Wildwood Saunas given one last weekend on Esquimalt Lagoon

A mobile sauna operator will have one last weekend to set up at the Esquimalt Lagoon after Colwood council granted a small extension to its temporary use permit.

Wildwood Saunas has been operating their trailer-mounted mobile sauna at the Colwood waterfront since January on a temporary use permit issued to help the city evaluate whether such a business should be allowed in the area. On March 13, council placed an expiry date on the permit of March 31 after staff asked for direction as no end date had been put on the permit when it was initially issued.

At that meeting, council debated whether it was appropriate for a business like that to be set up in the area popular with visitors and locals alike, and which is a designated migratory bird sanctuary. Ultimately, the view on council was the business was a good idea, but the lagoon was simply not the place for it and the end date was set.

But at the March 27 council meeting, Mayor Doug Kobayashi said Wildwood Saunas owner Josh Dupuis had asked the city to push that end date to April 2 in order for him to have one last weekend at the lagoon, which council unanimously approved without substantial debate.

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“Thank you to Colwood council for giving us the extra two days, it really helps us out,” Dupuis told the Goldstream Gazette on Thursday (March 30).

At the March 13 meeting, council repeatedly floated Royal Beach as a possible new location for the sauna which would be better suited while still allowing it to be set up near the water.

“We are actively working with Royal Beach to set something up,” confirmed Dupuis, though he did not elaborate on any potential timelines or guarantees of the move.

In a news release published on March 22, the city said it intends to encourage a gradual shift of events and activities to Royal Beach, with the lagoon remaining a natural feature.

“As Royal Beach develops it will be the place people want to go for waterfront dining, events and activities, and council is setting the stage for that shift by not expanding upon activity currently supported at the lagoon,” said Kobayashi in the release. “Our goal is to allow the lagoon area to continue to be the natural jewel while providing an incredible experience for visitors passing through on a multi-use pathway along the waterfront to Royal Beach.”

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