Saunaravintola Äkäs

Sauna is under construction

The Kolari municipal council has approved a zoning plan amendment, according to which four to five saunas and two restaurants are to be built in Äkäslompolo on the bank of the Äkäsjoki river; the project has been in preparation since 2022, and the construction site is located in a flood risk area, which is why the ground will need to be raised, i.e. embanked. In December 2025, the council returned the matter for further preparation due to flood concerns, but a later official investigation estimated that the effect of the embankment on the flood risk of neighboring properties would remain only a few millimeters. The decision to approve the zoning plan amendment was appealed to the Administrative Court of Northern Finland in 2026. A joint appeal was filed by a local campsite company and three private individuals. Behind the project are top chef Sirly Ylläsjärvi as well as Jari Jalonen, Timo Savolainen, Jukka-Pekka Joensuu, and investor Mikko Silventola.