We visited the Finnair Business Lounge in the non-Schengen area of Helsinki Airport in October 2025 before a late-evening departure, as part of our return journey back to Singapore.

Location and access

The lounge is located near Gate 52 in the non-Schengen area, which means it sits past passport control, and right after customs and the tax refund counter.

There are two sections in the lounge:

• the Finnair Business Lounge, and
• the Platinum Wing

The Business Lounge is open to oneworld Business Class passengers, as well as travellers with oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status. The Platinum Wing is a step up and requires oneworld Emerald, or Finnair Platinum and Platinum Lumo status.

Layout

The reception makes a good first impression, especially with the light sculpture ceiling installation. The lighting feels deliberate without being overdone. Just around the corner is a small display dedicated to Tove Jansson and the Moomins. It’s charming and sets the tone for the Finnish design choices throughout the lounge.

Before entering the main area, there’s a gantry where you are supposed to scan your boarding pass before the gate opens up. It didn’t work for us, despite flying directly with Finnair Business Class and having oneworld Sapphire status, so we were redirected to the counter for a manual check. It was a minor hiccup, but worth noting.

Once inside, the lounge opens up into a large space. It’s worth noting that, as I’d read beforehand, the lounge has no natural lighting at all. It’s a fully enclosed space with no windows. Surprisingly, it works well. The lighting is warm, balanced and consistent throughout, so the space never feels dim or claustrophobic.

The layout mixes different seating types: spacepod-style chairs, high-top tables, restaurant-style tables, and rows of armchairs. There are also semi-private productivity pods scattered around. Everything feels very Finnish for sure! Lots of creamy whites, light wood tones and soft lines. It pairs nicely with the iconic Finnair blue that appears around the lounge.

You could even find a Moomin lamp somewhere in between the seating areas! We almost missed it since it wasn’t in our line of sight when entering the lounge. Quite cute for sure though, definitely added a bit of personality to the space.

Past the seating area is the main dining area, with more tables and different layouts depending on whether you want to work or have a proper meal.

Beyond that is the bar, which is centrally located within this second, larger area of the lounge, directly opposite the buffet area.

Surrounding the bar are even more quieter zones with semi-private seating areas.

The space is well thought out, and during our visit it never felt crowded. That’s probably helped by the fact that there were only two non-Schengen oneworld flights departing at the time, to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Given that Finnair still avoids Russian airspace, there just aren’t as many long-haul flights as before. Still, judging from the size of the lounge, it feels like it could handle far more passengers without much trouble.

Food and drinks

The food spread was impressive, especially considering the dinner timing with just two non-Schengen flights out. Nothing ran out during our stay, so we didn’t feel like we were shortchanged with a watered-down version of the lounge experience.

The hot dishes included herb-crusted crispy chicken, vegetable protein balls, and flavoured rice. The salad bar contained the usual salad options, including reindeer and turkey ham. There were also soups, a small dessert section and fruits.

There was also a non-alcoholic drinks area with self-serve Finnair blueberry juice in a jug, which was absolutely delicious. Apparently, you could get them at certain Finnish supermarkets, but we didn’t manage to find one.

Self-serve wine are available off to the side, and the bar handles the rest. I suppose it’s better to check out the bar since the bar offers an even wider selection of drinks.

The bar is one of the highlights of the lounge. It’s well designed, and the bartenders are very professional. They were also serving Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royal Brut champagne.

We tried the canned Northern Blush cocktail, which they poured out and presented nicely, as well as the Fin Mai (a Finnish take on a Mai Tai) and the Summer Splash. All were very good.

Amenities

Showers are available, and you can request access from the staff along the corridor, who are happy to help. Each shower room is controlled by a small meeting room-style tablet outside the door and is first-come, first-served.

During my visit, there was no wait. There are five shower suites in total, though I can imagine it getting busy during peak periods.

The shower rooms themselves are spacious and come with an attached toilet. Toiletries are provided by SEES, and everything felt clean and well maintained.

Concluding thoughts

I left the Finnair Business Lounge genuinely impressed. Even though it’s a fully enclosed space with no natural lighting, the design carries it well. The lighting is soft and intentional, and the overall aesthetic makes the lounge feel calm instead of boxed in. It’s a very Finnish kind of comfort.

The seating variety is strong, the layout is easy to navigate and nothing felt crowded or neglected, even during a quieter evening. The food held up nicely, and the bar was a real standout. The bartenders made very good cocktails, and the champagne selection felt premium enough.

The showers were another highlight. It was very clean, spacious and stocked with SEES toiletries, which made freshening up before a long overnight flight a real bonus.

This is an excellent lounge and one of the better oneworld business lounges in Europe. If you’re departing from the non-Schengen side of Helsinki, this is absolutely the lounge you want. It made the pre-flight time feel unhurried, comfortable and genuinely enjoyable.