Warm Up in The Arctic: Spa Treatments in Cold Places

While staying in a guest room made entirely of ice might not appeal to everyone, those who choose to visit the Icehotel 365 (Jukkasjärvi, Sweden) with Scandinavia experts Off the Map Travel can warm up with the new 10-step Arctic Sauna Ritual. Created by the hotel’s sauna master Andreas Hermansson, the experience follows traditional Swedish sauna protocol involving guests alternating short immersions in the heat of both an electric and wood-fired sauna and cooling rinses in a shower or in the icy waters of the nearby Torne River. The ritual also features a body scrub using blueberry and lingonberry products from C/O Gerd (www.careofgerd.com/en), a Swedish-based line, and soaps and shampoos from Vaasan Aito Saippua Oy – Vasa Tval Ab, a Finnish-based line. Considered a way of life in Swedish Lapland, sauna culture is especially popular in Jukkasjärvi, which is home not only to the Icehotel 365 but also the Swedish Sauna Academy. The ritual, especially the icy river plunge, is sure to appeal to the most intrepid spa-goers.