How does a city recreation experiment that ran from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2 end up needing a second sauna? Shady Oak Beach is about to answer that question. On Friday, Oct. 23, the City of Minnetonka opens this season of Sauna in the Parks, the first with two wood-fired saunas at Shady Oak Beach.
Many Minnetonka households think of Shady Oak Beach as a summer place, somewhere for swim lessons and July afternoons. The city now treats it as a place to use from October through April as well. The way the program has grown since 2023 shows how that happened.
A Holiday Week With One Sauna
In late November 2023, the city announced Sauna in the Parks as a new recreation program. It was a short pilot that ran over the holidays from Dec. 27 to Jan. 2, using a single Voyageur mobile sauna at Shady Oak Beach. Sessions cost $25 per person and lasted 90 minutes, with seven people per session. Guests had indoor changing space, an outdoor bonfire, and the option of plunging into the lake.
The city said why it was trying this. Minnetonka Recreation Services wanted to bring people into the parks during winter, and manager Jesse Izquierdo described the goal this way:
"Embrace the north and build community."
Those seven-person sessions over one holiday week were the whole program at the start. The schedule this fall is much larger.
From One Week to Six Months, Then Two Saunas
In September 2024, the city said Sauna in the Parks would come back for October through April, with sessions starting Oct. 4. It credited the change to positive feedback from people who took part in the pilot. So within a year, a one-week trial had become a season covering most of the cold months.
The city's Sept. 30, 2026 announcement adds the second sauna. Under the heading "Double the sauna," the city says the new unit brings "twice the offerings, twice the cold plunges and twice the heat." It also describes an upgraded changing facility with better heat and bathroom facilities.
| 2023 pilot | 2024 season | 2026–27 season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run | Dec. 27–Jan. 2 | October through April, opening Oct. 4 | Opens Oct. 23, runs October–April |
| Saunas | One Voyageur mobile sauna | Program returns at Shady Oak Beach | Two Voyageur saunas, Horizon and Vista |
| Session length | 90 minutes | 90 minutes | 1 hour, 25 minutes |
| Price | $25 per person | $25 per person | $28 per person |
| Group size | Seven per session | Seven to eight public, up to 10 private |
When the Star Tribune covered places to sauna and cold plunge around Minnesota in November 2024, it listed Minnetonka's sessions at $25 for 90 minutes. That means the price stayed the same for the program's first two seasons. This season, a session costs $3 more and runs five minutes shorter, and there are now two saunas on the beach.
The Session Grid Grows as the Weather Gets Colder
The best way to understand the expansion is to count the sessions on the city's program page. Its posted schedule has two parts, a fall grid and a winter grid that starts Nov. 18.
- Fall, Fridays through Sundays. Fridays have four public sessions, starting at 4:30 p.m. and ending with the 6:45 to 8:10 p.m. slot. Saturdays and Sundays each have seven public sessions, starting at 11:15 a.m. That adds up to 18 public sessions a week.
- Winter, Wednesdays through Sundays. Wednesdays and Thursdays each get four public evening sessions. Fridays go up to seven, starting at 3 p.m. Saturdays have 10, running from 9:45 a.m. to the 7:30 to 8:55 p.m. slot. Sundays stay at seven. That adds up to 32 public sessions a week.
So the schedule gets bigger once the weather turns colder. By the city's own grid, the winter schedule offers close to twice as many public sessions per week as the fall one. The city also lists extra holiday hours on Dec. 23, 28, 29, 30 and 31, plus Jan. 1. Most of those dates fall inside the Dec. 27 to Jan. 2 window the 2023 pilot covered.
The grid also shows how the two saunas split their work. On weekends, Vista runs only public sessions. Horizon alternates, so its 1:30, 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m. weekend slots are set aside for private groups. If you're hoping for a weekend afternoon spot as an individual, look at Vista's times first. Private groups are $280 for up to 10 people and are available only on certain Saturday and Sunday hours.
The published dates don't fully agree, so check the booking calendar before planning around a specific weekend. The city's Sept. 30 announcement and the Sun Sailor's Sept. 28 coverage both describe fall sessions as running Oct. 23 through Dec. 6, with more weekday availability starting Nov. 18. The program page labels its fall table "through Nov. 15" and starts the winter table Nov. 18. Every source agrees on two dates: the season opens Oct. 23, and weekday sessions start Nov. 18.
What a Session at 5200 Shady Oak Road Looks Like
Shady Oak Beach is at 5200 Shady Oak Road. The city asks sauna guests to park in the main lot. The saunas are set up just inside the beach gate. Plan to arrive about five minutes early and check in with the sauna host.
Both saunas have an IKI wood-fire stove. A host tends the fire and helps guide the session. The city keeps the saunas between 180 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It describes a round as 10 to 20 minutes inside, then time cooling down outdoors, and says a typical session has three to four rounds. Between rounds, you can sit by the outdoor bonfire, or you can go into the lake. Only registered sauna guests may use the lake plunge, and it's optional.
The city's packing list is worth following closely, especially the towels:
- A bathing suit or athletic clothes that can get sweaty and wet
- A water bottle
- Two full-size towels, because a towel is required to sit on the sauna bench and you'll want a dry one afterward
- Flip-flops or similar sandals
- A robe, sweatshirt or blanket for the time outdoors between rounds
- A change of clothes
- Proof of purchase, either a printed receipt or a screenshot
- A completed waiver, which is also available on site
Leave alcohol, portable speakers and strong fragrances at home, including perfumes and essential oils.
The city describes the changing area two different ways. The Sept. 30 announcement says the changing facility was upgraded with improved heat and bathroom facilities. The sauna code on the program page still says the indoor changing and storage space is partially heated with no running water. Either way, dressing in warm layers for the walk back to your car is a sensible plan.
The Rules That Shape a Booking
Participants must be 18 or older, and preregistration is required. To get a refund, you have to cancel at least one week before your reservation. The city says space "fills fast." It hasn't published attendance totals or booking figures, so the clearest sign of demand is that the city added a second sauna.
Weather can also cancel a session. The city closes the saunas if the sustained wind chill is forecast below minus 20, or the sustained air temperature below minus 5, for most of the day. The program manager can also cancel for other weather events. Registered guests get an email when a session is canceled.
Winter plunges depend on open water, and the city's current guidance doesn't describe how it handles ice. In 2024, the Star Tribune reported that a bubbler at Shady Oak Lake kept plunges possible through the winter. That report dates from 2024, so ask the sauna host about this winter's conditions when you check in.
If a Friday evening in late October works for you, the Horizon and Vista sessions on opening weekend start at 4:30 p.m.
Shady Oak Beach in January is part of what makes life in Minnetonka feel like home to me, and I always enjoy hearing how neighbors spend the colder months. If a Sauna in the Parks session has you thinking about which parts of the metro fit your year-round routines, I'd be glad to talk it over with you. Jen Azure is here when you're ready. Let's Connect.
