Finnair Plus - Finnair Spa & Sauna in Helsinki

Have they closed the facilities, last week I did not see any signs and doors were closed, also cannot find any info on AY pages?? Forgot to ask the lounge people.....

If closed, is something replacing the area? No matter how nice it was and a great experience, it was more or less waist of valuable space, which would be better used as lounge extension, since the non-schengen lounge gets very crowded every afternoon.

PS. discussed also elsewhere, but no problems getting into the non-schengen lounge last week with BA Silver and you also get sparkling wine and drinks from the bar with it....

I heard a rumour that they were planning to close it soon, haven't seen anything official, though..

Not a surprise the slightest...I said this the day they announceded the news about the spa..this will not be profitable and here we see the reality..

I always thought an airport spa is an excellent idea that has real demand under some circumstances but not in the case of AY/HEL.

Take LHR, for example. I have enjoyed BA's shower+lounge enormously in the last 10+ years when connecting from LH to SH. Typical LHR connecting times (quite often more than a couple of hours) give ample time for a relaxed shower, getting changed, some breakfast and reading morning papers. A spa could well complement these and fill even more of the long wait.

Then take HEL. Connecting times before and after the Asian wave are so good that the time needed for a relaxed spa visit just is not there. Before an ex-HEL flight, who (apart from FTers) would arrive early at the airport just to visit the spa? I have only visited once, when connecting from a morning SH to a late evening LH and doing other things in town in between.

You can visit Spa and book treatments until 31 January 2012 after which it will be closed for maintenance starting 1 February 2012.

No indication whatsoever about the expected duration of "maintenance". Indefinitely?

What a wasted opportunity if true.

But no wonder as marketing especially at outstations was done poorly and most AY passengers probably never knew this option actually existed. If something can be learned from the likes of Ryanair, then it's active pre-and inflight sales including these kind of services.

Japanese, Korean and Russian transit passengers all come from cultures where this concept fits in ideally, so really quite surprised how it has been allowed to fail if the news is like stated.

But then, one more reason to consider transiting at LHR, MUC or HKG en route to Asia instead of HEL as the Via Lounge really is nothing special. The Spa is and was.

I always thought an airport spa is an excellent idea that has real demand under some circumstances but not in the case of AY/HEL.

Take LHR, for example. I have enjoyed BA's shower+lounge enormously in the last 10+ years when connecting from LH to SH. Typical LHR connecting times (quite often more than a couple of hours) give ample time for a relaxed shower, getting changed, some breakfast and reading morning papers. A spa could well complement these and fill even more of the long wait.

Then take HEL. Connecting times before and after the Asian wave are so good that the time needed for a relaxed spa visit just is not there. Before an ex-HEL flight, who (apart from FTers) would arrive early at the airport just to visit the spa? I have only visited once, when connecting from a morning SH to a late evening LH and doing other things in town in between.

Bummer, we should ask for lousy connections so we can enjoy the spa!:D

Well, on the serious side, you are quite right. I never though there was a back side to short connections, but there you have it! I have been a bit disturbed that I have not been able to use it as much as I'd like. I actually have skipped first connection so that I would have a few hours to relax at HEL (the NRT-HEL-sweden will work for that, as it arrives to HEL in daytime.)
But for most asian flights, they are nighttime and outside the opening hours of the SPA.

Short connections and night flights are ++ in my book, and SPA sadly then comes in second place. But, I hope it is maintenance, and it will be back in march or so!

Short connections and night flights are ++ in my book, and SPA sadly then comes in second place. But, I hope it is maintenance, and it will be back in march or so!

After quick checking, I think it is closed down for good in the present form. Something else will be located in the spa premises, not sure what that will be.

Maybe a day spa without the saunas and showers but with massage chairs and some manual massage modeled after LHR and other airports? Or a sort of rest area within the lounge?

What a wasted opportunity if true.

But no wonder as marketing especially at outstations was done poorly and most AY passengers probably never knew this option actually existed. If something can be learned from the likes of Ryanair, then it's active pre-and inflight sales including these kind of services.

Japanese, Korean and Russian transit passengers all come from cultures where this concept fits in ideally, so really quite surprised how it has been allowed to fail if the news is like stated.

But then, one more reason to consider transiting at LHR, MUC or HKG en route to Asia instead of HEL as the Via Lounge really is nothing special. The Spa is and was.

Yes, we don't know if it is closing or not. But truly a waste if it is. It fits superbly for the bathing culture of asia, paired with the "exotic" saunas of Finland!

Lately, there have been spa-invites in the amenity kits onboard with 30% off entrance fee. But other than that? Haven't seen any marketing lately, sadly.

BTW the 30% discount vouchers have a valid until of june 30 2012, if that is to be taken as any sign of the son return of the spa

:(
Wow...this would be a huge downgrade if they decide to do this. I use this spa almost everytime, it's a great place for privacy and to relax. It's mostly dead empty though and I guess most passengers skip to use it because of the 35€ fee. I'm only using it frequently because I can get in there free as AY Platinum.

I've mailed their customer support to see if this is actually true.

Hopefully it reopens- this was the only redeeming feature of HEL!

:(
Wow...this would be a huge downgrade if they decide to do this. I use this spa almost everytime, it's a great place for privacy and to relax. It's mostly dead empty though and I guess most passengers skip to use it because of the 35€ fee. I'm only using it frequently because I can get in there free as AY Platinum.

I've mailed their customer support to see if this is actually true.

The entrance fee was 45€ - a pretty hefty price I would say and probably one reason people didn't use it very much....

