Helsinki has the only lounge in the world where you can take a sauna, Finnair's Platinum Wing review

Finnair is a very attractive airline for Italian passengers: competitive fares, avios as loyalty program currency, and a fleet of modern aircraft With completely renovated environments.

HELsinki airport is not large, having a stopover here is not as complicated as in London, Paris or Frankfurt. There are no trains or buses to take to get from the Schengen zone to the intercontinental flight zone, sure war in Ukraine has made Helsinki's stopover less convenient, but sooner or later it will return to normal (we hope). I

transit times are really short and you don't even have to walk miles if you come from Italy and leave on the long haul.

Location

The non-Schengen lounge is at one end of the terminal, near Gate 52. Of course it is not convenient compared to immigration controls, but you can't want everything. It's two lounges in one. There is the lounge for business travelers or those with Sapphire status in the oneWorld alliance, and then there is the Platinum area.

Access

This is Finnair's "first class" lounge, so not having this cabin is reserved for those with Platinum level or higher in the Scandinavian carrier's loyalty program and the Emerald equivalent in the oneWorld alliance. That's when people ask me why I value British Airways' Gold card so much, the reason is to be able to get into lounges like these.

For the avoidance of doubt, I say that they do not let you in unless you are leaving on a non-Schengen flight, unless you are arriving from an intercontinental.

The lounge

As soon as you enter you are greeted by a beautiful bar, very scenic, right in the center of the room.

There is no view of the outside, but the (fake) glass walls let in enough light so that it is not mandatory to have only artificial lights.

There is an area with sofas that stays away from everything and everyone, perhaps the quietest of the entire lounge.

One thing to be said is. every table, every chair, every seat has at least one power outlet and USB sockets, basically the coverage is 100%, in fact it goes even further.

In the center of the room is the dining area, here we are in a first-class lounge so there is real table service in addition to the classic buffet.

Finally, there is a relaxation area at the back of the room, separated from everything by a wall of curtains. The colors here are classic Finnair colors, and the décor is also as found in the other halls.

Here is also the only real window in the room with a small view of the slope, admittedly the northern winter light is not the best, but it's better than nothing.

At the service level Has a cabin where he can isolate himself and work without disturbing and be disturbed and lockers where to leave, safely, suitcase and personal belongings.

Food & beverage

The bar is operational all the time, from cocktails to hot drinks, everything is freshly prepared.

As mentioned there is the restaurant with a menu where you can sit and be served, there is an open kitchen and a small buffet.

You are made to sit as you would in a real bistro, and you can gobble while eating and drinking all you want.

Lunch menu, as far as I seem to read around, it doesn't change very frequently and the dishes are always the same: Salmon salad, reindeer burger, vegan burger, and the one dish that rotates sometimes mushroom risotto other times Jerusalem artichoke cream.

I went for the reindeer, and I have to say that I didn't feel the smokiness or any particular flavor of the meat.

The sauna

This is Finland; practically everyone has a sauna at home. One of the unique features of the Platinum Wing is the small sauna. Access is through male and female locker rooms, which also have two showers. Obviously it is tiny, let's say 4 people can "comfortably" fit inside, no more.

Each locker room is equipped with 3 lockers with electronic locking, and to make sure you don't miss anything inside there is also a power outlet, so you can keep everything charged while you warm up in the sauna.

There is a space that pretends to be outdoors, with light panel on the ceiling, here you can have a drink between sessions. The nice thing is that you don't have to make reservations, as is the case with showers, you just walk in and go.

In Finland the sauna is done in an adamic costume, but if you want to use a traditional one you can. Slippers, towels, and all pre and post necessities are available.

In conclusion

Definitely the best lounge in this category on the old continent, because it is a lounge in First, but also accessible to those flying economy, but with the right status. In Europe there is nothing comparable And in the world I can only think of Cathay's lounges in Hong Kong, the AlFursaan of Jeddah and a few others.

It is not easy to get into, but certainly worth the expense of a Milan/London flight via Helsinki.

The verdict

Beautiful is beautiful, but to compete with certain lounges at T3 in London or around the world there is still something missing. It is there, though, and Finnair deserves praise for this product that is unique in the old continent; the Senator Lounges are in no way comparable to this Platinum Wing

7.5

Rated Location

7

F&B

7

Services

9

Pro

• The Sauna
• The bar

Against

• "Poor" restaurant menu
• He has no sight
• Uncomfortable position