Kalma Saun — Local services in Tallinn

This was RAW! Don't get me wrong, I loved the experience and I had an idea what's waiting for me. So...first of all, if you are looking for a contemporary sauna experience in line with all the cozy modern flings flings from western Europe, all with the music, ambient lighting, all those bells and whistles, just pick something else. This sauna built in 1928 got stuck in time somewhat 50 years ago. Men & women are separated right at the reception. I was using the public part, you can also reserve a private sauna. First of all, the bare minimum what you need are flip-flops. They rent towels, hats and sit-on mats. Cards are accepted. Men public area only has a steam sauna which is yeah....bit dated and not THAT steamy. The real gem here is the traditional dry sauna with 2,5m tall fire burning stove. You sit on five stages and visitors are mostly locals and russians. Now, if you are new to the sauna experience, this one is VERY hot. You'd need to cool down in a pool and a shower every few minutes. Everyone is slashing themselves with birch whisks. At the beginning that was odd, but as soon as I tried it I loved it instantly. The rest of the area is quite dated too, but the place has undoubtedly a strong genius loci, which real sauna connoisseurs will adore. Locals sipping beverages at the bar watching old telly, discussing everything imaginable... of couse everyone is naked everywhere. Well it wasn't 5star experience, but it's also not what I was looking for. If you overcome the initial cultural shock, you will have...

Tourist friendly, keep in mind this is not a spa, but a sauna. Good for a relaxed evening. Hot, wood burning stove, with adjacent cold pool. Mostly locals. Bring your towel and sauna hat. There is also a steam sauna.

You may meet sauna goers from nearby countries. Estonian saunas are more talkative and the process is longer than in Finland. Guys eat fish, beer, juicy fruits and such to keep going for hours.

Has a wood stove in the men’s side, and there are five seating levels, where at the top it gets up to 100C. In the mid levels is pleasant. The air is not dry, which makes it possible to stay in the sauna for a long time.

At the bar you can buy insulating seating plates, as the benches are very hot. Beer and water, as well as juice are sold also, very affordably.

You can also get twig bunches, called viht, from the kiosk, which are used for fragrance and beating your back. These come in juniper, oak and birch leaves. The bar has good service, Finnish and English works, and of course the local languages.

Overall, the place has an old school vibe. Everyhing works, and if it ain’t broke why fix it! It’s a no...

Local experience, don't expect a spa. How to: Pay entrance fee. You can rent a towel and buy "viht" if you want to act like a local (Eucalyptus, Oak or Birch branches). Have your own flip flops. Entering the changing room, an employee gives you a locker number and a towel if you rented one In the changing room, get fully naked. There are 2 changing rooms. Each of them has a door leading to the "sauna" area. You can use whichever and switch from time to time. In a sauna area, you have a first lobby where people shower and infuse their "viht" in very hot water. At the end of the lobby, you can access the sauna room. There is one dry sauna (preceded by a cold water pool) and one hot steam sauna In the dry sauna, people pick their "viht" after infusing them in the lobby and go to the dry sauna. Once inside, you enjoy the sauna like always or, if you have "viht" with you, you kind of spank yourself with it. It is custom.

You can enter with your own drinks and food. Or you can buy some on-site in the changing room area. The average age of clients decreases along the day as people are...