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Wooden skyscraper hotel in Swedish Lapland has rooftop Vana spa

03 Dec 2022 One of the world’s tallest hotels made almost exclusively from wood, has officially opened at the birthplace of cross-country skiing, Skellefteå in Swedish Lapland, with the property's rooftop Vana Spa giving spectacular views over the city.

Designed by White Arkitekter and standing at 20 storeys, the Wood Hotel, which soft opened in 2021, is 75 metres high and made almost entirely from spruce and pine sourced from nearby forests.

The spa has an outdoor heated pool, treatment rooms, several saunas and a relaxation lounge, while guests can also enjoy drinks from the sky bar.

Spa treatments are delivered using products from Swedish brand Kerstin Florian and include massages, signature treatments, facials, body and beauty treatments. Prices range around the 1500SEK mark (US$145 £115).

Day passes to the spa are also available from 295 SEK (US$28, £23) per person and include the use of the pool, saunas, lounge and gym on the 18th floor as well as the loan of bathrobes, towels and slippers.

First proposed in 2016, the 205-bed property, owned by Elite Hotels, also has a 1,200-capacity convention centre, a sky bar and three restaurants – an Italian café, an Asian restaurant and Restaurant Mandel, which specialises in locally-sourced, Sami-inspired food.

The climate-positive structure absorbs more CO2 than it uses.

Rooms are fragranced by the timber from which they're constructed, contributing to the comfort and personal wellbeing of guests by reducing stress and improving sleep.

The hotel is one of a series of wooden skyscrapers being built or proposed in Sweden, thanks to developments in glue-laminated and cross-laminated engineered timber technology. Others include the Mjøstårnet Wood Hotel in Brumunddal, which opened in 2019 and stands 86 metres above ground level with 18 storeys and 72 hotel rooms.