Thermal baths in Denmark
Winter bathing clubs have a long tradition in Denmark, and Copenhagen's harbour became a place to swim again after its water was cleaned up in the early 2000s. Saunas on the waterfront pair the heat with a dip in the harbour or a cold tub; some are run by associations for their members, others sell places to anyone. Older bathhouses from the early 20th century live on too, in Copenhagen run by volunteer associations and in Aarhus by the city, with saunas and steam baths in the old rooms.
- Baths9
- Cities and towns2
- Water28 to 40°
- Hot rooms90°
City pages: Copenhagen · Aarhus
Baths in Denmark compared
Entry, swimwear rules, age limits and ticket type, side by side.
| Bath | Entry | Swimwear and rules | Age | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analog SaunaCopenhagen |
| Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | none stated | Timed slots, book ahead |
| Badeanstalten SpanienAarhus |
| Saunas in the separate men's and women's changing rooms; the operator says swimwear may be worn in the sauna after rinsing off in the shower, and asks everyone to sit on a towel. | none stated | Day ticket |
| CopenHotCopenhagen |
| Swimwear required; the operator's FAQ says nakedness is not allowed. Shared sessions (HotDays, SaunaGus) are mixed with changing rooms split men and women; a private booking gets its own heated lodge for changing. Everyone showers before the session. | 6+ | Timed slots, book ahead |
| Havnebadet Aarhus ØAarhus | Not known yet. Official site · Know it? Tell us | Swimwear required (municipal guidelines). | none stated | Day ticket |
| Hot'n'Cold NordhavnCopenhagen |
| Women-only saunagus on the last Sunday of each month. | none stated | Timed slots, book ahead |
| La BanchinaCopenhagen |
| Swimwear optional in the sauna and the harbour; the operator's sauna law says 'Naked or not, whatever feels right'. Mixed. No private changing facilities: you change in the sauna's front room and keep belongings there at your own risk. Sit on a towel in the sauna at all times. | none stated | Timed slots, book ahead |
| La Sauna AarhusAarhus |
| Swimwear required during saunagus. Sit on a towel in the sauna at all times. | none stated | Timed slots, book ahead |
| Sjællandsgade BadCopenhagen |
| Swimwear optional: wear a swimsuit or nothing, as you prefer. Separate floors for women and men on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (women downstairs and men upstairs on Wednesday and Saturday, the other way round on Sunday); Friday is mixed. | none stated | Day ticket |
| SofiebadetCopenhagen |
| Swimwear is compulsory; bring your own. Mixed, with private shower cubicles or shared changing for men and women; Thursday from 16:00 is for women only, guests and staff. | 12+ | Timed slots, book ahead |
Every bath in Denmark
Open all year unless the hours say otherwise.
Analog Sauna
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · Cancel at least 12 hours before the session to get the clip back.
A saunagus venue on Færgehavnsvej in Nordhavn with sea views, where each guided session pairs the sauna with dips in two filtered and chilled cold-water tubs.
DKK 180about €24As of Oct 2026Badeanstalten Spanien
Bathhouse, Aarhus · Bring a padlock for the changing-room lockers. Grossererbadet is a phone-free zone. Lanes in the main pool on weekdays; play day with toys from 10:00 at weekends and in school holidays.
Aarhus's municipal bathhouse on Spanien keeps its original 1933 private bathing cabins in Grossererbadet, its wellness area, some now with light therapy or infrared chairs.
CopenHot
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · No nakedness, no stag or hen parties, no food on the premises, no animals, no jumping into the dock; beer and wine may be brought in until further notice, water and soft drinks sold on site
A wood-fired hot tub and sauna garden on Refshaleøen in Copenhagen, on the shipyard corner the B&W shipbuilders called Little Siberia, with ten hot tubs heated to 40 °C and saunas from two-person glass cabins to a 20-seat Timber Sauna built for gus sessions.
Havnebadet Aarhus Ø
Bathhouse, Aarhus · At most 250 people in the pool area. In winter only the diving pool, changing rooms and toilets are open. Lockers need your own padlock and must be emptied daily. No dogs, alcohol or barbecues.
