Helsinki Airport, Finland (July 21, 2025)
What does it mean to slow down? That’s the question I was asking myself as I flew into the Helsinki airport. The previous 21 days had been an action-packed non-stop blitz of fun and yet it’s like sprinting into the first few miles of a 26.2 mile marathon. At the current pace I had set, burnout was all but assured.
The first energy shift happened right at the Helsinki Airport
No sooner had I landed then I realized I was in someplace truly special and unique. Let’s start with the bathrooms. Yes, even the bathrooms are different in Finland. The first thing I noticed walking into the airport bathroom was bird chirping. At first, I thought a bird was in there with me, but after a few moments it became clear that this was sound piped into the bathroom — just to make it feel more natural and to connect me with nature.
Lounge chairs that actually promote sleeping. Imagine that! Rest. At an airport!
After the bathroom the next thing I noticed are the design of the lounge chairs. They are comfortable. No really. So comfortable, I saw many passengers having a short nap before their flights. Missed your connection? Use one of our many, many chairs and sleep as long as you’d like. Lay down, spread out. Enjoy yourself. The airport is massive, spacious and you feel like you’re in nature — but inside a building. What a fantastic architectural feat!
Surround 360 screen images to have you feel like you’re back in nature.
There are stress relief spaces specifically designed to have you back in nature. While it’s impossible to capture an immersive set-up, this crude picture is showing a small part of a full 360 screen that is massive surrounding enough lounge chairs to hold more than a hundred passengers — just to BE in nature. There are also sounds of nature. Soft. Subtle. Just there to calm the nervous system. Amazing. Love it.
Digital display shows you where you are, time of year and time of day too
In case you’re interested, a nearby digital display orientates you as to where you are physically (as in where the 360 video was shot), the time of year so you know the season and the time of day. It also gives you more information in case you’d like to visit this part of the country. If this is a “see more of Finland” I’m all about it. This was such a cool experience. As a reminder I haven’t even left the airport yet!!!!
Goofy selfie spot too. Love it. I’m officially here in Finland.
Okay, NOW I can leave the airport. But I’m already feeling connected to Finland. The transition from my busy, busy, see the world, do it all, connect with everyone to “slow down, man, you need to enjoy your life too” was a lot faster than I was anticipating. Who knew that the right environment could help with an intentional transition so quickly? The Finnish people, clearly.
So when I pull up my Google Map to get directions to my hotel, it says jump on the bus right outside the airport. It wasn’t kidding the bus was literally the first thing I saw as I exited the airport. Got on, tapped my credit card and the last top was at the Helsinki Central Station. The bus dropped me right here:
Welcome to Helsinki Central Station. (Not really, this is the Finnish National Theatre but it’s where the bus dropped me. Wow. Beautiful!)
A short picturesque walk to my hotel and I’m already having a fabulous first day in Finland. I did notice something peculiar though and that’s the litter of scooters that you see everywhere. The good news is that you don’t need to drive in most of Helsinki. The bad news is that there are these scooters everywhere!
Flowers beautify the city. What do all the scooters do? Provide transport I guess.
The walk to the hotel took me through a more tourist part of Helsinki which was great. I loved seeing all the shops and offerings.
Even the hotel was exactly what I needed. When I arrived, it was easy to spot, easy to check into and every square inch of the hotel was inviting. This was a much needed relax and recharge spot. I could stay here for weeks and deeply rest. In fact, I know that this will be one of the most peaceful hotel stays I’ve ever had just by looking at the environment in which I’m entering.
And this is where I choose to catch up on all my blog posts. While I still have so many memories top of mind from my previous week. I decide to begin the process of writing and capturing them. Not all at once. Not immediately, but I decide that I will balance writing up my past few days of experiences (“catching up” as it were) with relaxing and recharging here in one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever encountered. Let the recharging begin!
