Arctic Hotel and Spa- a floating marvel

Deep within Swedish Lapland, a beautiful new structure floats on the Lule River. Reachable only via a wooden walkway, the Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa looks just like it is meant to look… a cluster of logs caught adrift on a cold waterway.

The Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa is a new 12-cabin hotel designed by Bertil Harstrom and Johan Kauppi. This hotel is open year round and alternates movement between stationary while the river is frozen and floating when the ice thaws. The idea behind this unique hotel was first announced in 2018, although it was initially conceived in 2010 as a vision of a glass cube sauna on a raft.

In the middle of the floating edifice (the spa) is a giant ice bath, an “open-to-the-elements” area that is spectacular to those brave enough to embrace the freezing weather and water. The perimeter of the building is comprised of saunas and other local bathing experience. The spa also features four saunas, a hot bath, and indoor and outdoor showers.

The inspiration behind the 12-room floating hotel was the timber-floating era where downed trees were transported downriver for processing and the main building was inspired by a “log jam.”

Constructed using local materials with very little impact on the environment, there is a flotilla of six floating cabins for couples near the water’s edge. These cabins offer private access from the shore via a footbridge 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 that sleep two people apiece. The land cabins boast glass walls offering perfect views of the stunning landscape and northern sky.

Initially, the idea for a floating sauna came to Per-Anders Eriksson following the opening of Treehotel in 2010. When Eriksson reached out to the architect that designed Treehotel, Bertil Hagstrom, the pair brainstormed to come up with the idea of “The Bird’s Nest”.

The hotel’s CEO, Peter Engstrom said that taking the hotel from design to reality was not easy. Apparently, had the team known about the technical challenges in advance, they might not have moved forward with the design. Obviously, it was the floating rooms that provided the biggest challenge… primarily, ensuring that the cabins’ elations don’t impact the passage of fresh water and electricity. Finally, building above ground was a way to ensure minimal impact on the environment. Engstrom said, the is a “cornerstone of the hotel’s ethos.”