The number of spectacular iconic hotels in Swedish Lapland continues to increase thanks to the arrival of the floating hotel Arctic Bath in Harads. As soon as I knew that Arctic Bath would be ready in January 2020, I decided to book a room and as we were planning our trip to see Northern Lights we enjoyed a luxurious night just fifteen days after the opening.
Arctic Bath is a hotel combining a spectacular design, an idyllic natural environment on the Lule River and a concept oriented to wellness, relaxation and feeling good about oneself. All this along high level local cuisine and natural experiences.
Arctic Bath, the Floating Hotel in Swedish Lapland
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
We arrived at Arctic Bath by car at about 6 p.m. in the evening in February which means we could enjoy beautiful views of the hotel and its surroundings both night and day by getting up early the morning after.
Winter Dawn at Arctic Bath Hotel in Harads, Lapland
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
If you are planning a winter trip in Lapland and before heading back home you’d like to relax for a while from the cold and fatigue caused by outdoor activities, spending a night in Arctic Bath will make you recover energy and inner peace. This is how we feel after having been there.
Reception and Restaurant in Arctic Bath
In Arctic Bath life revolves around the spectacular floating circular building accessed by a walkway. In this building you will find the reception, the small shop where you can buy some of the design and beauty products that the hotel offers, a cozy ground fire, the restaurant and a small table with whiskey and other alcoholic drinks.
Inside the Restaurant in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
The building has an inner courtyard providing access to the isvak, a hole made in the ice, which in winter allows the most daring to get into the icy waters of the Lule River and enjoy the contrast that the body experiences between the warm temperatures of the sauna and the cold prevailing anywhere else.
Hole in the Ice in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
It is interesting that the building has an exterior corridor allowing you to completely surround it and enter and exit it without having to go through the main entrance door.
Rooms in Arctic Bath
Arctic Bath has twelve rooms. Six are the so-called “water” rooms and the other six “land” rooms, that is, six floating and six on the shore. All floating rooms are suites for two people accessed by a walkway.
Two Floating Rooms in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
All the floating rooms in Arctic Bath have their own bathroom and exclusive access from it to the river. They also have a north-facing window fitted to see the Northern Lights from the bed in case they occur.
Floating Suite in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Bathroom in the Floating Suite in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
All the rooms on the shore in the Arctic Bath hotel have a loft bedroom. There are two types of rooms: suites for two people and family rooms for five people.
Floating and Land Rooms in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
These rooms on the mainland have impressive windows overlooking the river and from where it is possible to see the local flora and fauna. A family that stayed when we did could see a group of five moose from their room!
The Spa in Arctic Bath
The essential idea behind Arctic Bath revolves around making you feel good. They want to achieve this with the combination of design, exterior beauty and inner well-being that you will reach after a treatment in the spa. A process resembling a ritual, very well explained in a booklet that you receive with your spa bag, will take care of your relaxation time. The visit to the spa also includes a bathing suit and bathrobe as a gift for both men and women as well of a selection of products specially designed by Kerstin Florian for spa users in Arctic Bath. Everything for you to take care of yourself, body and mind altogether.
Two dry saunas, one of them at a higher temperature, a steam sauna, two outdoor hot tubs overlooking the Lule river along with exfoliating massages, seaweed creams, moisturizing lotions and much more so that you achieve balance and spend a nice time “floating” in the environment and perfectly integrated with the harmony surrounding you. You can also choose a selection of separate beauty and wellness treatments such as Swedish or facial massages.
Sauna in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Outdoor Hot Tub in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
And for the truly daring the hole in the ice in the center of the courtyard is there to test your resistance and the new sensations you will experience.
Hole in the Ice in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Gastronomy in Arctic Bath
The restaurant in Arctic Bath is run by Kristoffer Åström whose nickname, samiska kocken, the Sami chef, comes from his work of introducing Sami flavors to numerous kitchens in different restaurants in Sweden. Next to him the Belgian, Maarten de Wilde, a self-made chef who bases his kitchen on creating traditional dishes with modern touches.
Kitchen in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Gastronomy in Arctic Bath is grounded on proximity and the use of sustainable products while trying to reduce food waste to a minimum. The chef himself told us that the peelings of the potatoes used for a mashed potato and leek purée had been re-used and deep-fried to accompany reindeer meat.
Sustainable Dish in the Tasting Menu in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
We tried the tasting menu accompanied by a wine pairing with five different types of European and Swedish wines. There were Swedish meatballs, a Sami bread called gahkko, a lot of reindeer meat prepared in different ways, hjortron and havtorn, the cloudberry and sea buckthorn so much appreciated in desserts in Lapland. Here below you can see some pictures of the different dishes we tried.
Dish from the Tasting Menu in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Dish from the Tasting Menu in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Dish from the Tasting Menu in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Dessert with Sea Buckthorn, Vanilla and Cloudberry from the Tasting Menu in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Semlor and Truffles in Arctic Bath
Photo: Israel Úbeda / sweetsweden.com
Location and Room Reservations
The Arctic Bath hotel is located in Harads, Norrbotten County, in Swedish Lapland. It is located between Luleå and Jokkmokk at a similar distance (90 km / 56 mi) from each of the cities and is easily accessed via road 97. The hotel arranges car transfers from / to Luleå and even helicopter transfers for those planning a luxury trip in Lapland.
If you are traveling as a couple we can recommend you to spend one or two nights in Arctic Bath dedicated to relaxation. Personally I would reserve a room at the end of your trip in Lapland which is when you will probably need to rest. Here you have more information about availability and prices.
Arctic Bath can also be a hotel to stay as a family. In winter children will enjoy playing in the snow and ice in a natural environment while adults rest.
Don’t forget that the charming snowy landscape changes completely to offer a spectacular green environment surrounded by water in the spring and summer months and an incredible and colorful autumn season beginning in late summer and until early November.
Arctic Bath is undoubtedly an amazing hotel, the kind you always want to return to one more time, both for the experience and the pleasant sensations it will instill on you as well as for the wonderful natural scenery it offers.
