Shady Oak Beach Got a Second Sauna. The Public Schedule Catches Up on Nov. 18
Minnetonka's Sauna in the Parks opens Friday, Oct. 23, with two wood-fired saunas at Shady Oak Beach, one of them new this fall. For the first three and a half weeks, though, most weekend afternoon time on one of the two saunas goes to private groups. The big increase in public sessions starts with the winter schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 18. If you're hoping to grab a $28 session on a Wednesday after work, that's the date you've been waiting for.
In June the city council paid for the expansion without adding new money. At its June 8, 2026 meeting, the council amended the Capital Improvement Program to move $55,000 of existing funding to the purchase of a second sauna at Shady Oak Beach, saying the goal was to meet growing demand.
The program grew fast to get there. Minnetonka ran a pilot in 2023, and in September 2024 the city said the sauna was returning for a full October-through-April season after good reviews from pilot participants. Sessions that year started Oct. 4. Two years later the city is running two saunas side by side.
The two units are Voyageur saunas named Horizon and Vista. Each has an IKI wood-fire stove, and the setup includes an outdoor bonfire. Registered guests can also take an optional cold plunge in the lake. The city's Sept. 30 announcement describes the addition as "twice the offerings, twice the cold plunges and twice the heat." It also mentions an upgraded changing facility with better heat and bathrooms.
On the published schedule, the two saunas run staggered sessions about 45 minutes apart. On weekends, Horizon mostly takes private bookings. Through Nov. 15, Horizon's Saturday and Sunday slots at 1:30, 3, 4:30 and 6 p.m. are all private. Its only public weekend session is at noon. Vista takes every other public weekend slot.
Counting the slots on the city's two tables shows the change:
| Fall schedule, Oct. 23–Nov. 15 | Winter schedule, from Nov. 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Days with public sessions | Fri, Sat, Sun | Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun |
| Public sessions per week | 18 | 32 |
| Private sessions per week | 8 | 8 |
| Earliest public start | 11:15 a.m. Sat/Sun | 9:45 a.m. Sat |
| Latest public start | 6:45 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. Fri/Sat |
Private capacity stays at eight sessions a week all season. Every session the winter schedule adds is public. Starting Nov. 18, Wednesdays and Thursdays each get four evening sessions from 4:30 to 6:45 p.m. Fridays grow from four sessions to seven, starting at 3 p.m. and ending with a 7:30 p.m. start. Saturdays add a 9:45 a.m. and a 10:30 a.m. session plus a 7:30 p.m. session. The city has also posted extra holiday hours for Dec. 23, Dec. 28 through 31, and Jan. 1.
The city's news post describes fall registration as covering sessions from Oct. 23 to Dec. 6, which spans both tables, with the extended weekday hours starting Nov. 18. The program page calls the second table "Winter 2026-27," and the season runs through April. Registration opens in blocks, so check the city's booking system for which dates are open right now.
The private-group price is easy to figure. A private session costs $280 for up to 10 people. A public seat costs $28. A full group of 10 pays exactly the public rate per person, so the only extra cost of booking privately is any empty spot. A group of five pays $56 each.
The private option also fits more people. Public sessions cap at seven or eight people, and private sessions allow 10. A big group of friends or coworkers fits in one private booking when it might not get into a single public session together. Private slots are only offered at select Saturday and Sunday hours. Through Nov. 15, those are the same afternoon hours where public seats are scarcest.
Some rules apply to everyone. Participants must be 18 or older, and you have to preregister. To get a refund, you have to cancel at least a week before your reservation. Each session lasts 1 hour and 25 minutes. The city says spots fill fast.
Shady Oak Beach is at 5200 Shady Oak Road. Park in the main lot. The sauna area is just inside the beach gate. Plan to arrive about five minutes before your start time and check in with the sauna host. There are indoor changing rooms and space to store your things. The city also asks guests to give the group finishing before them some space.
The packing list is longer than most first-timers expect:
The outdoor layer matters most on the 6:45 p.m. sessions, when it's dark by late November and you're walking between the sauna, the bonfire and the lake.
The fall schedule only offers public sessions Friday through Sunday, so the first few weekends of the season share the calendar with other city events. A few line up well.
Saturday, Oct. 24, the season's first Saturday. The Marshland Market at The Marsh, 15000 Minnetonka Blvd., is holding an anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city's October Minnetonka Memo lists locally sourced small bites and drinks, live painting with Harvest by Jane, a $35 candle-top workshop with 108 Candles, new on-site creators and surprise discounts. The market is a boutique of goods from independent makers and local artists. The city's 2024 announcement named Helen Wang, Gretchen Hahn and Helga Lange as its organizers. The market's website now lists Friday and Saturday hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. That leaves plenty of time to shop and still make a 2:15 or 3:45 p.m. public session at Shady Oak. If you're planning a regular weekday visit, check the hours before you go. The market's website and the city's 2024 notice list different schedules.
The new trail along Minnetonka Boulevard won't help you get there yet. In its Oct. 1 update, the city said grading and asphalt patching had started on the segment from Tonkawood Road to The Marsh while utility relocation continued. That segment is still an active construction zone.
Friday, Oct. 30. The free Burwell Spooktacular runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at 13209 E. McGinty Road. Free parking is available at St. David's Center. The city's event listing includes games and crafts, live performers, a fire department inflatable slide, food vendors and tours of the Burwell House. It runs at the same time as the Friday evening sauna sessions, so households with kids and adults who want a sauna can split the evening between the two.
Any day after a session. Ichigo Cafe opened Oct. 1 at 10988 Cedar Lake Road S., according to the Star Tribune's Oct. 5 restaurant roll call. It serves Tokyo-style crepes and Japanese sweets. After 85 minutes of heat and cold plunges, a crepe is a pretty easy sell.
Before the season opens, the Minnetonka Community Center hosts Jigsaw Jamboree on Saturday, Oct. 17. Teams race to finish a 500-piece puzzle in one of two sessions, 9 to 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration is required.
Most weekly public sauna time arrives once the winter schedule starts and runs through April. On the fall schedule, public sessions run only Friday through Sunday, and much of Horizon's weekend afternoon time goes to private groups. Starting Nov. 18, the schedule has 32 public sessions a week, adds Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and offers holiday-week hours. Private group time stays the same. For anyone who can't make a weekend afternoon, the Wednesday and Thursday evening sessions are the new option.
If a winter routine like this is part of how you picture your next home, Nicole Stone Real Estate would love to help you find a place within easy reach of Shady Oak Beach and the rest of Minnetonka's cold-weather calendar. Schedule a free consultation and tell us which session time you'd want to protect.
We pride ourselves in providing personalized solutions that bring our clients closer to their dream properties and enhance their long-term wealth. Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance to you!