Now Confirmed: Tallinn Is Getting Its Own Sea Spa

Text Timo Raussi

Photos Nordic Urban

A year-round sea spa featuring outdoor and indoor pools alike will be built in the Kalasadam coastal area next to Tallinn’s Linnahall. Once completed, the recently permitted centre will be operated by a subsidiary of Nordic Urban, which runs Helsinki’s Allas Pool.

Over time, the area between Kalarand and Linnahall has fallen into rather poor condition. In past decades, the harbour quay used by fishing vessels has deteriorated, and it has had no clear purpose or users. In two years’ time, people may once again be able to stroll along the 200-metre-long coastal and café promenade surrounding the spa and, like at its Helsinki counterpart, take part in various music and entertainment events.

“One of the spa’s key features is that it will include plenty of outdoor spaces and pools. A strict requirement from the City of Tallinn was that the centre should also include a public waterfront promenade, and we too want the waterfront to be open to everyone. We have seen that the area is extremely popular – people enjoy spending time here,” said Martin Rebane, development director of the property company Kapitel, which owns the plot, to Estonian public broadcaster ERR’s TV news.

The new sea spa will also cater to fitness swimmers, as a swimming pool with 25-metre lanes will be built on its terrace. The Estonian architecture firm Must won the design competition for the project in 2024.

“We drew inspiration from the history of Kalasadam and Kalarand. We found interesting old photographs showing low quays for small fishing boats and higher quays for larger vessels. Based on these, we created a concept in which there is first a lower waterfront promenade, then a slightly higher quay area, followed by the pools and, at the top, terraces. This created a similar layering to the atmosphere of the old quays,” explains architect Alvin Järving.

The Kalasadam quay bordering the future spa centre will be renovated, and fishing spots for recreational anglers will also be created alongside it. The spa, with a total floor area more than twice that of Helsinki’s Allas Pool, will include indoor sauna and pool areas, a restaurant and café, as well as private saunas and event spaces for rent.

As part of the construction work beginning at the end of this year, the surroundings of the new sea spa will also be redeveloped, as the property company Kapitel owns, in addition to Kalasadam, a neighbouring area covering a total of two hectares. On the site of the current parking area and wasteland, the company plans to build a hotel with more than 300 rooms.

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