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I visited Helsinki's new stress-busting airport terminal it had bird song in the bathrooms, a Moomin cafe, and rocking chairs to wait for boarding

Marianne Guenot   

I visited Helsinki's new stress-busting airport terminal — it had bird song in the bathrooms, a Moomin cafe, and rocking chairs to wait for boarding
Helsinki airport thumbMarianne Guenot/Insider
  • I visited the new terminal at Helsinki airport in Finland on a recent trip to the country.
  • It is conceived specifically to reduce passenger stress with its Finnish nature-themed design.

Helsinki's new airport terminal opened on December 1, 2021, boasting a stress-reducing Finnish-inspired design. I visited the airport on my way home to London, and was surprised by how relaxing it was to go through it. Keep reading to see what it was like.

Helsinki
Helsinki on a sunny June day.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

I reached the airport via train.

I reached the airport via train.
This is where the train arrives.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

From Helsinki, the trip is easy. A train goes from central Helsinki to the airport for about 4.10 euros (about $4.20).

This is departure hall.

This is departure hall.
Helsinki departure hall on a relatively busy day.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

The terminal has been designed to simplify the path of passengers through the airport. There is only one terminal and everything is all in one room.

I didn't need to check my bag in, so I was headed straight to security. I got there from the train within ten to 15 minutes without having to stop to find my way around.

The departure hall's Finnish birch ceiling is curved to make it warm and guide the passengers intuitively through to security.

The departure hall
The ceiling of the departure hall.      Finavia Corp.

Signage in the airport has been designed to minimize confusion among passengers as much as possible, Katja Siberg, a spokesperson for Finavia, which operates the airport, told Insider.

The roof of the departure hall, made of Finnish birch, is also intentionally curved to "guide the passenger intuitively from the main entrance through the check-in to the security control," Siberg told Insider.

You don't have to take your electronics and liquids out of your bag for security because of this high-tech machine.

You don
A press photo of the security machines at Helsinki airport.      Finavia Corp.

The security area was designed in shades of blue to instill a sense of calm among the travelers, per Finavia.

I was surprised not to be asked to take my laptop or liquids out of my bag at security.

"The new 3D scanners speed up security control, as liquids and electronic devices no longer need to be taken out of hand baggage for scanning. For the passenger, this means less unpacking and repacking, which makes the process more comfortable and stress-free," said Siberg.

In spite of this, my bag was pulled to the side because the machine didn't read it correctly the first time, so it had to be scanned a second time. I noticed a few people had a similar issue next to me.

Nevertheless, I went through security in less than ten minutes.

The terminal is bright and airy.

The terminal is bright and airy.
The terminal is essentially one corridor surrounded by large windows on both sides.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

All of the terminal's design is reminiscent of natural themes. It used a lot of birchwood and green colors.

It was easy to get around the relatively small hall.

Seating is shown that mimics the shape of graphic green hills.

Seating is shown that mimics the shape of graphic green hills.
Here, benches that mimic green hills.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

The hall is generally quite quiet.

The hall is generally quite quiet.
People seemed generally quite relaxed in the airport while waiting for the plane.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

The terminal was designed to encourage a relaxing atmosphere, Siberg said. I was surprised by how quiet it was.

Announcements are purposefully kept to a minimum in the airport to reduce stress and "sense of hurry," said Siberg.

"A lot of attention has been paid to the acoustics and materials of the new terminal facilities, to keep the background noise at a low level even during peak hours," she said.

There was one waiting area where a screen showed scenes from the Finnish countryside.

There was one waiting area where a screen showed scenes from the Finnish countryside.
The screen wraps around the area and shows videos of natural landscapes on a loop.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

Sounds of nature are also played into the area.

An interactive touch screen provided more information about the area being shown.

An interactive touch screen provided more information about the area being shown.
An interactive display gave some information about the area you were looking at.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

It was quite relaxing to sit there for some time while waiting for the plane.

It was quite relaxing to sit there for some time while waiting for the plane.
The scenery changed from forests to lakes to streams over time.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

There were many areas to enjoy a comfortable seat looking out of the large windows.

There were many areas to enjoy a comfortable seat looking out of the large windows.
There were long chairs throughout the terminal.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

I particularly enjoyed trying the rocking chairs.

I particularly enjoyed trying the rocking chairs.
The departure hall was peppered with rocking chairs and wood logs to sit on.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

Bird song was playing in the bathroom

Bird song was playing in the bathroom
The bathroom has a sleek design.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

And taps outside of the bathroom gave hot and cold drinking water.

And taps outside of the bathroom gave hot and cold drinking water.
Had I known ahead of time, I would have brought tea bags.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

There was a Christmas cabin inside the airport.

There was a Christmas cabin inside the airport.
There was a santa cabin inside the airport.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

... fitted with a mock sauna. It wasn't functional, as far as I could tell.

... fitted with a mock sauna. It wasn
There was a mock sauna inside the cabin to set the theme.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

There was also a mobile library.

There was also a mobile library.
The little mobile library was filled with children's books.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

The airport had a few shops selling staple Finnish brands merch from iconic national cartoon the Moomins.

The airport had a few shops selling staple Finnish brands merch from iconic national cartoon the Moomins.
A colorful Moomin shop is in the terminal      Marianne Guenot/Insider

Continuing the Moomin theme was a cafe.

Continuing the Moomin theme was a cafe.
The cafe was decorated with pastel colors.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

It was designed to mimic a Moomin house.

It was designed to mimic a Moomin house.
This is me in the Moomin cafe      Marianne Guenot/Insider

The cafe was decorated with cheerful pastel colors.

The cafe was decorated with cheerful pastel colors.
This is what the cafe looked like.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

I enjoyed a coffee there while I waited.

I enjoyed a coffee there while I waited.
It came with nondescript foam art.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

I think the foam art was meant to be Moomin themed, but didn't quite work out.

There were a few areas I didn't visit.

The airport also has an exercise room and a pet relief area, but I didn't look for those. 

All in all, it was a nice experience.

All in all, it was a nice experience.
I enjoyed the nature theme.      Marianne Guenot/Insider

I found the airport met its brief: it was relaxing, much more so than many other airports I've been to before.

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