Instrumentarium

It's hard to find contact solution in Finland.  I brought a small supply with me that I hoped would last three months.  Unfortunately, it was my only toiletry item that didn't survive the plane ride across the Atlantic. 

After several failed attempts, I learned that you can't buy contact solution in the grocery stores.  Per the suggestion of a very handy friend, I checked a pharmacy.  But, this isn't a Walgreens-esque pharmacy where you can buy your milk, birthday cards, and mascara too.  The first pharmacy only sold one type of contact solution, with all-Finnish packaging.  I was very leery of buying it because I've had issues with unfamiliar brands of contact solution in the past.  Plus, I thought if I can find  Listerine, Visine, Colgate, Dove, and Venus razors in Finland, then I was determined to find a familiar brand of contact solution.  The second pharmacy crushed this hope.  Not only did this pharmacy just sell one type of contact solution (the Finnish kind), but it was only available in a tiny, airport-approved 3 ounces or less sized bottle. 

As the saying goes, three's a charm and it proved to be true in my quest to find contact solution.  After being directed to the Instrumentarium, I had low expectations.  Though I was immediately intrigued by the name of the shop, I had no idea what an Instrumentarium was -- only that you can also go there to find things for sore muscles or for people who need custom-fit shoes.  This didn't sound promising.  Yet, lo and behold, there it was -- an entire shelf of contact solution!  Multiple brands, too.  And, lots and lots of eyeglasses, which adds even more intrigue to the complex world of the Instrumentarium, where you can buy eyeglasses, special shoes, compression bandages, and contact solution.

Moral of the story: if you're looking for contact solution in Helsinki, visit the Instrumentarium at Stockmann on the 7th floor.