Ice floating: What it is. How to try it. Is it worth it?

At the end of November 2024 I was in Finland, in Rovaniemi, and that’s when I discovered and tried ice floating. In this post, I will describe what it is, how much it costs, but also what kind of experience it was for me. Let’s see if it’s worth it to go for ice floating activity.

Where does ice floating come from

Ice floating is a fairly new idea and a winter trend among tourists. It comes from Finnish Lapland. However, it is slowly spreading, it is also available throughout Finland, in Norwegian Tromso, or even the French Alps.

Nevertheless, it is Lapland, possibly also Tromso and the surrounding area, where you will find the most opportunities for ice floating (and where ice floating makes the most sense).

Ice floating: What it is about

Some of you may have heard (or even participated in it) about floating (without ‘ice’) as a relaxing spa treatment. That is, floating on water with a high salt content in special capsules. You can find such treatments in many spa and wellness centres.

And most of you certainly know about floating in the Dead Sea. Some of you have probably already been there and tried it. But even if you haven’t, you for sure remember all those pictures of tourists floating and easily reading the newspaper.

Ice floating is a similar feeling to these two and a partially similar concept. However, it does not use salt, but a special suit.

Suit

So to sum up, ice floating involves floating in icy water in a special suit.

It is a thick red suit made of neoprene, and it is responsible for your floating. And for keeping us (relatively) warm and dry while floating. Floating most often takes place in an ice-hole in a frozen lake, or perhaps in a river or bay.

Why, for what to even do it? You may ask. The question is quite reasonable. For the experience. Simply.

How does it feel to ice float

It’s surreal. Strange. Different. To this day I don’t know if I liked it or not. But it was something so amazing and special that I’m glad I tried it.

You lie down on the water with our whole body, the head too. You look into space, at the sky, the stars, maybe the aurora borealis. And you don’t have to do anything, swim, or move your arms. Your body is light and floats and drifts by itself. It’s relaxing, but I think it’s the circumstances that give this wow effect. The nature around, the silence, the frosty air.

The beginning is very strange, after a while you get used to it. On the one hand, you’re not cold, but on the other hand you feel this temperature.

Small difficulties

The entry and exit to and from the water itself is a bit tricky.

The suit is not the most comfortable to move in, so you have to be quite careful to get to the water and go down the railing. And lie down very carefully not to splash water on your face (because then you will definitely be cold). And not to splash water on others (because most often you swim in a group).

When leaving from the water, because of the wetsuit, you can have a problem to get upright. The railing to climb on is wet, or rather icy, actually. My hands (wetsuit gloves) froze to it immediately. Of course, this is not something very difficult to overcome if you are in ‘normal shape’.

Ice floating: Where and how to try

Since we need this special suit, this is an activity to be done with a group. You will find the most companies organizing ice floating in Rovaniemi. But also in Kemi or Levi. Ice floating is very popular in the region, it is worth booking it in advance.

It is best to do it here, or directly through the companies’ websites. I prefer GetYourGuide, because I can read the opinions and you can usually cancel participation 24 hours before a trip without an additional fee. But you can also find ice floating in Tromso, here.

The cost of such a few-hour trip (with transfer included) is around 100-140 Euro.

My Ice Floating Trip

How did my ice floating trip look like?

I booked it here. On the day of the trip, I received a message on WhatsApp about the meeting place and time. Such meetings usually take place at the company’s office, e.g. in the centre of Rovaniemi. Some companies also offer transfers from hotels outside the city.

We travelled to the place by bus. There were 8 people in total plus the guide. The guide was Spanish, and all communication was in English.

We drove to the lake for about 30-45 minutes through empty forest roads.

There was a small house by the lake, where we tried and put on our wetsuits, there was also a bathroom. On the other side of the house there was a room, where after swimming the guides served us cookies and tea.

We also received a short instruction on how to enter the water, how to react, etc.

We had to get to the lake shore already in the suit, which was a challenge in the dark and on a slippery path.

Then everyone entered the water and floated at their own pace. Some of us took longer, others shorter. Record holders were in the water for about 20-25 minutes.

I admit that at first I panicked a bit. I had the impression that I was completely wet inside my suite. So I got out of the water, waited a while and went in again, this time for longer.

After leaving, we quickly returned to the cottage to change. Then tea and slowly got back to the centre. The whole thing took about 3 hours.

Company recommendation

I have a bit of a problem with such a full and honest recommendation of this company. As I had a bit of an impression of disorganization. We were in a small group, but there were more of groups on the site. It made it quite crowded both in the water and in the changing room. Some of the suits were already wet before, even inside, so we couldn’t use them. Because of that, I didn’t have a suit that was well-fitted to my height.

Several people in the group also had their suits soaked after floating. The guides marked them immediately, I hope they were actually repaired after.

However, the company and the ice floating trip organized by them have very good reviews. Maybe these issues were the result of the fact that it was only the beginning of the season and everything was just starting.

That is why I am not saying to not use it, because it is worth it for the attraction itself, but I prefer to describe the disadvantages as well.

You can find other companies here.

During the day or in the evening

Ice floating is organized both during the day and in the evening. I was there in the evening. I think it is a little better solution because in the absence of clouds you can float when looking at the stars. And with a bit of luck, at the aurora.

A weak aurora appeared to us at the beginning of the event. It was not visible to the naked eye, but in the photos. However, there was a beautifully starry sky.

Icebreaker cruise

There is another option for such ice floating. This is already a higher level. That is, an icebreaker cruise on the Gulf of Bothnia and ice floating takes place during the cruise.

Of course, this is an even longer (all-day) and more expensive expedition, although indeed it sounds amazing.

Some of these cruises depart from Kemi (which can be reached from Rovaniemi by train), others depart from Sweden, but you have a transfer from Rovaniemi included.

Sometimes the price also includes lunch, something to drink, or a ticket to SnowExperience365 in Kemi.

Technically

Here are a few more practical and technical tips.

You will find information about restrictions in the descriptions of the trips. This attraction is not for small children. Most often, you need to be at least 120-150 cm tall.

You put the suit on your clothes (remember to have thermal underwear), but you take off your jacket, shoes and large scarves. The suit is warm enough.

After putting on the suit, you will not be able to take any photos. Often, guides collect phones and take photos or take photos with one, and then participants send them to each other.

It is also worth documenting the process of putting on the suit, because then you still have good light and it will be easier to find someone who is not wearing it yet.

Be sure to take some clothes to change. In theory, suits should not get wet. But that’s just the theory. In our group, it happened that a few people got a bit soaked. It is worth having at least socks and a blouse with you to change.

Ice floating: Is it worth it?

Yes. It is worth it. And this is my opinion, despite the organizational shortcomings. Despite the fact that I was reluctant at first, and despite the price, because it is an expensive evening.

However, it is unforgettable. It is a very interesting feeling, not easy to describe (although I hope I managed to convey what it is all about).

It’s something that is not done often (or at all) and something that fits so well into these cold travel destinations.

In my opinion, it is worth trying. And the memories and the view of yourself in this Teletubbies outfit will stay with you for a long time!

Ice floating is a very interesting, but of course it’s not the only thing worth doing in Rovaniemi. I write about all the others things you can see and do here.

For more information needed to organize a trip to Rovaniemi, check out here.

And in this article you can read about the Norwegian Tromso.