Canberra locals and visitors will have another reason to enjoy Lake Burley Griffin this winter.
A company which operates a floating sauna on Lake Derby in Tasmania has signed a three-year licence with the National Capital Authority.
The proposal still needs to go through a works approval process.
The details
Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin will be located at Yarralumla Beach.
It will be a floating platoon accessible via a gangway, or a floating walkway.
It is expected to open late July from 8am to 9pm, owner Nigel Reeves said.
A one-hour sauna with an optional cold plunge will cost $45 per person.
"This is a really simple experience. It's a sauna and cold plunge, a chance to be detached from your phone for an hour. There's no other distraction," Mr Reeves said.
There will be two separate sauna rooms which can take up to six people each.
People can also book a sauna to themselves or for a group.
"We expect the sunset sessions to be particularly popular with people. [The] sunset on Lake Burley Griffin looks absolutely stunning," Mr Reeves said.
Algae
Lake Burley Griffin contains blue green algae.
Over-exposure can cause health concerns such as skin/mucosa irritation, flu-like symptoms, and gastrointestinal illness.
The sauna will be closed if levels of algae are too high, Mr Neeves said.
"The [National Capital Authority] and the ACT government collect data on the water quality in real-time and we've got checks and balances in place," he said.
"[We would] certainly close the sauna down if there was an algae bloom."
While the lake can get "a bad rap", it is safe to swim in more often than not, Mr Reeves said.
"Most of the time the lake is absolutely beautiful but Canberrans don't really understand that. It's actually an amazingly beautiful and biodiverse waterway. It's got a bad rap," he said.
"It's mother nature, and we're going to accept mother nature as it is."
Creating a sauna culture
Mountain biking around Tasmania with his teenage sons inspired Mr Reeve to create the Lake Derby saunas.
He said it was Australia's first floating wood piled sauna, and has been operating for three years.
"I thought my clientele was only going to be mountain bikers, but it's bushwalkers, honeymoon couples, families, friends travelling together," Mr Reeves said.
"Work colleagues, doctors, nurses and police after a shift [come to] a sauna to debrief. It's older grey nomads as well as younger people."
Saunas are common in some colder climate cultures, such as Finland, Norway and Sweden.
"Sauna culture in Australia is quite young. In Europe it's absolutely not unusual to be sitting in your underpants next to your grandparents," Mr Reeves said.
Winter tourism
The National Capital Authority hopes the sauna will help attract tourism around the lake in colder months.
"One of their primary advantages is the stunning scenery they provide, offering picturesque views of natural landscapes, waterways, and skylines," the authority said.
"Popular around the world, floating saunas offer a memorable and versatile leisure and wellness option for both spa enthusiasts and adventurists."
Mr Reeves believes the saunas will help attract more people to the lake during cooler months.
People will be able to book online.
