vary from €12-19 depending on the day/time. If you go during the weekend and are not bringing kids, the 21+ adult spa next door might be a better choice; however, with a price tag of €25-35, I find it very expensive, though it does grant you access to the Elamus spa and the swimming pool as well, also it seemed to have an open air jacuzzi, free towel and robe rent etc. In short, I didn't have a great experience this time, but I might consider visiting again once the crowds die down and they have (hopefully) worked out some of the kinks. Adults without kids might be better off visiting...

The premises are mostly ok. The people is the source of distress. First, you have to book in advance, something we didn’t see mentioned on the promotional leaflet written in Estonian. It would be nice to have this material in English, and obviously highlight the fact of booking. So, on arrival we booked the lane and had to return in 2 hours for an experience. Although scheduled for 4pm we managed to start only at 16:09 because the previous players were still wrapping up with their game, then picking up their coats and drinks. The problem started when we couldn’t find the ball of a proper size anywhere on spare balls racks. When we located the needed balls with some family who had plenty of those, the “mom” was so protective that she confronted my daughter who wanted to borrow a ball and drove her crying. So, instead of positive emotions and good vibrations I spent the rest of the night comforting my daughter and explaining that the world is evil and the most evil are stupid people, that she doesn’t have to be so sensitive to those garbage people and let their rude words hurt her young sensitive soul. Remarkably, that a daughter of that nasty mom, around 13 years old, came to apologise for her stupid mom. I could feel how embarrassing to her was having such a vulgar parent and tolerating her escapades. I addressed the employee of the bowling alley to help find the proper size ball, but he wasn’t helpful: first acting surprised that I couldn’t find that size, then failing to locate it on the racks or with the players who had extra. No help whatsoever, he didn’t even come to explain the situation.

That’s it. Negative memories are purchased for around 30 Euros....