Skýra Retreat

Reset the rhythm of the two of you.

”I had forgotten whiteness while gazing at the
heavy colours of autumn, and one morning,
whiteness stood before me”

Katri Vala’s poem Ensi lumi (First Snow, 1924) captures the way winter arrives almost overnight in Lapland.

Today, October 14, the first snow has fallen in Rovaniemi, on the exact day that traditionally marked the beginning of winter in the old Nordic calendar.

We are incredibly proud to share that Skýra Retreat has been awarded One MICHELIN Key in the MICHELIN Guide’s 2026 hotel selection, becoming the first hotel in Finnish Lapland to receive the distinction.

One MICHELIN Key recognises what the Guide describes as “a very special stay”, with hotels anonymously assessed across service, design, character, value and their connection to their destination.

As our founder Susanne Hulbekkmo puts it:

“Skýra was never created to follow a ready-made idea of what luxury should look like. We wanted to create a place where nature, stillness, design, authenticity and warm hospitality could take centre stage. For me, this recognition feels especially meaningful because it shows that Skýra’s own way of doing things works.”

The Finnish folklore is full of natural remedies and stories of spirits inhabiting the forest, connecting the material world with the spiritual. Whether you believe the folklore or not, it’s easy to understand why so many people experience nature as a place of healing and recovery.

Or in more practical words: time in a forest helps quiet your body’s fight-or-flight response, lowering cortisol levels, while giving your brain a break from filtering, deciding and reacting to the constant stimulation that modern life demands. That is why people often leave the forest feeling calmer, able to focus more easily and in a better mood.

The forest is not an escape from the real world. It is the real world.

There’s something special about moving through heat and cold together.

One minute you’re sitting in warmth of the sauna, the next you’re stepping into cold water, laughing at the shock of it, catching each other’s eye as your breathing settles again. The world outside fades into the background because your attention is here. On the sensations of your body, and on the person beside you.

Skýra’s Nordic spa isn’t about filling the day with things to do. It’s about wellness and contrast therapy, but it’s also about sharing an experience that pulls you both into the present, where perspective grants space for slowing down and connecting.

Have you ever noticed how a certain sound can make your whole body react?

A sound bath is a guided relaxation practice where instruments such as Tibetan singing bowls, wind chimes and tingsha cymbals create long, resonant tones around you.

As you listen, your attention begins to move away from racing thoughts and towards the rhythm, vibration and changing layers of sound. The slower pace may help the nervous system shift out of its alert state, allowing the breathing and heart rate to settle and the body to relax more deeply.

It is called a sound “bath” because you are not listening to a melody or trying to follow anything. You just lie down and let the sound wash over you.

So let’s try it out together. Stop the scroll. Stay for a minute.