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Council asks staff to draft mobile‑sauna ordinance, suggests separate licensing from massage‑parlors
Summary
A proprietor operating mobile sauna services in Grand Forks asked to offer services in East Grand Forks; councilors and staff recommended separating sauna rules from massage‑parlor ordinances, licensing mobile units, limiting hours and addressing fire/safety for wood‑burning units, and asked staff to return with draft language.
Staff presented a request from an operator currently running mobile sauna services in Grand Forks who wants to provide the service in East Grand Forks. The city’s existing ordinance treats saunas under massage‑parlor rules and does not allow mobile massage services; staff asked whether council wanted to create a separate mobile‑sauna ordinance, remove sauna from massage regulations, or maintain the current approach.
Council members and staff discussed licensing and notification—especially when mobile saunas would operate in residential neighborhoods or city parks—and public‑safety concerns related to wood‑burning units. Staff said the specific unit in question is CE‑listed and that Grand Forks Fire Marshall addressed safety questions; Chief Edund cautioned that different fuel types (wood, propane) may require different vetting.
Several councilors favored creating a standalone mobile‑sauna ordinance with license and notification requirements and suggested hours of operation roughly 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Staff said they would draft ordinance language, consider fire code implications, and return at a future meeting for council review prior to a first reading.
