Shady Oak Beach Sauna in Minnetonka: Fall vs. Winter Sessions

Sauna in the Parks opens at Shady Oak Beach on Friday, Oct. 23. This year there are two saunas, the Horizon and the Vista, where earlier seasons had one. The city's schedule shows something else, too. The most open part of the season comes after the first cold snaps. Once the winter schedule starts on Nov. 18, the beach offers close to twice as many public sessions each week as it does during the fall opening weeks.

So the fall run, about three and a half weeks of weekend-heavy sessions, is the hard booking. Winter is the easy one.

Counting the sessions

The city publishes two schedule tables for the 2026–27 season. One covers fall sessions through Nov. 15. The other covers winter sessions starting Nov. 18. The city's Sept. 30 announcement describes the same thing another way: fall registration covers Oct. 23 through Dec. 6, and extended weekday sessions begin Nov. 18. Here is what each table adds up to across a full week:

Each public session holds seven or eight people. That works out to roughly 126 to 144 public spots a week in fall and roughly 224 to 256 a week in winter. Private group capacity stays the same in both tables.

Most of the gap comes from weekdays. In fall, the only non-weekend sessions are four on Friday evening, between 4:30 and 8:10 p.m. In winter, Wednesday and Thursday each get those same four evening sessions. Friday grows to seven, starting at 3 p.m. and ending at 8:55 p.m. Saturday adds three more sessions: a 9:45 a.m. Vista, a 10:30 a.m. Horizon and a 7:30 p.m. Horizon. The city also lists extra holiday hours on Dec. 23, Dec. 28, 29, 30 and 31, and Jan. 1.

If you want a sauna session before Thanksgiving, aim for the four fall weekends. If a Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. in January works for you, you'll have far more openings to choose from.

Two saunas, 45 minutes apart

On both schedules, the Horizon and Vista start times are staggered by 45 minutes. A new session begins about every three-quarters of an hour, alternating between the two saunas, so one group is usually arriving while another is still mid-session. The city asks guests to arrive about five minutes early, check in with the sauna host, and be respectful of groups finishing their sessions. Everyone parks in the main lot, and the saunas sit just inside the Shady Oak Beach gate.

The staggered schedule also explains how private bookings work. On Saturdays and Sundays, four Horizon sessions are set aside for private groups: 1:30, 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m. The Vista stays public all day. A private reservation costs $280 for up to 10 people and is only offered in those weekend slots. At 10 people, that comes to $28 a person, the same as a public ticket. You pay the same price per person and get the room to yourselves, so long as your group fills it.

With two saunas, the city can give private groups a block of weekend afternoons while still running public sessions in the Vista. In its October Memo, the city described the new sauna as providing "twice the offerings, twice the cold plunges and twice the heat."

How a one-week pilot became a seven-month season

The program started small. In November 2023, the city announced Sauna in the Parks as a new pilot at Shady Oak Beach. It ran Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 with one Voyageur mobile sauna, seven people per session, 1.5-hour sessions and a $25 fee. Five of this winter's six extra holiday dates, Dec. 28 through Jan. 1, fall within that same stretch.

In September 2024, the city said the program was coming back for an October-through-April season after positive reviews of the pilot. Sessions ran Friday through Sunday starting Oct. 4, with private group bookings available. That November, the Star Tribune included Sauna in the Parks at 5200 Shady Oak Road in its roundup of Minnesota sauna and cold-plunge spots. The paper listed the price as $25 for 90 minutes and noted that lake aeration allowed winter cold plunges.

For 2026–27, the terms are a little different: $28 per person for a 1-hour, 25-minute session, open only to guests 18 and older. That's $3 more and five minutes shorter than the 2024 listing. In exchange, there's a second sauna, sessions on five days a week once winter starts, and what the city calls an upgraded changing facility with improved heat and bathroom facilities.

The lake is the cold plunge

Shady Oak doesn't use plunge tubs. The city's program page says the lake is open to registered guests for an optional cold plunge. In winter, an aerator keeps the water open in and around the floating dock. The City of Hopkins facility page warns visitors to use caution because of that open water.

According to the city's sauna code, the saunas are kept between 180 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. A round is 10 to 20 minutes inside followed by a cool-down outside, and a typical session is three to four rounds. The city suggests plunging for two to five minutes if you choose to plunge at all. A host keeps the wood fire going in each sauna's IKI stove and guides the session. Outside, there's a bonfire.

Because you'll be going between the heat and the outdoors several times, the city's packing list is mostly about staying warm in between:

• A bathing suit or athletic clothes that can get wet
• Two full-size towels, one to sit on inside, which is required, and one for after
• Flip-flops or similar sandals
• A robe, sweatshirt or blanket to wear outside between rounds
• A water bottle and a change of clothes
• Proof of purchase and a completed waiver; waivers are also available onsite

The city prohibits alcohol, portable speakers and strong fragrances, perfumes or essential oils. The program page describes the indoor changing space as partially heated with no running water. Bring your own water even with the facility upgrades.

The rules for booking and weather

Every session requires preregistration through the city. To get a refund, you have to cancel at least one week before your reservation. That week matters most during the fall run, when a cancellation on a Saturday afternoon may be the only way someone else gets a spot.

The city closes the saunas for the day if the forecast calls for a sustained wind chill below -20, or a sustained air temperature below -5, for most of the day. The program manager can cancel for other weather too, and registered guests are notified by email. Because the city sets the rule in advance, you can check the forecast against those numbers and know whether a January booking is likely to go ahead.

The saunas sit close to the lake and have limited interior space. The city can reconfigure one on request for guests with disabilities or mobility needs, and it asks for advance notice. Requests go to Jesse Izquierdo at 952-939-8351 or [email protected]. Planning ahead helps here too, since accommodations need lead time.

The fall weeks are the busiest stretch around town

The sauna's short fall run lands during a busy month at Minnetonka's city venues. The October Memo lists Goat Yoga at The Marsh on Saturday, Oct. 10, with registration required. The Marshland Market's third-anniversary event is Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the day after the saunas open. It includes live painting with Harvest by Jane and a $35 candle-top workshop with 108 candles. Opening-weekend Saturday sauna sessions begin at 11:15 a.m. If you book one of the afternoon slots, you can go to the market and the sauna on the same day.

The following Friday, Oct. 30, Burwell Spooktacular runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 13209 E. McGinty Road. It's free, with free parking at St. David's Center. That overlaps with the Friday sauna block, which runs 4:30 to 8:10 p.m. during the fall schedule. If you're planning to do both that night, choose your sauna session first.

After Nov. 15 there's a short gap, and the winter schedule begins on Wednesday, Nov. 18, with 32 public sessions a week. Full schedules and registration are on the city's Sauna in the Parks page.

At Michelle & Patrick Homes, we keep track of the west-metro calendar, from the opening weekend at Shady Oak to the holiday sessions around New Year's. If you live near the beach and want to know how winter in Minnetonka shows up in what buyers ask about your home, request your home valuation and we'll go through it with you.