A Vancouver company is putting a pay sauna in Esquimalt Gorge Park

A 10-person mobile sauna is coming to Esquimalt Gorge Park this October, run by Vancouver company Gatherwell near the Gorge Waterway Nature House.

Council approved the one-year trial unanimously, with drop-in sessions priced at $29 for 75 minutes. Gatherwell covers the install and operating costs, and hands the township 15 per cent of gross revenue. Staff figure that nets Esquimalt around $40,000 over the year.

Founder Jonathan Chawla says he turned to municipal parks after Vancouver's bylaws stalled his plan for an outdoor sauna and cold plunge. There were no permits for the new industry, so even small cold-plunge baths got treated like public pools. He took the Scandinavian route instead, pairing saunas with existing bodies of water and dropping the plunge pool entirely.

The committee that reviewed the proposal wasn't unanimously sold. Members flagged the $29 fee and asked how much commercial activity belongs in a public park. Council has directed staff to work with Gatherwell on subsidies for low-income residents, possibly through the township's existing LIFE program.