Your first sauna round, step by step
Shower, heat, cold, rest: what happens on a first visit and where to sit (sample).
Sauna, steam and a cold plunge in Springfield
Three heated rooms, a plunge tub in the garden, a jetty on the lake and a quiet room upstairs. Come for three hours or the whole day; towel and robe included (sample).
Open today 10:00-22:00. Next infusion 16:00, pine tar (sample).
Finnish sauna, from the side
Under the ceiling 100°C
Heater
and stones
60°C
Low bench
45 cm
75°C
Middle bench
85 cm
90°C
Top bench
125 cm
Floor 40°C
Seat temperatures when the wall thermometer shows 85°C (sample). Start on the low bench and move up if you want more heat.
Three saunas, a plunge pool and a quiet room
Every room keeps its own heat. Read across to see how hot and how humid it is, and how long people usually stay in one go.
Room
Air or water
Humidity
Usual stay
Dry heat from a big stone heater, three bench tiers, infusions every hour.
90°C
10-20%
8-12 min
Garden tub
Wood-fired hot tub on the terrace, open all year.
38°C
Open air
15-20 min
Cold plunge
Deep wooden tub filled from the well, steps and a rail.
12°C
In water
Up to 1 min
Quiet room
Loungers, blankets and tea upstairs. No phones, no talking.
24°C
Room air
As long as you like
Readings (sample). Temperatures are checked at seat height every morning.
How a sauna round works
A round is heat, cold and rest. Most guests do two or three rounds in a visit. Nobody times you: leave the heat whenever you want.
1
Shower and dry off
2 min
Warm shower, then dry yourself well: dry skin warms up faster.
2
Sit in the heat
8-12 min
Sit on a towel. Start low; climb a bench if you want it hotter.
3
Cool down
1-3 min
Fresh air in the garden, a cold shower or the plunge pool.
4
Rest
15-20 min
Lie down in the quiet room and drink some water before the next round.
Infusions today
An infusion is ten minutes of scented water poured on the stones and the heat fanned around the room with a towel. Join on the bench at the start; the door stays shut until the end.
12:00
Birch leaf
Finnish sauna
Aino (sample)
14:00
Lavender and hay
Bio sauna
Mikko (sample)
16:00
Pine tar
Finnish sauna
Aino (sample)
18:00
Citrus and ice
Finnish sauna
Lea (sample)
19:30
Eucalyptus salt scrub
Steam room
Mikko (sample)
21:00
Late round, no scent
Finnish sauna
Lea (sample)
Schedule (sample). The ringed time is the next infusion. Seats fill five minutes before.
Cooling off
Cold is half of the round. The garden has a deep plunge tub, cold buckets and benches in the fresh air; from May to September you can walk down to the jetty and swim.
Cold plunge
Filled from the well, steps and a hand rail
12°C
Lake at the jetty
May to September, lifeguard at weekends (sample)
8-19°C
Cold shower bucket
Pull the rope, stand clear
10°C
Water temperatures (sample).
Massage and treatments
Book a treatment for the middle of your visit: you come out warm and relaxed, and go back to the quiet room afterwards.
Classic massage
50 minutes, back, neck and legs
$75
Back and shoulders
25 minutes
$45
Birch whisk ritual
25 minutes in the Finnish sauna with a sauna host
$55
Salt and honey scrub
20 minutes in the steam room
$40
Hot stone massage
75 minutes
$95
Example prices. A sauna pass is included with every treatment over 45 minutes.
Passes and prices
Sauna pass, 3 hours
All saunas, the plunge, the garden and the quiet room
$28
Day pass
Arrive any time, stay until closing
$42
Evening pass
From 19:00, Monday to Thursday
$22
Ten-visit card
3-hour visits, shareable, valid one year
$240
Private sauna, up to 8 guests
Two hours in the bio sauna and garden tub, for your group only
$180
Example prices. Towel, robe and slippers are included; children under 14 visit with an adult on Sunday mornings only.
What to bring
- A swimsuit for the garden and the lake (saunas are towel-only)
- A water bottle: we have taps upstairs
- Flip-flops if you prefer your own
Your first visit
Unsure what happens inside? These are the questions people ask at the desk.
What do I wear in the sauna?
A towel to sit on, and either the towel or nothing: the saunas are swimsuit-free, the garden and the lake are swimsuit areas. Mixed and women-only times are on the booking page.
How hot is it, and can I take it?
The low bench of the Finnish sauna is about 60°C, the top bench about 90°C (sample). Start low, stay a few minutes, and leave whenever you want. If you are unsure whether sauna suits you, ask your doctor first.
Do I need to book?
Not for a sauna pass on weekdays. At weekends, for treatments and for the private sauna, please book ahead.
Can I come on my own?
Yes. Many guests do. The sauna hosts explain the rooms on your first visit and keep the quiet room quiet.
What about phones?
Phones stay in the lockers. There is a phone corner at the front desk if you need to make a call.
From the journal
The jetty swim club is back on Sunday mornings
A short swim from the jetty, then straight into the sauna, from May to September (sample).
The wood-fired garden tub is open again
New boards, a new stove and 38°C water on the terrace, all winter (sample).
Find the house
Kivi Sauna House
3 Harbour Road, Springfield, on Stillwater Lake (sample)
Monday to Thursday
10:00-22:00
Friday and Saturday
10:00-23:00
Sunday
09:00-21:00
Last entry
90 min before closing
Opening times (sample).
- Bus 7 stops at Harbour Road, two minutes' walk
- Free parking for 30 cars behind the house
- Step-free entrance, changing room and shower on the ground floor
