Mobile sauna business.
Starting a mobile sauna business in Ireland and the UK: pitches, permits and insurance.
A trailer sauna on a beach is the fastest way into the sauna business, and the place you park it decides almost everything else. Here is who gives permission where, what councils such as Kerry and Fingal have asked for, and what else to sort before your first session.
Updated · 5 min read
Start with the ground, not the sauna
A trailer sauna is easy to buy and hard to place. The rules you need depend almost entirely on who owns the spot where you park it and what you do there. Work out your pitch before you pay a deposit on the trailer.
| Who decides | What to ask for | |
|---|---|---|
| Private land: a farm, hotel, campsite or car park | The landowner, and the planning authority if it is a change of use | Written permission or a licence agreement, and whether planning applies |
| Council beach, car park or park | The council, through bye-laws, casual trading or a concession scheme | Whether a sauna scheme exists, the application window, the fee and the conditions |
| Harbour or pier | The harbour authority or company that runs it | A licence to occupy and its conditions |
| Events and festivals | The organiser | A pitch agreement, insurance certificate and fire risk assessment |
Planning
Wheels do not make a sauna exempt. In Ireland, Local Government Ireland says development that is not exempt needs planning permission, and gives a significant change of a property’s use to a business as an example.1 In England, the government says a material change in the use of land or buildings needs planning permission unless a permitted development right applies.2 Whether your sauna counts depends on the site, how long it stays and how it is used. Ask the planning authority before you start, and get the answer in writing.
Council schemes for beach saunas
Several councils now run their own schemes for saunas on beaches and car parks. Each one sets its own sites, dates, fees, insurance and conditions, and many open only once a year. These are examples from official pages, with the dates they cover. None is a national rule.
| What the council published | Dates it covers | |
|---|---|---|
| Kerry County Council | Beach (Amendments) Bye-Laws 2026, in force from 17 June 2026, regulate sauna services on specified beaches.3 An expression of interest for permits listed areas including Ballyheigue, Banna, Fenit, Inch, Rossbeigh and White Strand, Cahersiveen.4 | Permits for 1 June 2026 to 30 May 2027; applications closed 26 May 2026 |
| Cork County Council, Carrigaline | Casual provision of services bye-laws in force from 15 May 2026 set a €65 application fee, then €1,300–€1,400 a year by location, €300 more if electricity is supplied, and €6.5m public liability insurance.5 | In force from 15 May 2026 |
| Fingal County Council | An off-peak extension of its mobile sauna pilot offered pitches at Portmarnock and Rush car parks, with a €500 seasonal casual trading licence fee and a lottery where applicants competed. Saunas had to work without mains water or electricity.6 | 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 (ended) |
| Sligo County Council | Runs a mobile sauna licensing scheme for council property.7 | Check the council page for the current season |
| Causeway Coast and Glens (Northern Ireland) | Officers shortlisted council-managed coastal sites, including Benone Strand, Whiterocks, Ballycastle seafront and Waterfoot, subject to planning approval before an expression of interest.8 | Report of 17 February 2026 |
| Adur and Worthing (England) | Seasonal concessions are temporary trading consents, not leases. Units and trailers must leave outside trading hours and cannot be stored on the beach overnight.9 | Winter season, October 2026 to March 2027 |
If your council has no scheme, ask its estates or beach management team whether it will consider one, and in the meantime look for private land near the water.
Licences, insurance and safety
- Special treatment licences (England). GOV.UK’s licence finder lists saunas among special treatments and tells you to ask the council for the premises whether a licence is needed.10 In London, saunas are named in the London Local Authorities Act 1991.11
- Insurance. Councils and landowners usually ask for public liability cover, and set their own minimum: Cork’s Carrigaline bye-laws ask for €6.5m.5 Get a quote early: it is a running cost, not a one-off.
- Risk assessment. In Ireland, the HSA explains the duty to assess risks and keep a safety statement;12 in Great Britain, the HSE sets out how to manage risks at work.13 Cover the stove, burns, slips, fire, cold water and lone working.
- Cold water. If guests swim between rounds, read the RNLI’s advice on cold water shock and think about how people get in and out safely.14
Towing and the trailer
Most mobile saunas are towed on a car licence, but the weight limits are strict. In Ireland a category B licence covers a trailer of up to 750 kg loaded, or a heavier one where car and trailer together are no more than 3,500 kg.15 In Great Britain, drivers who passed from 1 January 1997 can tow a trailer of up to 3,500 kg MAM.16 Our trailer buying guide lists trailers, weights and prices.