But if it would only be maintenance, why have ALL the signs been removed, there is absolutely nothing that even remotly indicates there has been or ever will be a spa.....

Only used it once due to delayed NYC flight - and even being in J, they didn't give any discount on entrance fee....

oh, forgot to say that if you booked a treatment you got also free entrance, but how many knew this

According to Finnair's facebook the Finnair Spa & Saunas were closed on the 1st of February. Later this year they will offer some new services for peace of mind.

Sitting in the Finnair Lounge on the way on holidays ;-).
Asked the lounge staff about the SPA, which is under renovation I was told.

Seriously. I loved the premises, but €45 for entry????? So should you travel with the wife - €90? I would love to smoke from the same pipe with the people, who thought this was good value. €20 and I probably would have used it a few more times.

Seriously. I loved the premises, but €45 for entry????? So should you travel with the wife - €90? I would love to smoke from the same pipe with the people, who thought this was good value. €20 and I probably would have used it a few more times.

Fully agree with you; 20 euros entrance and I would use it everytime I fly outside EU! I've only tried it once, on my way to S'pore in November, and for the 2,5 hours I was there, the first hour it was my private spa! In the end, I counted three other customers in the spa, so definitely not a huge success.

For my part I still think the Spa & Saunas concept is what premium lounges will look like in the near future.

It fits perfectly in the Wellness trend and also has some aspects of a Japanese Ryokan or a Korean Sauna so the main Asian spa markets would already be covered. Also Russian customers coming off f.ex the morning JFK arrival are ideal candidates for the Spa.

I'm pretty sure the Gulf carriers will have something similar fairly soon, maybe Asiana or KAL at ICN etc.

It's really just about the branding and marketing. Maybe AY should poach someone from a Swedish consumer brand to handle those, I seriously think that Swedes are the best marketing people on the planet. :)

What I wonder is the lack of gyms in the lounges, i.e., standard hotel fitness center wouldn't take that much of room and would be a welcome change for longer layovers.
E.g. in HEL a gym would be awesome addition as one could get to the airport early, go to the gym, have a breakfast and then board the plane. Likewise LHR T5 would be one ideal place for such facilities, but at least I don't know such facility exists.

Maybe the business travellers prefer the champagne over sports, hence there wouldn't be that much use for a gym?

What I wonder is the lack of gyms in the lounges, i.e., standard hotel fitness center wouldn't take that much of room and would be a welcome change for longer layovers.
E.g. in HEL a gym would be awesome addition as one could get to the airport early, go to the gym, have a breakfast and then board the plane. Likewise LHR T5 would be one ideal place for such facilities, but at least I don't know such facility exists.

Maybe the business travellers prefer the champagne over sports, hence there wouldn't be that much use for a gym?

There is a gym for example in the lounge at MEX- however I have never seen anyone using it.

There is a gym for example in the lounge at MEX- however I have never seen anyone using it.
There is some gym equipment at the Turku airport airside(at least was a few weeks ago), never seen anyone use them either.

Went through Finnair Lounge on Monday evening, asked lounge staff about the Spa and they said it is closed indefinetely.... sounds like it is the end of that story and for sure no gym, which probably would be in even less use than the Spa. I guess it would be wise to just have massage and showers and expand the sometimes very crowded lounge area....

There is some gym equipment at the Turku airport airside(at least was a few weeks ago), never seen anyone use them either.

There is a lounge in Turku? Sure it wasn't just the staff gym?

I am sad to learn that there was a sauna there an that I had missed the opportunity (seriously).

However 45 Euro does seem steep for something that was likely a fixed cost to operate. I pay about 60 Euro for a massage in Vancouver and the use of the sauna is free afterward.

So where can we go for a shower during a layover at HEL?

So where can we go for a shower during a layover at HEL?

Via Lounge. The shower facilities are pretty good IMO.

Via Lounge. The shower facilities are pretty good IMO.

Also the new Almost@Home lounge in the same non-Schengen terminal has showers, smaller but very cozy place.

http://www.iltasanomat.fi/matkat/helsinki-vantaan-lentokenttakylpyla-lopetti/art-1288452548587.html

:(

This is indeed sad. Not only will I miss this unique facility myself, I'm also sad that Finnair's throwing away this amazing image-strengthener of theirs. If they are missing visitors - just lower the price to 20€ and they'd get double or more. It might still be a minus business, but all in all it gave them a lot more in terms of image I believe.

Ironically, and also strangely, in the last Finnair onboard magazine their Senior VP wrote about Sauna&SPA in the editorial and bragged about them having this facility in Helsinki-Vantaa. This was MARCH issue! How on earth can she not have known this when it was closed 1-feb? Decision must have surely be taken much earlier than 1-feb too.

On another note, I just travelled BKK>HEL in J and got a recycled paper bag instead of the usual amenitiy kit package :-( It was only socks, eyemask and ear plugs in it. It said "If you want more, ask the cabin personnel". I still had the old amenity package travelling out HEL>HKG earlier this week.

OT: Things are not well off with Finnair! Even the CEO had to sell his apartment for mere 1.8 million euros to an institution (governing part of Finnish retirement pension investments) that rents it back to Finnair for some 6000 euros per month for their CEO to live - the value in the eyesight of tax bear around 2000 euros per month - costing to the CEO himself around 1200 euros per month. (reference Suomen Kuvalehti 03.03.2012)

So do not wonder shutting down spas, cutting down lounge offerings, and handing out recycled "amenity" paper bags (which might get collected back before landing and sock counts made before too long...)

So there goes the last special thing. Doesn't look good. :(