Sjøbadet (The Sea Bathing House) in Trondheim is one of the oldest associations in the city, founded in 1858 with a formal/physical opening on May 1st 1860. The bath was initially a joint-stock company called ‘Søbadedindretningen i Trondhjem’. The first bath was placed in the inner canal (by Ravnkloa).
Due to unhealthy water, the bath was moved to St. Olav’s pier in 1880, thanks to the bath’s patron, City Engineer Dahl.
At the start, Sjøbadet was for men only. Eventually, the ladies were given access a few hours a day, but it was not until 1927 that a separate women’s department was added. The annual report from 1879 says that the ladies stopped going into the sea because they were disturbed by the dock workers.
Tone Hoff became the bath master in 1968, and noticed men standing for a loooong time in the diving tower, staring down into the ladies’ sunbathing area. So she shouted to them: ‘Stop glancing!‘, whereupon some jumped into the water and others climbed ashamed back down the gully.
Rasmus Rohde has made a nice song about this: ‘Sjøbadet‘. Check it out on YouTube! (However, with a somewhat exaggerated description of the bathing temperature. As you might know, the Trondheimsfjord is very deep, and the water never really gets warm).
In 2011, the Sjøbadet was moved 1 (!) meter to make room for ‘Nordre Avlastningsvei’, and the bath was rebuilt. For many years, members dreamed of building a sauna. More and more people took into ice bathing in winter, and it was quite certain that a sauna would increase both the use of the bath and the number of members dramatically. Still, there was a lot back and forth, the uncertainty of the finances of the sauna project was big, and the years went by. But finally, on 9/8-2018, after many hours of voluntary work, sauna manager Taru could say ‘Tervetuloa‘ to the first sauna experience at Sjøbadet. The number of members exploded, and for a period a waiting list existed, to get onto the waiting list for membership.
Tobatheornottobathe highly appreciate both Sjøbadet and its sauna. A better location is hard to find! Various sauna rituals with and without ethereal oils, aufguss, Finnish traditions etc. are carried out here. All members are sent a sauna program every week, so it is easy to choose what suits you the best. If you do not have a membership, it is still possible to visit the Sjøbadet in summertime, for a reasonable amount of money. In summer, there’s a paid lifeguard, who also serves coffee, waffles and sausages between 12 am and 6 pm (2024). When the ‘Trønder summer’ occasionally strikes with wet and cold weather, sometimes the sauna is heated in summer as well. Check FB if this is tempting! In winter, a monthly ‘Folkebadstue‘ (People’s Baths) is organized (2024), where non-members can try both the sauna and ice bathing. Hereby strongly recommended!
In addition to bathing and sauna rituals, there are also other happenings at Sjøbadet, both in terms of performances and concerts. On Midsummer’s Eve 2017, you could dance norwegian folk dances all the way into the dressing rooms, to music by Gammel-Snaustrinda/The Dirty Old Band.
