Saunas | Sompasauna is moving to a surprising location

Helsinki Mustikkamaa has been confirmed as the new home of Sompasauna located in Verkkosaari.

The plan is to move the public sauna to its new site during the summer, at the latest in early autumn, says the chairman of the Sompasauna club Erno Iipponen.

The new plot is located on the south shore of Mustikkamaa, on the east side of the beach.

The new place should serve as a long-term home for Sompasauna.

“At least I have high hopes that there will be a permanent space for Sompasauna here.”

In the future, Sompasauna will possibly also expand, because the new lot has building rights for a total of about one hundred square meters, says Iipponen.

Iipponen according to Mustikkamaa’s plot is significantly calmer than its predecessor. There are a lot of trees around, and the sandy beach is a short distance away. Arriving there by car will be more difficult, because there are no parking spaces next to it like before.

At the moment, Sompasauna consists of three wood-heated saunas, which are heated all year round. A building permit has also been applied for at the moment for three saunas on the future plot.

Iipponen cannot yet say whether Verkkosaari’s current saunas will be moved to Mustikkamaa.

“Over the course of the summer, we’ll see what condition the buildings are in and discuss whether it’s worth moving them.”

According to Iipponen, there may be some breaks in the sauna’s operation during the summer when the move is approaching.

Blueberry country the plot on which it is located has previously served as a summer place for Demari youths. The Sompasauna club signed a sales contract for the right to lease land with Demari youth at the end of June.

The Demari youth originally rented the plot from the city in the 50s. Now the demarin youth have decided to hand over the lease right to Sompasauna, because the place has not been used that much in recent years, says the chairman of the demarin youth Benjamin Shemeikka.

Sompasauna’s new plot does not border the sea, but there is a sandy beach next to it. There are also plans to build a pier on the site, if the city gives permission for it. There is also currently a frontman’s house built in the 50s on the plot, which is to be demolished.

In total, the plot is approximately 500 square meters in size.

Originally Sompasaunaseura ry voted from the new location already in March. At that time, Kivinokka from Herttoniemi won the vote out of three options. Mustikamaa finished second in the vote.

Iipponen says that the new location was finally changed to Mustikkaamaa because it turned out to be an easier option than Kivinokka in terms of usability, economy and time resources.

According to Iipponen, the expansion of the city is also reflected in the reduction of possible sauna places. Because of that, there were only a handful of options left.

“Certainly in a few years there will be even fewer of them.”

Sompasauna is a public sauna located in Verkkosaari, Hermanninranta, which is run by volunteers. The operation of the sauna is financed by membership fee income and donations from visitors. However, the sauna is open to all visitors.

Sompasauna was originally built in the summer of 2011 at the southern tip of Kalasatama, where the city demolished the unauthorized structure.

Verkkosaari’s Sompasauna moved from the southern tip of Sompasaari to Nihti in the summer of 2021, when apartments began to be built on the old site. Even then it was known that Verkkosaari would be a temporary place.

The public sauna has to be moved from its current location because of the residential area of ​​Hermanninranta construction work start in autumn.