A “BRILLIANT” new community sauna that is said to be a “transformative addition” to a Cardiff neighbourhood has been given the green light.
Cardiff Council has approved plans for a community sauna facility with saunas, changing rooms, external shows and plunge pools at Pontcanna Caravan Park.
The plans were met with overwhelming support from the community.
City councillors Caro Wild, Leonora Thomson and Kanaya Singh wrote to support the application.
Their statement reads: “We believe it will be a positive addition to the local community, and we are particularly pleased about the organisation aiming for affordability and accessibility.”
It continues: “Overall the scheme has sustainability at its heart and is the kind of thing we should be supporting.”
A letter of support from the community reads: “A new community sauna in Pontcanna would be a transformative addition to the local landscape, offering a dedicated space for both physical recovery and social connection, promoting and enhancing wellness and reducing stress.“
It continues: “Beyond the health benefits, this facility would serve as a vital third space for Cardiff residents, fostering a sense of belonging and quiet reflection away from the bustle of urban life.”
Other comments echo the same sentiment.
Another reads: “Brilliant proposal. Fully support anything that helps well-being.”
The application, lodged by Cardiff Community Sawna CIC, reads: “This is a community scheme to serve the local and wider residents of Cardiff, with wellness benefits.”
Elsewhere it continues: “Saunas are often associated with expensive luxury spas or middle-class wellness and healing.”
It continues: “But that’s not the case in other countries where they have remained in the public domain, and we intend to reposition our saunas as inherently unpretentious and inclusive – an authentically Welsh third space.”
According to the application, profits are to be reinvested firstly into the sauna experience, then community activities on site and then funding “adjacent initiatives” across Cardiff.
In time, profits “might be invested” into opening new community saunas and “democratising access for the widest possible group”.
Affordability and accessibility will be ensured through sliding-scale pricing, discounted memberships for low-income individuals and barrier-free access.
Dedicated private sessions will be planned for “certain groups who would feel safer or more comfortable among similar people”.
The site will also host workshops, seminars and events focused on “sustainability, mental health and environmental stewardship”.
The application reads: “Finland, with a population of 5m, has more saunas than cars, which may explain its status as happiest place on earth.”
It continues: “Wales, like Finland, has long, dark and cold winters. We hibernate indoors, but we’re not happy about it – our mental health suffers through inactivity and loneliness.
“But we’re waking up to sauna culture.”
