In recent weeks, mobile saunas have appeared on the beach at Oakdale. The saunas are the property of Big Towel Spa, which has a license agreement with the City of Hudson to operate for the fall and winter months at Oakdale.
The news is that saunas will officially open this Friday, October 27. The following press release provides all the information:
Big Towel Spa, a small sauna business, is launching on Oakdale Beach for the fall winter season on Friday, October 27. Two mobile saunas will be available to rent Friday through Monday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., October through March. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. As stated on their website, "If funds are an issue, please teach out to access the community sweat fund."
The two saunas are built on 6x12 utility trailers and are wood-fired. Buckets of water and an outdoor shower are provided so you can cool off after going in the sauna. Towels are also provided. While both saunas have ramps, one of them is completely ADA accessible in case a wheelchair needs to be accommodated. There will also be a small changing room on a separate trailer so that visitors have a place to gear up and gear down.
Private one hour and 45 minute group sessions are available Friday through Sunday for $140 for up to six people. Mondays are communal days, when you can buy a single pass for a one hour and 45 minute time slot, you just may not know who you are sweating with.
Big Towel Spa is committed to offering a bathing spa experience that is accessible to the community. While there are some options in the area, they are either quite small, or pricey and located outside of the city in hotels.
Kelly Crimmins, the owner of Big Towel, says, "I really wanted to bring the spa and sauna experience to Hudson in a way that would feel accessible, not only with price, but also with location." The Council passed the agreement for Ms. Crimmins unanimously, with one councilmember saying that it was "a great use of the space for the off-season." As a local Hudson resident, Ms. Crimmins is excited to be at Oakdale Beach for the winter. "I am a resident of the 5th Ward and visit Oakdale almost every day. I feel extremely excited about bringing the sauna practice there, and hope it helps people's overall wellness through the winter months."
For more information and to book a session, visit www.bigtowelspa.com.
Great looking spas but respectfully, the city can't even manage to use the lake seasonally as it was in the past. It bothers me to see a space with such potential, neglected and cut off to the residents of the city. How much is this costing us with money better spent using this gem in the way it was intended
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DeleteActually, Big Towel is paying the City a licensing fee--not a great deal, but it is not costing the City anything.
DeleteAgreed with the comment by Tjo. How do the folks who have been trying to improve Oakdale feel? And is this the same person that runs the Hudson Dots Project, Kelly Crimmins is the Director of that with Spark right? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kelly Crimmins is the project director of Hudson Dots.
Delete"Located in the Hudson Valley, NY on occupied Mohican land," is all the website offers for a location. Nothing about Hudson or Oakdale. It's completely bizarre, unprofessional and scammy-feeling, if you ask me. How is that helpful or appropriate? Are they trying to guilt us awful colonizers into paying for a sauna? Then we will be cleansed of our sins?
ReplyDeleteThey are mobile units, thus the company moves them around. Did you bother to click on the "sweat" tab on their site? It has all the info you claim isn't there, like where the saunas are , the cost, the days of operation, and tab to book the saunas. Doesn't look scammy, or bizarre at all. Seems like you had a knee jerk reaction to something you don't like. Many, many business have land acknowledgements on their websites if you look around.
DeleteThey added the location info on the "sweat" tab in the last few days. It was not there a week ago.
DeleteMore bizarre is the fact that if you want to get a sauna on your own, perhaps with strangers, you can't do it on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. Just on Mondays. Groups only on the weekends. Am I reading that correctly?
I’m confused and disheartened by the negative comments here. In regards to the city not being able to manage the beach seasonally, the commenter is seemingly unaware that the use of Oakdale Beach has increased dramatically over recent summers, due to both the hard work of the Youth Department and the contributions of community groups like Friends of Oakdale Lake and Friends of Hudson Youth. In 2020 it was the only public beach with lifeguards that remained open in the entire county, a remarkable achievement. In 2023 it was busier and open for a longer season than it’s been in over a decade. It is hardly cut off to residents of the city.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the saunas, they are providing a service at Oakdale during a season when there was never other beach activity, thus increasing use and enjoyment of the park. And the purveyors of the saunas are committed to making the experience accessible and affordable to all with a “Community Sweat Fund” for anyone who is unable to pay for the service.
Kelly Crimmins (yes, the same person who has done a commendable job with Hudson Dots) presented her plan to all stakeholders. Speaking as one of the people working diligently to improve Oakdale Park, I was very impressed with Kelly’s approach. She began by reaching out to the City, the Youth Department and various community groups, inviting their feedback. She listened carefully and made adjustments to her operations plan based on that feedback. She patiently and diligently worked her way through meetings with stakeholders, Code Enforcement, the Health Department and the Common Council, presenting renderings and detailed plans at every step. She gracefully resolved any questions to arrive at unanimous support for a project that has no downside and provides a public benefit.
We’d be living in a much better place if every new initiative was approached with the same level of care. I hope the naysayers will join me for a sauna one day soon!
I live on Glenwood just up the street from Oakdale, and I absolutely agree with Peter. We've seen the activity and use of the lake increase significantly over the last few years. It's nice to see this previously overlooked asset of the City getting love and attention (and most importantly getting used!).
ReplyDeleteSounds good Peter, but also a bit nepotistic, kind of like the dock down at the waterfront. Are the people managing city property passing out benefits to individuals based on personal friendship and/or favoritism?
ReplyDeleteSeems to me that if public property, like a park, is going to be rented, leased, or offered by licensing fee to a private business, that the opportunity should have been offered to the public at large and not given to a single (socially connected) applicant.
I also hope they signed a waiver and have insurance. If someone passes out in the sauna, falls and breaks a bone, or if everyone in there catches COVID during a group sauna it could be a problem for the city.