Inside Finnair's Platinum Wing lounge in Helsinki

HELSINKI — Ahead of the inaugural AY145 flight from Helsinki (HEL) to Melbourne (MEL) via Bangkok, I arrived at the airport well before departure to check out Finnair’s (AY) flagship lounge. The airline offers two lounge areas in the non-Schengen area. The Business Lounge features over 400 seats, a large bar, plenty of coffee stations, shower rooms, and a large buffet selection. The Platinum Wing features a similar design and amenities, in addition to a few special ones. 

Both lounges are located near gate 52 and share the same entrance, with beautiful memorabilia from AY’s century-long history on display. From purses to glassware, from uniforms to bags, the entrance is a step back into AY’s past. 

I made my way to the Platinum Wing: for the occasion, journalists were granted access to Finnair’s lounge. After dropping my suitcase and backpack in the locker room and getting a large glass of blueberry juice, I immediately headed to the sauna, the lounge’s highlight. Finland is famous for its sauna culture. It only makes sense for AY to offer a sauna inside its flagship lounge, and I could not resist the idea of trying the experience ahead of the longest flight of my life to fully relax.  

Back in February, AY hosted a small group of journalists inside a sauna in Helsinki, followed by a rather incredibly enjoyable swimming experience in the icy sea. The experience was memorable to say the least, hence my wish to repeat it inside the airline’s hub as much as possible. 

The sauna is packed with all the amenities you may need: dedicated lockers, towels, slippers to enter the sauna, followed by showers, shampoo, body wash, and creams to recover once outside. I got changed and left my camera inside the locker, together with my wallet and phone, and headed to the cooldown room, where I found myself to be the only one in the facility.

Inside, the bucket of water was already full and ready to be poured on the hot stones. I took my place inside and arguably overdid it with the water; the temperature went up rather quickly, making it almost difficult to breathe. 

Nevertheless, one full bucket later, it was finally time to get ready for the inaugural AY145 flight to Melbourne. I showered and got changed again after the relaxing experience. I picked up my camera and headed to the bar for an aperitif; the friendly staff recommended a drink to me, and I was more than happy to learn about their story and engage in conversations as the lounge was still relatively quiet. 

I then headed to the dining area, where both a buffet and an à la carte menu were available. I opted for the Platinum burger, which came with some perfect french fries and was paired with red wine. The beautiful Iittala glassware was consistent with the onboard product too. 

The lounge offers plenty of seating options in different environments, featuring the same colors and materials as found on board AY’s Business Class. While views of the apron are only available on one side of the lounge, the area still feels spacious, well-designed, and cozy. 

The centerpiece is the bar: beautifully designed, it features a wall clearly showing everything that is on offer. From Finnish spirits to Italian amari, it is hard not to find your favorite drink here. One glass of champagne later, it was finally time to head to gate 44 for the inaugural AY145!