I was on a business trip in Harbin, China, at a decent hotel, the Songbei Shangri-La. It turned out that they had a VERY nice pool and sauna area.
Usually, it is difficult for me to find decent saunas outside Finland. There are some exceptions; in Austria and Switzerland they can be amazing. And I have not been to Russia, but I hear that they have a bit of the same sauna culture as in Finland. Harbin is a short drive away from Russia's Siberia. Perhaps the Russian culture influence has impacted the quality of saunas in Harbin as well?
In any case, a great sauna. Hot, 85 degrees, with a water bucket. Pool was quite good too, an infinity pool on the third floor of the hotel, overlooking nearby skyscrapers.
But otherwise the location of the Shangri-La left something to be desired; the only food source anywhere near was the hotel restaurant. I ate the whole week there. Good food, actually, but too much is too much :-)
Pool:
Sauna:
This article has also appeared at the Blogspot site. And of course, all sauna and swimming articles can be from saunablogger.cool and planetswimmer.net sites!
Photos (c) 2018 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. All pool and sauna photos have been taken with permission and when there were no others present or when the facility closed.
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