Photo by Cynrar on Pexels
🇳🇴 Norway · Steigen Archipelago, Nordland
♨ Temperature
80°C
⛰ Altitude
2 m
⚗ pH
7.8
💧 TDS
28 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
N/A
📅 Established
2016
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Manshausen is a tiny island in the Steigen archipelago of Nordland county, approximately 120 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. A derelict 19th-century fishing station on the island was restored from 2009 onward into a small collection of sea cabins and a main house, with a dock sauna positioned directly over the fjord. The sauna doors open onto the water: bathers heat, then step from the door directly into the fjord — temperatures that hover around 10°C year-round in these Arctic waters. In summer, the midnight sun fills the sauna with extraordinary light; in winter, the northern lights are visible from the outdoor deck. The surrounding archipelago is one of the most spectacular sea kayaking environments in Norway.
| Nordic birch | 0 mg/L |
| Arctic fjord water | 0 mg/L |
The Steigen archipelago has been inhabited since the Viking Age and was an important fishing centre during the medieval Hanseatic trade era. The restored fishing station buildings at Manshausen preserve the material culture of Arctic Norway's 19th-century coastal community. Photo shown: Grøtøya, Mannshausen og Naustholmen aerial view (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA) — a publicly documented aerial photograph of the archipelago. AquaFonte is not affiliated with Manshausen Island Resort.
Manshausen has become internationally celebrated as an expression of Norwegian island wellness — the combination of extreme natural beauty, authentic cultural landscape, and the primal experience of moving from intense heat into Arctic water. It has been featured in major international design and travel publications as one of the definitive sauna experiences in the world.
Manshausen is accessible only by private boat, limiting visitor numbers to the handful of guests the island can accommodate. The restoration project used traditional Norwegian coastal building techniques and materials. All waste is removed by boat. The surrounding marine reserve is protected under Norwegian fishing and environmental law.
Websitemanshausen.no
AddressManshausen, Steigen Municipality, Nordland, Norway