The broad green expanse of the Esplanadi park is embraced by Helsinki’s two central downtown boulevards, watched over by the façades of lovely buildings from a number of architectural periods. At the end closest to the harbor near the old Market Square, a fountain surrounded by stone sea lions holds court. In its center, the figure of a beautiful woman rises above the spray. Her name is Havis Amanda, or Amanda of the Sea, the daughter of the Baltic. Given the Scandinavian climate, she’s inappropriately dressed — in that she’s not wearing anything. Each year on April 30, she’s attired in a hat provided by students from the local universities, who gather in the park to celebrate both graduation and spring. In preparation for the next day’s May Day festivities, Amanda is carefully bathed and scrubbed while thousands watch. It’s exactly the sort of spa therapy that might be expected from a nation of people who have elevated the ritual of the sauna to something between a passionate art and a holy obsession.

In Finland, individual saunas in private homes are more common than not. For my husband, James, and me, a sauna is exactly where we’ve chosen to begin our journey. As soon as we’ve checked into the magnificent Hotel Kämp on the Esplanadi, we walk the short distance to the tram station and make our way to Arla, the city’s most historic and traditional wood-fired public sauna. Accessed from the street by a short tunnel decorated with colorful murals, it’s much smaller inside than we imagined and extremely casual. A young attendant hands us each a towel and a cluster of birch branches, and explains that men and women have separate areas, with a communal outdoor courtyard that can be shared between bouts in the wood-fired interior. The ritual is simple: Strip down to your skin, shower, head into what’s essentially a giant oven with benches, place your towel beneath you and relax.

There’s one other woman in my part of the sauna, with her own birch bouquet resting beside her on the bench. After I’ve been inside for about 15 minutes, she leans over and asks me something in soft, musical Finnish. It turns out she speaks English well, and in short order I understand her request: Would I please be kind enough to beat her with her branches? Sensing my bewilderment, she smiles and tells me this is considered polite. I can’t say I’ve ever had this request from a total stranger, but I enjoyed a version of this skin-cleansing, blood-stimulating birch treatment before in traditional Russian banya sessions. I dip the branches in a bucket of water against one wall and use them to strike her back and shoulders firmly. In no time, I’m on the receiving end of the slap-like ritual.

For the next hour and a half, James and I occasionally meet up in the small outdoor courtyard, and I see the telltale birch streaks on his skin. Wrapped in our towels, we sip cool water and allow our body temperature to return to normal. I sleep deeply that night, dreaming of a sea covered in glistening snow.

In the morning, we take the tram to the stop closest to the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, built on a small island just outside the city. Historic houses, a church and other buildings are relocated here from regions around the country; and interpreters in authentic period dress explain customs and traditions spanning the past 400 years. There’s a fairy tale air to this beautiful place to which both James and I immediately respond and which remains with us through dinner.

In Finland’s epic legend The Kalevala, passed down through the ages as a sung poem, the bear Otso is a powerful figure. Bears, or karhu in Finnish, were always awarded particular respect and were never addressed by name. Instead, as in The Kalevala, they were called by beautiful pseudonyms such as “honey-paw” and “forest-apple.” We, however, are referring to our karhu as “salami,” as that’s how it’s been prepared and presented to us as part of our evening meal at Restaurant Savotta.

Slightly kitschy but terribly romantic, the restaurant’s low-beamed interior is beneath the street. We’re seated at a cozy wooden table and served glasses of sima, a tasty, fermented mead drink made from a blend of honey, green currant juice and hot water. The bear salami comes next, followed by a delicious main dish of poro, or reindeer.

Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall © Visit Helsinki/ Mari Hohtari

In the morning, James heads to the harbor to catch a ferry to visit Korkeasaari. This entire small island houses a zoo with regal snow leopards, fierce sea eagles and thick-coated bears. As James begins his water crossing, I head to Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall. Days are gender-specific at this fabulous, historic building, first opened in 1928. The pool and soaring upper floors are rimmed with balconies and curtained alcoves. Inside each alcove is a narrow cot and space to change and rest between laps in the pool or sessions in one of several saunas and steam baths. I steam for a bit, then head to the pool, swimming leisurely laps up and down its length, naked and relaxed. The water is quite cool as I slip beneath it, causing me to shiver — but I carry on, determined to embrace the Finnish concept of strength and resiliency which they call sisu.

After a sauna and a few more laps, I order lunch. It’s delivered to me at a small table positioned on the rail outside my alcove, where I can look down into the water below. An attendant from the café brings me a thick slice of sweet brown bread covered with melted goat cheese, a salad and a tall glass of hot black tea. She tells me the bread was baked in a lighthouse a few miles away, delivered fresh that morning. Completely enchanted, I walk a few blocks toward the train station and the nearby Ateneum (the Finnish National Gallery), where James and I planned to meet.

Ateneum © Visit Helsinki/ Comma Image Oy

We pause in front of a large painting by Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela. It’s called Kullervo Sets off to Battle and depicts a scene from The Kalevala. A hero, mounted on a white horse, rides through a snowy, starlit landscape, his golden hair flowing from beneath a crimson cap. Accompanied by a wolf, he’s looking back, painted in the act of blowing a large golden horn. Later, relaxed and sleepy, we wander down the street to the harbor to say good night to the Baltic, then return to the hotel for a nightcap. Over small glasses of a sweet liqueur made from local cloudberries, we speculate about the painting’s hero and his dark, unhappy expression. Plot aside, we conclude there’s only one likely explanation — clearly, both the artist and his hero went too long without a sauna.

Helsinki Info to Go

Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL) is roughly 30 minutes from city center. There is no train, and taxi fare runs about $65. Bus options, found directly outside the arrivals area and baggage claim, include Finnair City Bus, which arrives at the Central Railway Station. Also, Bus 615 goes to Kamppi Bus Station in city center from early morning until late evening; Bus 620 arrives at city center during night hours. Once there, there’s an efficient and easy-to-use transportation network; adult, day-long Helsinki cards are about $10 for unlimited travel on trams, buses, ferries and trains.

Where to Stay in Helsinki

Hotel Haven A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, all 77 guestrooms provide downtown luxury and easy walking access to the harbor, shopping and central sites. Unioninkatu 17 $$$

Hotel Kämp This newly refurbished, regal property faces the central city park, close to the ferry landing and great shopping. Both restaurants are under the direction of Michelin-starred chef Sauli Kemppainen. Pohjoisesplanadi 29 $$$$

Klaus K Hotel Guestrooms in this centrally located boutique design hotel reflect themes of mysticism, passion, desire and envy from Finland’s epic poem, The Kalevala. Bulevardi 2-4 $$$$

Restaurants in Helsinki

Café Köket This friendly café offers a buffet of Finnish specialties including pickled herring, salmon, yogurts and local Karelian pastries made of shaped rye dough and rice filling. Market Square/Aleksanterinkatu 16-18 $$

Olo Restaurant & Bar If you have only one meal in Helsinki, enjoy it at this Michelin-starred delight, with an elegant, forest-inspired interior by Kari Lappalainen. Menus change daily; make reservations for dinner. Kasarmikatu 44 $$$$

Restaurant Savotta Beneath street level, the historic interior conjures images of Scandinavian fairy tales, and the all-Finnish menu’s authentic local fare includes mouthwatering reindeer, bear and salmon. Aleksanterinkatu 22 by Senate Square $$$