First-Timer’s Guide to Visiting SvalBad Sauna (in Svalbard)

I have to admit, I am not much of a sauna enthusiast (despite living in Finland and having my own sauna). It’s a goal of mine to get better at it but for now, I tend to avoid doing it.

My partner Ed, on the other hand, LOVES a sauna. So when we recently visited Svalbard, he was all over booking a drop-in session at the SvalBad sauna there.

Since it wasn’t something I was planning to cover (until I got better at saunaing) on my blog, I asked him to sit with me and do a write-up about it so that those visiting Svalbard could consider it for their trip.

In this guide, he will go over how to book the SvalBad sauna in Svalbard, current prices, how to get there, and some tips for your session.

SvalBad is 100% something to consider booking if you’re visiting, especially in the winter months when there are fewer activities available in Longyearbyen. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments. Thanks!

About SvalBad Sauna (+ Location)

SvalBad (bad means ‘bathroom/bath’ in Norwegian… cheeky play on words) is a wooden floating sauna located slightly outside of Longyearbyen town at Port Longyear. Yes, you can walk there without a guide or polar bear protection. But it is definitely a little bit of a walk (you can see its location on the map in this section).

The sauna in Svalbard offers drop-in sessions daily, as well as private sessions. You can see more about how to book below.

It sits on Adventfjorden with gorgeous views of Hiortfjellet. During busier hours, there may be ships going to and from the port, so it may obstruct views a little, but I didn’t have any issues when I was there (it just became dark!).

At the sauna, there is an outdoor shower (only for use in the summer months and no soap allowed), an unheated changing room, ladders to go into the water, and views from inside and outside the sauna. It is open daily from 7am until 10pm, with drop-in slots hourly unless someone books a private experience.

How to Book a Session at SvalBad

The only way you can book a sauna session at SvalBad is to go directly to their website. They partner with the Gibbs booking platform and will easily take you through the process of booking.

They offer timeslots from 7am until 10pm for a one-hour drop-in. The drop-in sessions can have up to 10 people (including you). They also offer private sauna sessions that are two hours long and start at 8am and go until 10pm. These can have up to 14 people. The day of my sauna (I went at the end of October), I was alone.

Once you book your sauna session, you will get a code to access it that will be valid for your timeslot. After you arrive, you will just type that code into the keypad at the door and start your session.

Drop-in sessions are 300 NOK (about $30) for 1 hour, and private sessions are 3000 NOK (about $300) for 2 hours.

Rules & Tips for Visiting SvalBad

Cancellation Policy

You cannot get refunds for your booking unless the weather is bad. They do offer a timeslot change for free up to 7 days (for private sessions) and up to 3 days (for drop-ins). Please note that I had an issue changing mine and they were unresponsive, so I ended up paying for a separate session and losing 300 NOK on my initial timeslot.

Refunds are not issued after booking (unless there is bad weather, which you can discuss further with them via their website).

What to Wear and Bring

Swimwear is mandatory inside the sauna. I also advise bringing flip-flops or slippers if you plan to get into the water. This is where I screwed up. I didn’t bring any to Svalbard and there was no place to purchase them last minute. The deck was completely iced over when I was there, so I ended up not going into the water. I also was alone, so it wouldn’t have been safe anyway.

You also need to bring two towels: one for use and one to sit on in the sauna. You must sit on a towel inside. My Longyearbyen accommodation (Haugens Pensjonat) let me borrow two for the morning.

They used to have running water via the tap inside, but lately the water in Svalbard has been undrinkable, so you will need to bring your own (you can grab from Svalbardbutikken) with you for the session.

If you have a private session, you are permitted to drink moderately inside the sauna, but booze is prohibited if you’re attending one of the drop-in sessions.

Showers, Toilets, and Dressing Room Info

There is an outdoor shower that can only be used during the summer months. There is no toilet on-site (you can use another one at Port Longyear if you need to).

If you are visiting SvalBad in summer and decide to shower, please know that the runoff from the shower goes into the harbor, so you are not permitted to use soaps, shampoos, and other chemicals while washing.

There is an unheated dressing room inside where you can change and leave your stuff while you’re saunaing.

Swimming in the Harbor

There are ladders that you can use to climb into the harbor and do an ‘ice bath’. You should never swim alone, so if there is no one else at your session, I would not get into that water!

The area around the ladders was SO icy when I was there that it was really challenging to move about anyway, so I didn’t end up swimming (I was alone anyway).

Megan has seen walrus around this harbor in the past and when I arrived, there were signs saying to keep on the lookout for walrus around the area. If you see a walrus in the water, I imagine it is a good idea to say hello to it… from outside the water!

What to Do Near SvalBad

If you do a drop-in session, you will only have one hour inside the sauna (unless you have paid for more). This gives you some extra time in the area and there are two places you can stop by.

The first is one of the polar bear signs! This sign basically tells you that you are not permitted past it without polar bear protection or a guide (who has it). But you should stop and take a photo of the sign! The exact location is marked on the map above.

The other place that is close by is the Svalbard Brewery. If you are looking to attend one of their tasting sessions (Megan has an entire guide about the Svalbard Brewery here), just plan accordingly with your drop-in session timeslot so you can do both back-to-back.

Do you have any questions about visiting the SvalBad sauna in Longyearbyen? Let us know in the comments. Thanks!

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