Taking bookings
A mobile sauna sells a few seats at a time, at a place that changes, in weather that changes. Guests need to see where you are this week, book a seat, pay, accept your health terms and hear from you fast if a storm closes the beach.
Olladay was built for this: each session can run at a named location with a map pin, guests filter by location, and closing a time for a storm refunds everyone booked or moves them to another time in one action. Your sauna pays nothing to start. Read our guides to setting up sauna bookings and storm closures.
How we wrote this page
Prices, sizes and lead times come from each seller’s own website. Every one links to the page we read, and we last checked them on 22–29 October 2026 for the Olladay sauna industry directory. Prices are the lowest listed for that product, before delivery, base and electrics unless the seller says otherwise, and can change at any time. Council schemes are quoted from each council’s own page, as published on the dates shown. Schemes, fees and conditions change every season, so check the council page before you apply. Spotted something wrong, or sell saunas and want your prices checked? Email us.
Olladay makes booking software for saunas. Nobody pays to be listed or ranked on these pages, and the tables are in price order, not in order of preference.
Next steps
- Buying a mobile sauna trailer
- Starting a sauna business in Ireland
- What a commercial sauna costs
- Sauna profit calculator
- Back to the sauna buying guide
References
- Local Government Ireland. Planning permission. www.localgov.ie/services/planning-and-building/planning-permission
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. When is permission required? (England). www.gov.uk/guidance/when-is-permission-required
- Kerry County Council. Beach bye-laws: Beach (Amendments) Bye-Laws 2026. www.kerrycoco.ie/beach-bye-laws/
- Kerry County Council. Sauna expression of interest 2026. www.kerrycoco.ie/sauna-expression-of-interest-2026/
- Cork County Council. Carrigaline Municipal District (Casual Provision of Services) Bye-Laws 2025. www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2026-05/carrigaline-municipal-district-casual-provision-of-services-bye-laws-2025-26-5-26.pdf
- Fingal County Council. Extension of mobile sauna pilot scheme, off-peak season 2025–2026. www.fingal.ie/sites/default/files/2025-10/extension-of-mobile-sauna-pilot-scheme-off-peak-season.pdf
- Sligo County Council. Mobile saunas. www.sligococo.ie/Environment/MobileSaunas/
- Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. Mobile sauna provision: council managed coastal locations. Leisure and Development Committee, 17 February 2026. causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk/assets/general/260217-LD-Item-9-Mobile-Sauna-Provision.pdf
- Adur and Worthing Councils. How to apply for a seasonal concession licence, winter 2026. www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/land-and-property/seasonal-concessions/apply/
- GOV.UK. Massage and special treatment premises licensing. www.gov.uk/find-licences/massage-and-special-treatment-premises-licensing
- London Local Authorities Act 1991, section 4. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/1991/13/section/4
- Health and Safety Authority. Safety statement and risk assessment. www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/managing_health_and_safety/safety_statement_and_risk_assessment/
- Health and Safety Executive. Managing risks and risk assessment at work. www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
- RNLI. Cold water shock. rnli.org/water-safety/know-the-risks/cold-water-shock
- Citizens Information. Categories of motor vehicles and minimum age of drivers in Ireland. www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/motoring/driver-licensing/categories-of-motor-vehicles-and-minimum-age-of-drivers-in-ireland/
- GOV.UK. Towing with a car: what you can tow. www.gov.uk/towing-with-car
Questions
Do I need a licence to run a mobile sauna?
It depends on where you trade. On council land you usually need a permit, concession or casual trading licence from that council. On private land you need the landowner’s permission and possibly planning permission. In England, ask the council whether a special treatment licence applies.
Can I put a sauna on the beach?
Only with permission from whoever manages the beach, usually the council. Some councils, such as Kerry and Fingal, have run schemes with set sites, dates and fees. Others have none.
How much does a beach sauna permit cost?
Each council sets its own fee. Cork’s Carrigaline bye-laws from May 2026 charge €1,300–€1,400 a year plus a €65 application fee, and Fingal’s 2025–2026 off-peak pilot charged €500 for the season. Check your council’s current scheme.
Does a mobile sauna need planning permission?
It can. Being on wheels does not make a sauna exempt. Ask the planning authority about your site, how long the sauna will stay and how you will use it.
What insurance does a mobile sauna need?
Public liability cover at least, usually at a level set by the council or landowner, plus cover for the trailer and sauna. Ask a broker who insures leisure businesses.