A harbour bath at Bassin 7 on Aarhus Ø, designed by Bjarke Ingels and built with a 40 million kroner gift from the Salling foundation, with a 50 m pool 2.20 m deep, a 4 m diving pool and two saunas.
Hot'n'Cold Nordhavn
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · Cancel at least 12 hours before the session for a refund. The way in is not level and the sauna has a step.
A sauna club for twenty in an Utzon-designed building on Sundkrogskaj at the edge of Nordhavn, shared with sailing clubs and a cafe.
La Banchina
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · Booked as a private session for the whole sauna, up to 8 people, one price for one person or eight; the only per-person tickets are for Soup & Sauna on Sundays from 18 October to the end of March. No own food or drink (200 DKK cork fee), no glass in the sauna.
A dry electric sauna for eight on the dock of a harbourside cafe at Refshalevej 141 in Copenhagen, booked as a private 1 h 45 session with a dip in the marked swim zone off the jetty and an outdoor shower to rinse.
DKK 800about €107As of Nov 2026La Sauna Aarhus
Bathhouse, Aarhus · Cancel at least 24 hours before the session to get the ticket back. Latecomers sit out the first round. No alcohol, no talking during the gus.
La Sauna started on Pier 2 in summer 2024 and moved to Godsbanen near Aarhus Central Station when the city needed the plot.
DKK 160about €21As of Oct 2026Sjællandsgade Bad
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · The first-floor sauna is closed for renovation from 1 October 2026, with the work planned to finish in November. Until then men have no sauna on Wednesday and Saturday, and women none on Sunday; showers and bathtubs stay open. No phones in the bath and sauna rooms; no alcohol.
Built in 1917 by city architect Hans Wright as the last public bathhouse Copenhagen built, closed by the municipality in 2010, listed in 2012 and reopened by a volunteer association in 2013.
DKK 40about €5.5As of Oct 2026Sofiebadet
Bathhouse, Copenhagen · No pools or whirlpools. Hammam treatments and spa massage are not offered to pregnant guests after the first trimester. Bookings are not refunded; they can be moved up to 48 hours ahead.
Built in 1909 as a municipal shower bath on Sofiegade in Christianshavn, closed in 1997 and listed in 2000 for its interior, it reopened under the Sofiebadet association, with a hammam dome added in the old boiler house in 2010.
DKK 300about €40As of Oct 2026
Nothing here for that filter.
Questions about Denmark
Do you wear swimwear in Copenhagen's harbour saunas?
It depends where. CopenHot requires swimwear and does not allow nakedness. La Banchina leaves it to you, in the sauna and in the harbour: 'Naked or not, whatever feels right', as its own rules put it.
Can you swim in the harbour after the sauna in Copenhagen?
At La Banchina, yes, in the marked swim zone off the jetty, with an outdoor shower to rinse. CopenHot has no swimming in the dock; its sessions end in cold tubs instead, which get ice in winter. In Nordhavn, Analog Sauna cools you down in two filtered, chilled tubs, and Hot'n'Cold Nordhavn with buckets of 4 to 10 °C water between rounds.
Can you go to a Copenhagen harbour sauna on your own?
Yes, at most of them. CopenHot sells its SaunaGus and HotDays sessions per person, though each runs only with a minimum number of guests, so a booking can be called off. Analog Sauna and Hot'n'Cold Nordhavn sell single tickets for one guided saunagus, and Hot'n'Cold's sessions are open to people who aren't members of the club. La Banchina is hired whole at one price for up to eight, except on Sundays from October to April, when its soup and sauna club takes drop-ins.
Where can you take a sauna in Aarhus?
At La Sauna near the central station, at the city's bathhouse Badeanstalten Spanien, or at Havnebadet, the harbour bath on Aarhus Ø. La Sauna runs 75-minute sessions of guided rounds, with swimwear required during the gus. Badeanstalten Spanien has saunas in its separate men's and women's changing rooms, where swimwear may be worn after a shower. Havnebadet has two saunas and in winter opens on weekend mornings for the sauna and a dip in its diving pool.