Inauguration of Finnair's new Premium Lounge in Helsinki - with its own sauna

On Wednesday, the inauguration of Finnair's new Premium Lounge at Helsinki Airport took place, a long-awaited event as the current lounge for long-haul flights has, for a long time, been struggling with capacity problems. BusinessClass.co.uk was present at the opening to assess the interior, sample the food and, of coarse, try out the new sauna.

A new lounge for Gold Card passengers travelling outside the Schengen area

The lounge is located in the non-Schengen part of Helsinki’s Vantaa Airport, in what is popularly called the ‘Asian Terminal’, due to the large number of Asian destinations that Finnair operates to, which depart from this building. The lounge is located next door to the current non-Schengen lounge with which it shares an entrance. Finnair’s Premium Lounge is open to passengers who are members of Finnair’s frequent flyer program, ‘Finnair Plus’, with gold or platinum level and alternatively, for passengers who have a Sapphire or Emerald status in the ‘One World’ alliance. Access is offered regardless of cabin class, as long as you are travelling that same day with Finnair or One World. Passengers travelling in business class, but who do not have any of those cards, refer to the regular Finnair lounge to the right of reception.

Nordic design inspired by Finnish nature

The lounge is designed by Vertti Kivi, from the Finnish design company dSign Vertti Kivi & Co, the same firm who designed Finnair's new business class as well as the new Schengen lounge in Helsinki, which will open later this Autumn.

Finnair Premium Lounge with 'Space Alive' concept The interior is based on the ‘Space Alive’ concept, developed by Vertti Kivi himself. The concept is built around the use of dynamic lighting, colours and sensations, in different ways that correlate to the season or time of day. There are several video projections in the lounge which help create different impressions and vary depending on when you visit the lounge. The basic idea is that the ‘Space Alive’ concept will help to provide a peaceful and harmonic atmosphere. Moreover, it is the same concept that will be used in the cabins of the new Airbus A350. The rest of the interior is designed with a focus on classic Nordic design and Finnish nature. The chairs in the lounge, for example, are designed by Eero Saarinen and are of the ‘Tulip and Womb’ series.

Many seating areas with different types of chairs The lounge is 407 square meters and can accommodate a total of 122 visitors. It is divided into several sections, a main lounge with seating areas, a bar and restaurant, a smaller upper floor with views to the apron, a separate room with lounge chairs, a relaxation area with showers and, perhaps the most fascinating feature, a sauna.

Food and drink

Food and drink are to a significantly higher standard than the current Finnair lounge on the other side of the wall. There is free champagne (Nicholas Feuillate) on offer as well as a number good quality wines. In addition, there is beer, various spirits, coffee, tea and all sorts of alcohol free options.

The bar, with wine and good finger food The food consists mainly of cold cuts of meat, with six different choices, all of good quality, such as reindeer meat and ham. The food is self service, however, on the opening day there were ready made platters. There are also nice desserts and snacks on offer. All the food in the lounge is served on Marimekko porcelain and all drinks in Iittala Ultima Thule-glass, the same series used onboard Finnair's business class, originally designed by Tapio Wirkkala, for Finnair, in 1968.

Work and relaxation

There are plenty of convenient spaces to work in the lounge, with free wireless internet and plenty of power sockets. On the upper floor, to the left after the stairs, is a secluded area with reclining lounge chairs and white curtains which create a sense of privacy.

Lounge chair

Relaxation area with sauna and shower

Perhaps the best thing about the lounge is the relaxation area, located in a secluded area behind the bar. In a country where there are five million people and two million saunas, there are not many things that are so closely associated with Finland as saunas. A few years ago there was a proper spa at the airport (incidentally, in exactly the same place as this lounge), which included several whirlpools and quite a spruce sauna. The spa was certainly appreciated by the visitors, but the problem was that most people who are in transit in Helsinki only have about an hour between flights, and therefore no time for a visit. The general public could also pay for access, but the price was quite high. The result was that spa was discontinued after a year.

The relaxation area It is barely a spa, which we are talking about in the Finnair Premium Lounge, but rather a small relaxation area. There are six individual wash rooms as well as changing rooms, for men and women, with showers. These are positioned around a small lobby with plants and chairs. The sauna room is quite small and is designed for 4-5 visitors, much like a family sauna, and is communal for men and women. Directly outside there is an anteroom with additional showers and plenty of towels. Many who visited Finnair’s ‘Via Spa’, when it was open, have missed the facilities, especially during a long transfer. While it was not economically viable to run a spa in the way they did then, by having the sauna as part of the lounge, Finnair have found a sensible compromise.

The sauna, with models to mark the occasion To mark the occasion, three models were hired for the sake of interested photographers. Later there was also an opportunity for visitors to try the sauna for themselves. BusinessClass.co.uk was one of the few who accepted the offer and was therefore one of the first to try out the sauna and showers in the new Finnair lounge. Overall, we were pleased with the experience, very relaxing after what had already been a rather long and sweaty day. But as I said, the sauna is not very large.

What do BusinessClass think?

A really good job by Finnair. The design is very attractive, especially the projections which create a host of different impressions. These were demonstrated over the two hours we were in the lounge and they managed quite effectively to induce different sensations and emotions with a natural transition. The food and drink was to a very good level and it was nice to get the complimentary champagne. There were three red wines and three white wines at the bar, which were also very good varieties. One of the reds was, for example, Châteauneuf-du-Pape. We will see if these will be continued or if they were just part of a lavish opening. The lounge was possibly lacking some warm food to eat. The sauna is of course a highlight, at least if you appreciate saunas. There are not many lounges (or airports) in the world that offer this.

A few more photos of the lounge:

Finnair Premium Lounge, Helsinki’s Vaanta airport