AQVA Hotel & Spa

AQVA Hotel & Spa stands at Parkali 4 in Rakvere, in the north-east of Estonia, and its water and sauna centre is the part of the hotel that is open to visitors who are not staying the night. The operator counts kuus basseini ja kaheksa sauna — six pools and eight saunas — arranged as two adjoining halves that are ticketed separately.

On the water side there is a wave pool with cascades, a lane for swimming against the current, a leisure pool with cascades and underwater massage jets, whirlpool baths, a slide worked with light effects, and separate basins for babies and small children. Two pools are for swimming rather than play: a 25-meetrine 6 rajaga sportbassein, the twenty-five-metre six-lane sport pool, and an outdoor pool that the operator keeps open through the year rather than closing it for the winter.

The sauna centre is unusually varied for a hotel of this size, and each room is run at its own temperature. There are three Estonian steam saunas at 100, 85 and 75 degrees for different tolerances, a sanarium at 63 degrees for sitting rather than sweating, a cedar sauna at 50, salt and aromatherapy steam rooms at 45, and an infrared cabin at 48. Guided sauna rituals are held on a timetable.

Beyond the water there is a gym with cardio and weights, group classes including aqua aerobics, and swimming lessons for both children and adults. The water centre opens at nine on weekdays and eight at weekends, closing at ten in the evening; the sauna centre opens an hour later on weekdays.