Explore Arctic Bath in Swedish Lapland
April 8, 2020
Arctic Bath is an extraordinary new floating spa hotel located on the Lule River near the small village of Harads in Swedish Lapland.
Built in a circular shape on the water, Arctic Bath floats during the summer and freezes into ice during the winter, offering visitors a unique year-round Arctic wellness experience, with a giant ice bath in the middle, ringed with three saunas, a spa treatment room and hot baths.
Arctic Bath is a unique hotel and spa experience that welcomes guests to immerse themselves in the elements while leaving a minimal environmental footprint behind. At Arctic Bath, the wellness offering focuses on both the inside and the outside. This is part of the four cornerstones of wellness that Arctic Bath encourages; proper nutrition, regular exercise, peace of mind and care of the face and body. Guests can enjoy a traditional Swedish experience and sample three different saunas, relax in a hot tub with the ultimate hydrotherapy experience, and plunge into the cold arctic bath in the centre of the building for the ultimate wellness experience. Cold baths are part of Swedish Lapland’s culture, helping to ease sore and aching muscles, aid the central nervous system and limit the inflammatory response, especially in combination with the heat of a sauna.
The restaurant boasts custom-made pine walls, wood ceiling and Baltic grey limestone floors, together with selected furniture from designer brands such as Stolab, Blå station, Swedese although Arctic Bath will occasionally accept outside bookings. Guests can meet up for dinner, have a drink in the bar area, or relax in the lounge.
The ethos of the restaurant at Arctic Bath is local, pure and sustainable. Chefs prepare a daily changing five or six course set menu for dinner, based on local ingredients and inspired by Arctic Bath’s wellness focus, with signature dishes including lightly smoked capercaillie, Gahkku (Sámi flat bread) and Gompa (a Sámi dish with Arctic Angelica and sour milk).
The culinary team at Arctic Bath is led by Kristoffer Åström and Maarten De Wilde. Kristoffer Åström has made a name for himself as “the Sámi chef” (samiska kocken) in Sweden, introducing Sámi flavours, produce and cooking techniques to a number of fine dining restaurants across the country. Since his early childhood, Sámi cuisine been an integral part of his life and was the inherent foundation to build upon when starting his career as a chef. Kristoffer will bring his love for the Sámi kitchen to the guests of Arctic Bath and share his passion for local and sustainable food from Swedish Lapland. Maarten De Wilde, born and raised in Dendermonde, Belgium, is a creative, self-made chef who has not benefited from traditional culinary training. Maarten prides himself on creating classic dishes with a modern twist, looking for new flavour combinations starting with homemade and local products.
The 12-room floating hotel is inspired by the timber-floating era when felled trees were transported downriver for processing, with the main building being inspired by a ‘log jam’. Constructed using local materials and with very little impact on the environment, there is a flotilla of six floating cabins for couples near the water’s edge, offering private access from the shore via a foot bridge and outside wooden decks, ideal for relaxing under the midnight summer sun or keeping watch for the northern lights. There are also six larger, elevated cabins built on the tree-lined shore, three of which sleep up to five guests and three suites sleeping two people. The land cabins boast glass walls offering perfect views of the stunning landscape and northern sky.
The floating part of the hotel - including the circular cold bath and six guest rooms - has been designed by architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi. While AnnKathrin Lundqvist in collaboration with Luleå has designed all of the six land cabins.
Each room at Arctic Bath has been thoughtfully designed with a high level of comfort and luxury in mind, in keeping with the overall wellness focus. The surrounding nature has been incorporated into the cabins and suites with the use of natural, sustainable materials with a rich history such as wood, stone, leather and luxurious textiles. Arctic Bath has collaborated with Input Interior in Lulea and a number of Swedish design brands for both furniture and lighting; Atelje Lyktan has produced bespoke lighting, called Kvast.
Address: Ramdalsvägen 10, 96024 - Harads, Sweden
www.arcticbath.se
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