In late 2023, the City of Minnetonka tried a new idea at Shady Oak Beach. For one week, Dec. 27 through Jan. 2, it ran a single Voyageur Mobile Sauna. Sessions lasted an hour and a half, held up to seven people and cost $25 a person. The city's launch notice presented it as a new recreation program for the holidays.
Three seasons later, the program runs October through April with two wood-fired saunas. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, the schedule moves from weekends only to five days a week. Sauna in the Parks began as a holiday treat. This winter, you can fit it into an ordinary Wednesday after work.
How a Holiday Week Became a Season
The program grew one step at a time.
- 2023–24: One sauna and one holiday week. Sessions held seven people and cost $25.
- The next fall: A Sun Sailor registration notice listed 1.5-hour sessions on Fridays through Sundays beginning Oct. 4. By November 2024, the Star Tribune's guide to Minnesota saunas listed Minnetonka at $25 for 90 minutes.
- June 8, 2026: The city council amended its Capital Improvement Program to shift $55,000 in existing funding to a second sauna at Shady Oak Beach. According to the council meeting summary, the goal was to meet growing demand without increasing the overall project budget.
- Fall 2026: The two saunas, named Horizon and Vista, opened Friday, Oct. 23. The changing facility was also upgraded with better heat and bathrooms.
The second sauna changed the schedule more than any other step. The city's Sept. 30 announcement promised "twice the offerings, twice the cold plunges and twice the heat," with extended weekday sessions starting Nov. 18. The two saunas run on staggered start times. Horizon starts on the hour and half hour, and Vista starts at the quarter hours in between. That puts a new session on the calendar about every 45 minutes during open hours.
What Changes on Nov. 18
From Oct. 23 through Nov. 15, public sessions run only Friday evening and on weekend days. The winter schedule starts Nov. 18 and adds Wednesday and Thursday evenings. It also adds Friday afternoon sessions and early and late Saturday sessions.
These are the public session counts from the city's posted schedule:
| Day | Fall, through Nov. 15 | Winter, from Nov. 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | None | 4, from 4:30 to 8:10 p.m. |
| Thursday | None | 4, from 4:30 to 8:10 p.m. |
| Friday | 4, from 4:30 to 8:10 p.m. | 7, from 3 to 8:55 p.m. |
| Saturday | 7 | 10, from 9:45 a.m. to 8:55 p.m. |
| Sunday | 7 | 7 |
| Weekly total | 18 | 32 |
Weekly public sessions go from 18 to 32, and almost half the new ones fall on weeknights. On Wednesday and Thursday, Horizon sessions start at 4:30 and 6 p.m. and Vista sessions start at 5:15 and 6:45 p.m. The last one ends at 8:10 p.m. Friday starts earlier, with a Horizon session at 3 p.m. and a Vista session at 3:45 p.m.
Private groups keep their weekend slots. Horizon is reserved for private bookings at 1:30, 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in both fall and winter.
What a Session Costs and How It Runs
The details have changed a little since the first season.
- Length: 1 hour, 25 minutes, five minutes shorter than the original 90.
- Price: $28 per person, up from $25.
- Group size: Seven to eight people in a public session. Private groups can have up to 10.
- Private bookings: $280 for up to 10 people, available at select weekend hours.
- Age: 18 and older.
- Registration: Required in advance. The city says spots fill fast.
- Cancellations: At least one week before your reservation to get a refund.
The one-week cancellation window matters more now that weekday sessions are available. If you book a Wednesday evening, plan your week around it.
On site, park in the main Shady Oak Beach lot. The saunas are just inside the beach gate. Plan to arrive about five minutes early and check in with the sauna host. A host stays with each session to tend the IKI wood-fire stove. The sauna runs between 180 and 200 degrees, and there is an outdoor bonfire for the time between rounds. The city says the lake is open to registered guests for an optional cold plunge.
According to the program page, you should bring:
- Two full-size towels. One is required to sit on inside the sauna.
- A swimsuit or athletic clothes that can get sweaty and wet
- Flip-flops or sandals
- A robe, sweatshirt or blanket for between rounds
- A water bottle and a change of clothes
- Your receipt, printed or as a screenshot, plus the waiver, which is also available on site
Alcohol, portable speakers and strong fragrances or essential oils are not allowed. The changing area is partially heated and has no running water, so shower at home.
The city can set up the sauna for guests with disabilities or mobility needs, but it needs notice ahead of time. Accessibility requests go to the program at 952-939-8351.
The Weather Rule Weeknight Regulars Should Know
With more sessions on the calendar, the weather rule will affect more bookings. The city closes the sauna for the day if it expects a sustained wind chill below -20 or a sustained air temperature below -5 for most of the day. The program manager can also cancel for other weather. Registered guests are notified by email.
Because the rule depends on the forecast for most of the day, a cold Wednesday morning does not settle whether that evening's session will run. Check your email before you leave work.
The Holiday Week, Back Where It Started
The winter schedule also adds holiday hours on Dec. 23, Dec. 28, 29, 30 and 31, and Jan. 1. The last stretch of those dates covers almost the same week as the December 2023 trial, which ran Dec. 27 through Jan. 2. This time there are two saunas, plus the regular weekend schedule around them.
Earlier in December, Minnetonka has another city event on a Saturday. The Winter Market runs Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd. It features locally made food, gifts, soaps and crafts. If you book a morning sauna that day, Vista starts at 9:45 a.m. and Horizon at 10:30 a.m.
After the Sauna, on Hopkins Mainstreet
Shady Oak Beach is on the Minnetonka–Hopkins border, and Hopkins Mainstreet has several places to eat afterward.
- Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar, 701 Mainstreet, opened in September 2025, according to the Star Tribune's 2025 restaurant openings roundup. The bakery's Hopkins page says it took over the former Amy's Cupcake Shoppe space and serves donuts, soft pretzels, cookies, cakes, macarons and a full coffee bar.
- Hendrix & Siena, 1601 Mainstreet, is a family-owned Italian American restaurant that opened Jan. 9, 2025, under the name Bar Siena, as the Star Tribune reported. It serves fresh pasta, pizza and plates to share.
- Pub 819, 819 Mainstreet, came back with 30 beers on tap, nearly 100 whiskeys and smoked cocktails, according to the Sun Sailor's preview of its July 9 reopening. The same Star Tribune roundup counts it among the 2025 reopenings.
- Munkabeans Coffeehouse, 1206 Mainstreet, and Hoagie's Family Restaurant, 824 Mainstreet, are listed in the city of Hopkins breakfast directory. Munkabeans serves coffee, all-day breakfast and sandwiches. Hoagie's is a diner for breakfast and lunch.
- Bear Cave Brewing, 1201 Mainstreet, serves craft beer and Neapolitan pizza across four floors with a rooftop deck, according to the Hopkins business directory.
The new 4:30 p.m. weekday session ends at 5:55 p.m., which leaves time for dinner on Mainstreet.
For a larger sauna event across the metro, The Great Northern's Sauna Village returns to Nicollet Island Pavilion in Minneapolis Jan. 29–31, 2027, with single sessions at $35. Shady Oak's $28 sessions now run five days a week through the winter, close to home.
If a weeknight sauna at Shady Oak Beach has you thinking about your own corner of Minnetonka, and you've wondered how a home near Minnetonka's parks and lakes would be valued today, Renée Wilson would be glad to prepare a personal home valuation or sit down for a consultation.
