Swimming in Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall
Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall is a City-owned swimming hall. A special feature of the hall is that swimming in the nude is also allowed.
Because of the allowed nudity, the hall has separate swimming days for women and men: Women’s swimming days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Men’s swimming days are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Please note, however, that the swimming hall staff features both women and men every day. They move about in the swimming, washing and dressing facilities of the hall, regardless of whether the day is reserved for women or men. For example, there may be male staff members working in the washing facilities during women’s days, and vice versa.
The duration of one swimming hall visit is two (2) hours, within which you must also wash and get dressed. Photography is prohibited throughout the premises of Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall.
First floor: swimming pool and saunas
Representing 1920s’ classicism, the pool area and public saunas of Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall are located on the first floor. The single visit ticket to the first floor is the same as in the other swimming halls of the City of Helsinki.
Swimming pool for swimmers and water runners
There is one swimming pool on the first floor of the hall. Only customers who are able to swim are allowed in the pool.
- Length of the swimming pool: 25 metres
- Depth of the swimming pool: 0.9–3.4 metres
- Width of the swimming pool: 3 swimming lanes (two for swimming, one for water running)
- Temperature of the water: 27 °C
You can borrow a water running belt from the hall or bring your own.
Saunas and item storage
The first floor features two electric saunas, of which you can choose a hotter (85 °C) or cooler (65 °C) option. The saunas, as well as the washrooms, are located at the end of the pool.
You can store your belongings in a locker located by the pool. A private dressing cabin with a bench is available for an additional fee.
Frequently asked questions about swimming in Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall
The hall has no age restrictions and we welcome children as well.
However, being able to swim is required for entering the pool. If a child cannot swim, they cannot enter the pool, even with a guardian.
Children aged 7 and over must follow gender-designated swimming days: girls aged 7 and over can only enter the hall during women’s days and boys aged 7 and over during men’s days.
Not everyone swims naked in the hall; many wear a swimsuit. In general, it can be said that roughly half of the customers wear a swimsuit and half swim and walk around the hall naked.
You can always choose whether or not to wear a swimsuit when swimming. However, the lobby and cash desk of the swimming hall are areas that you cannot enter naked.
Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall is very popular and, consequently, sometimes crowded. Occasionally, visitors have to queue to get into the hall.
Monday is a particularly busy day at Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall, as the second floor is closed on Mondays. In fact, there is somewhat often a queue for entry on Monday, which is a women’s swimming day. The hall is generally less crowded on men’s days than on women’s days.
Evenings are the busiest times. If you want to enjoy a less busy atmosphere, we recommend coming to the swimming hall early in the morning.
The second floor of the swimming hall is full almost every day.
Second floor: additional services with a separate entrance fee
On the second floor of Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall, you can enjoy a calm atmosphere with rest cabins, restaurant services and various saunas. There is a separate entrance fee for the 2nd floor, which also covers use of the first floor.
Entry to the second floor
You need a separate entrance ticket for the 2nd floor of the swimming hall. You can buy the ticket at the cash desk. The ticket gives access to both the first and the second floor, meaning that you can also swim with it.
The ticket entitles you to two hours in the hall. If the hall is not crowded, you can buy an extra hour, bringing the total time to three hours.
The second floor can accommodate up to 40 customers at a time. If the floor is full, you can queue for entry.
Rest cabin, bathrobe and towel
As a customer of the second floor, you will have a private rest cabin, which also serves as a dressing room and storage space for valuables. The ticket price also includes a bathrobe, a towel and a sauna bench cover.
In front of the rest cabin is a table with chairs where you can sit and enjoy the services of the café-restaurant if you wish. The table provides a view to the swimming pool.
Services of the café-restaurant
A café-restaurant will soon open on the second floor of the hall, serving the customers of the second floor.
Second-floor saunas
As a customer of the second floor, you will have three saunas at your disposal:
- a wood-heated sauna
- a small steam sauna
- an infrared sauna.
You can also use the saunas on the first floor.
Frequently asked questions about services on the second floor
The second floor of the swimming hall is very popular and full almost every day. If the floor is full when you arrive at the hall, you have the option of queuing for entry.
You can ask the cash desk worker how many people are in the queue. If there are already several people in the queue, you may not be able to enter the second floor that day.
You cannot queue on behalf of friends, as tickets are only sold to people present in the hall. This practice greatly facilitates queue progression and enables as many people as possible to enter the second floor.
The two-hour time limit on the second floor means that you must be ready to leave the floor when the time is up.
This means that you can use the services of the second floor for two hours: you must swim, use the sauna, eat and get dressed within this time.
The time limit is strict, as we want to enable those queuing for entry to the second floor to get in on time.
If the hall is not crowded, you can buy an extra hour on the second floor. Ask the staff whether you can buy an extra hour.
You can ask about buying an extra hour at the cash desk when you buy your ticket and, if available, buy it as soon as you arrive at the hall. Alternatively, you can buy an additional hour later when your two-hour time on the second floor is about to expire.
We only sell additional hours on the second floor during uncrowded times.
More about Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall
Photos of the swimming hall
