A new spa for adults opens in Turku this week. HS went to see what it looks like there.
Age limit is, with few exceptions, 20 years. Filming in the sauna and pool sections is prohibited.
In the depths of Turku’s Kakolanmäki there is a spa, around which a mist of mystery has swirled for years. Now the underground spa dug into the rock is finally opening.
There are already two spas in the city – Ruissalo spa and Holiday Club Caribbean spa. However, the spas are of a slightly different type. In addition to these, there is also the Naantali spa nearby.
HS got a peek at how the soon-to-be-opened Kakola spa looks and feels. Exceptionally, I got pictures too.
The color world is warm and gloomy. There are several different seating areas.
In the pool section the first thing that comes up is the heat. It’s downright hot for a while. The temperature is 29.5 degrees. A large mineral pool opens in front, into which round tables and seats have been sunk. The atmosphere is shy and the bottom of the pool is bluish.
At the end of the pool there is a bar where you can order drinks and food.
The list includes, for example, salty bites and oysters. The entire spa, with the exception of the changing rooms, is a serving area.
The water in the mineral pool is 28.5 degrees. There are, for example, underwater massage showers at the edges of the pool.
When HS visited, the spa wasn’t open yet, so the bar wasn’t crowded. Kakola spa is approximately 1,600 square meters in size.
The mineral pool is the largest pool in the spa. It is bordered by a row of sun loungers and various sitting areas. There are also fireplaces. The flames are artificial, but the water vapor rising from the fireplaces is real.
In the middle of everything stands Kiinteistöneuvos Olli Ojala. He is the chairman of the board of the Kakola companies that own the spa. However, he is of the opinion that it is not a spa, but rather he wants to talk about Kakola with the term spa.
“All dishes are unbreakable. No glassware is brought outside the bar,” Ojala declares.
Real estate consultant Olli Ojala is pleased that the spa is opening its doors. The coronavirus pandemic changed construction schedules and the construction site was closed for almost a year.
The restaurant Kakolanruusu is responsible for the catering at Kakola spa. In the photo, one of the owners of Kakolanruusu, Suvi Raisio (left) and restaurant manager Melissa Alanko.
From the underground the spa also has a cold and a hot pool. Behind the glass wall is a salt pool. If you take a dip there, you must remember to take a shower at the edge of the pool.
“Salt must not get on this side of the glass. It’s so hard to eat structures,” Ojala says and points to the glass wall that separates the salt pool from the rest of the spa.
The spa has five saunas. Three of them are available to all visitors. The other two are used for different treatments. The saunas are mixed saunas and in them you take a sauna with your swimwear on.
There is a shower carousel near the saunas. Pressing the button starts a series of different showers. Colored lights light up on the ceiling.
As the name suggests, the havu sauna smells of havu. The temperature is around 50 degrees and there is a little steam in the sauna.
At Kakola spa, there are various showers, the functions of which can mostly be understood only by experimenting.
There is a snow shower around the corner. Ojala has previously said that it is known to be the only one of its kind in Finland.
During the day, the snow shower has been tested enough that a small pile of slush has accumulated on the floor under the shower. If you want to take a shower, you have to get up on top of the cold pile. After that, a kind of stupid sleet rains down your neck. It’s not just any gentle snowfall.
This kind of stuff was served up by the snow shower. The experience includes bluish lighting.
Cold slush accumulates on the floor of the snow shower. During the day, another pile formed directly under the shower.
According to Ojala, the total cost of the spa is just under ten million euros.
At the moment, there is room for about 200 customers.
The age limit of 20 years is not absolutely absolute. Ojala says that at certain times of the day, children over 120 centimeters who can swim can access the spa under the supervision of an adult. However, children must follow the rules of calmness.
Read more: An underground spa for adults should open in Kakolanmäki this year: “Is it expensive, shockingly expensive”
The water in the cold pool is 7–8 degrees. At the bottom of the pool, the water reaches roughly up to your chest.
Kakola spa has caused astonishment in Turku. It was supposed to open a couple of years ago. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the construction site was closed for almost a year.
Attention has also been drawn to the fact that in some housing associations in Kakolanmäki, apartment owners have to pay a usage fee for the spa, whether they use it or not. Turku Sanomat reports that some residents feel that they have been cheated.
According to Ojala’s view, the spa use fee could not have come as a surprise to anyone, because it was included in the articles of incorporation of each building company at the time of sale. According to Ojala, the amount of the payment has taken shape at 35–44 euros per month. With the amount, the apartment owner gets four visits to the spa every month.
Kakola companies once bought the old prison area of Kakolanmäki and renovated it. In addition to the spa, the result is a hotel, residential apartments and various business premises.
Kakola spa opens on Friday.
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