The coolest bar in London?

There is a theory in corporate hospitality that the right setting can do more for a team than any agenda. Soon, you will be able to test it for yourself – in a room made entirely of ice, carved from the Torne River in northern Sweden, in the heart of central London. ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL is opening steps away from Leicester Square and Covent Garden, and everything inside – the walls, the art, the glass in your hand – comes straight from northern Sweden.

One material, one idea
The concept behind ICEBAR begins, as most strong ideas do, with a clear belief. “ICEBAR is an extension of the philosophy behind ICEHOTEL in northern Sweden,” says Marie Herrey, CEO. The theme shifts every year, shaped by experienced sculptors who have spent seasons working at ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi.

What that produces is not a themed bar in the conventional sense. “It isn’t a set design. It’s an art space made of natural ice, shaped by designers and artists each season, bringing a piece of northern Sweden’s environment and creativity to the middle of the city,” Marie says. This is not a constructed aesthetic – it is a place shaped by artists, a river, and the Swedish winter that gives the ice its character.

The Arctic in the heart of London
At –5°C, guests enter wrapped in capes and gloves, served cocktails and sparkling drinks in glasses made entirely of crystal-clear Torne River ice.

“Bringing ICEHOTEL to London is like sharing a small piece of our home – the ice, the art, and the stories behind it,” Marie explains. The provenance is real and traceable: every winter, ice is harvested from the Torne River and used to construct both ICEHOTEL and the ICEBARs.

Lighting, Marie says, is crucial to how the space feels. “Light moving through ice creates depth and texture.” Then there are the quieter sensory details – the acoustics of a frozen room, the cold weight of an ice glass, the Nordic flavours in the cocktails, crafted by Norrbottens Distillery in northern Sweden. Each element compounds the sense that you have, briefly, left London.

Where the room does the talking
London is not short of bars. What it is shorter on is spaces that genuinely shift the dynamic between people. “When people step into a space made entirely of ice, it immediately changes the dynamic of the room and conversations start naturally,” says Marie.

For companies, that translates into clear practical value. Whether it is a client dinner, a team night or a leadership kick-off, the environment does work that a conventional venue simply cannot. Guests leave with “a sense of creativity, curiosity, and connection” – and in organisations where those three qualities matter, that is worth something.

Future-proofing something that melts
Future-proofing is SCC UK’s theme for 2026 – and few places embody the question more literally than ICEBAR. Here is a venue designed to be extraordinary, built from a material that vanishes every year. An appealing paradox.

“The temporary nature of ice is actually part of the concept,” Marie explains. “At ICEHOTEL we rebuild the seasonal part of the hotel every winter, which keeps the design fresh and allows new artists to reinterpret the space each year.” Renewal is not a risk to be managed – it is the operating model.

Behind the artistry lies considered engineering. Ice is harvested in March, at its thickest and clearest. “The total volume of ice used for ICEHOTEL and all ICEBARs corresponds to roughly ten seconds of the Torne River’s natural flow, which shows how abundant the resource is.” It is then stored in Jukkasjärvi, kept cold by the northern Swedish climate and with the help of solar energy. Transport runs on a fuel containing 0% fossil oil, reducing emissions by at least 90% compared to traditional diesel.

“Ice is a natural, renewable material borrowed from the Torne River,” Marie says. “We borrow it for a season, transform it into art and experiences, and then return it to the cycle it came from.” For companies with serious ESG commitments, that is a documented process – not a marketing line.
What Nordic clarity teaches organisations

Perhaps the most transferable lesson from ICEBAR has nothing to do with ice. The guiding principle of ICEHOTEL’s founder, Yngve Bergqvist, is captured in a Swedish phrase: “Gräv där du står” – dig where you stand. Use what is around you. Build from there.

That discipline runs counter to how many organisations operate. Strategy documents multiply. Brand values accumulate. The original idea gets buried. ICEBAR offers a counterargument in built form: by “building an experience around a single element – and telling a clear story about where it comes from – you create something distinctive and memorable.”

For leaders thinking about organisational culture, the parallel is worth sitting with. The most resilient cultures, like the most resilient venues, are built around one idea – and the discipline to keep returning to it, season after season.