Another special sauna in the Sauna Capital of the World – the first ice carousel sauna in Tampere spins on Sunday

Published: 12.3.2025 Edited: 22.5.2026

This coming weekend, the first ice carousel sauna on Tampere, Finland will be built on the shore of Tahmelan Huvila (Tahmela’s Villa). The main builder of the carousel is Janne Käpylehto, who holds the world record for the largest ice carousel. Käpylehto’s own team, along with other assistants, will also take part in the project. Building ice carousels has become very popular worldwide.

“The popularity started to rise when I built the first carousel in 2017 and made a video about it. Now, the ice carousel being cut in Tampere has a mass of about 200,000 kg and a diameter of approximately 30 meters, says Käpylehto.”

The ice carousel is set to spin on Sunday, March 16, starting at around 1 p.m. and continuing until sunset. The public will have the opportunity to sauna in the ice carousel sauna during the designated public sauna session. Construction work will begin on-site in the morning. The ice conditions have been closely monitored daily, and thanks to the upcoming cold nights, the construction will be possible. Assisting in the project is Alex Lembke, who works at the Tahmela’s Villa and Rajaportti sauna.

“This project has been extremely interesting, and I’m happy to bring something new to Tampere’s sauna scene – even if it’s just a fun one-time event. Tent Sauna from Telttasaana with Narvi kiuas will spin atop the carousel. I’ve tried many saunas all over the world, but this combination is truly one of a kind,” comments Lembke.

There is currently a sauna boom worldwide. Interesting examples include the many new public saunas in the UK and the United States. In Sweden, sauna fever is rising thanks to Eurovision representative KAJ’s song Bara bada bastu. Tampere and its surrounding region have nearly 70 public saunas, which are in high demand year-round.

“I’m delighted that international travelers have also discovered Tampere through its saunas. Additionally, I receive inquiries from foreign journalists interested in saunas almost weekly. Alongside traditional sauna experiences, fun events like the ice carousel sauna strengthen Tampere’s status as the world’s sauna capital,” says Tuomas Paloniemi, PR and Media Manager at Visit Tampere.