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BԪַIt feels really amazingBԪַ: Wildwood Saunas sets up shop at new Royal Beach home

The mobile sauna company has secured a six-month use of the Colwood space
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Wildwood Saunas manager Jon Lovering and owner Josh Dupuis show off their new home for the next six months at Royal Beach, with regular opening hours returning Friday (April 21). (Justin Samanski-Langille/BԪַ Staff)

West Shore sauna lovers fret not: Wildwood Saunas is not going anywhere any time soon, having secured a new location at Royal Beach for the next six months.

Josh Dupuis and his team are set to start regular hours at the new location Friday (April 21), and after a short pause in community sauna and ocean dip operations on the West Shore, he is looking forward to welcoming customers once again.

BԪַWe are going to be here Thursday to Sunday for the next six months with our square sauna, typically from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., but that might vary a little bit,BԪַ said Dupuis. BԪַIt feels really amazing. I feel like I can breathe for six months at least because I have always been kind of waiting to see what happens next. Are we going to get shut down next week? Now it feels a lot better knowing we have a spot secured and we can really dial things in to give a great customer experience.BԪַ

The move to Royal Beach comes several weeks after the company had to vacate its temporary spot on the Esquimalt Lagoon. They had been operating there on a temporary permit from the City of Colwood since January while the city evaluated community interest in such an experience, but council ultimately established an end date of April 2 over concerns about the commercialization of the sensitive natural site.

READ MORE: Wildwood Saunas given one last weekend on Esquimalt Lagoon

Council expressed a desire to shift such businesses to Royal Beach as the area and nearby Royal Bay continues to grow, and Dupuis and the Royal Beach team started talks to make that a reality.

He said some initial concerns over insurance delayed the transition, but those have been resolved and the sauna is back in business.

BԪַHonestly, the people are great everywhere, and a lot of them have asked us to stay on the West Shore,BԪַ said Dupuis. BԪַIdeally, I would like to be everywhere. I would like to be in Victoria, I would like to be here on the West Shore, Duncan. But for the time being, itBԪַs about where can we go and this opened up.BԪַ

Noting the beach access is a little trickier at Royal Beach than it was at the lagoon, especially when the weather makes for rough seas, Dupuis said he is going to look into building several soaking tubs filled with sea water for those clients who want to enjoy a more accessible ocean dip in between sauna sessions.

Even so, he expects demand will quickly return to the high he saw at the lagoon, with reservations filling up every day he is open.

READ MORE: Colwood family seeks return of stolen family bell



justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com

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Justin Samanski-Langille

About the Author: Justin Samanski-Langille

I moved coast-to-coast to discover and share the stories of the West Shore, joining Black Press in 2021 after four years as a reporter in New Brunswick.
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