A mobile sauna will soon operate at one of Hobart’s most popular beaches after the city’s planning authority approved the proposal.
Hobart city councillors approved the development application for a temporary sauna at Long Beach in Sandy Bay on Wednesday.
The Hobart City Council had invited businesses to submit expressions of interest to operate a private sauna at the beach for a trial period.
The council said the initiative aimed to provide beachgoers with a “unique, low-impact health and wellbeing experience that complements the natural surroundings”.
Long Beach was identified as the only suitable location within the Hobart council area following a site review.
The timber and Colorbond-clad sauna will be mounted on a trailer and set up on the grassed area at 646A Sandy Bay Road.
It will seat up to eight people and include a change area and a small rear deck with showers.
The sauna will operate on a pre-booked session basis between April and October each year, when the beach sees less foot traffic.
A trained attendant will supervise each session, with seating, signage and minor amenities packed up at the end of each day.
The infrastructure will be removed entirely outside the operating season.
A local resident raised concerns about the proposal at the committee meeting, telling members her ground-floor apartment would be three metres from the sauna.
“It’s going to cause an impact, a lot of foot traffic,” she said.
Harnon Sauna director Colin Boucher apologised for not consulting residents before lodging the application.
“This is our first ever application to any sort of process such as this,” Boucher said.
He said foot traffic would be minimal, with eight people per 90-minute session.
“It’s a respectful wellness experience,” he said.
No opening date has been confirmed.
