Set along the sandy beaches of Stagecoach Reservoir — with a front-row seat to the sweeping vistas surrounding the water — the Lakeside Sauna Club hopes to offer visitors a one-of-a-kind experience.

This will be the first season for the Lakeside Sauna Club, which is located near the Stagecoach Marina on the swim beach at Stagecoach State Park. The past few weeks, owner Taylor Moody has brought in three mobile, wood-fired saunas and will be offering two-hour sessions for guests to sauna and cold plunge in the lake starting Nov. 28.

“The idea is that you jump in the sauna for 15 minutes or so, and then plunge into the lake for as long as you can stand it,” Moody said as he worked to get everything set up for opening day. “Then get back to the sauna and repeat.”

The sauna club is slated to host a soft opening on Saturday, Nov. 22, offering three different time slots where guests can sign up using the promo code “SaunaSeason” and get the session for free as space allows. Moody also plans to offer another a promo code “BlackFriday” that will offer guests that book on Nov. 28 a 20% discount. Guests can book times, or find out what times are available at LakesideSaunaClub.com.

Moody is hoping to bring his love for the sauna-cold plunge experience to residents of the Yampa Valley as well as those that visit the area. His first sauna-cold plunge experience came just before he and his wife, Ashley moved from South Carolina to Steamboat Springs in 2023.

The couple visited a bathhouse that specialized in the sauna-cold plunge experience during a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to see a concert. He said the two enjoyed the experience so much, and the idea of opening one of his own kind of stuck. He even looked into purchasing his own sauna-cold plunge franchise on the Front Range a few years ago, but the cost was prohibitive.

This winter Moody will set out on his own, and is modeling Lakeside Sauna Club after a similar concept a friend of his owns in Minnesota. He visited that business last February, and said the experience was unforgettable.

“I went up to my friend’s place in Minnesota in February,” Moody said. “It was awesome, the lake was frozen over at that time, but everyone I talked to in the saunas… were raving about the experience and loved it.”

Moody said people wanting to visit the Lakeside Sauna Club will need to park in the lot near the marina and walk down to the beach along an illuminated path. In addition to the three saunas, amenities include a heated changing tent, a storage area where customers can store clothing, and personal belongings in weather-sealed containers.  

Each of the mobile saunas provides space for 12 to 13 guests and are placed just steps from the edge of the water. Right now, and in the foreseeable future, the beach is open and snow-free. However, that will change as temperatures in the valley continue to drop. Moody expects the lake to freeze over around Christmas at which time he will cut a holes in the ice so guest can plunge into the chilly waters.

Guests should bring some sort of water shoes, their own towels and a swimsuit. Moody said it is also a good idea to have a change of clothes.

Moody is working with the Oak Creek Fire Protection District to use the wood cut during the summer months and use it to heat the three saunas. The money he is paying the department is a donation that will help pay for the district’s new fire truck, according to Moody.

His plan is to keep the Lakeside Sauna Club open through April. Individuals can sign up for two-hour sessions online for $60, and there will also be options for those looking to book the entire sauna for private groups.

“I’m not going to list all (the benefits of sauna-cold plunge) because I don’t remember them off top of my head,” Moody said. “But I know you get some cardiovascular benefits from it … and then you get some mental resilience, from the cold plunge. It’s almost like a natural high with a lot of dopamine and serotonin, release, all those kinds of feel-good brain chemicals.”