McCall weighs Payette Lake sauna and cold plunge plan for public parks

A 1,000-square-foot sauna with changing rooms, outdoor cold plunge tubs and hours stretching from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. could soon sit in one of McCall’s most visible lakefront parks, putting a commercial ice-bath business squarely inside public parkland.

Idaho Mountain Saunas of Caldwell proposed the Payette Lake setup on April 9, with owner Garren Apple pitching Legacy Park or Rotary Park as the site. The company said the operation would hold up to eight people per session and would be removed when the ground lease ends. Apple said the model was inspired by a similar setup at Willard Bay State Park in Utah, and he framed it as a year-round draw for spring, winter, summer and fall.

The money attached to the proposal is substantial for a park concession. Apple told the council the lease could return 5% to 10% of total revenue to the city, with gross sales projected at $225,000 in year one and about $329,000 by year five. Under that scenario, McCall’s Parks Department could net as much as $22,500 in the first year and roughly $33,000 by the fifth. The site would not be staffed, although cameras would monitor activity, a detail that added to questions about guest safety.

The McCall City Council split 3-2 and chose to keep the discussion going and ask for more public comment. Mayor Colby Nielsen said the city would do the community a disservice if it did not invite more feedback. Opponents on the council argued that public parks should not be treated like commercial property, and one member warned that handing over access through park concessions weakens the public’s ability to use those spaces freely and enjoyably.

The park choice is at the center of the tension. Legacy Park sits downtown at the bend north of Hotel McCall on East Lake Street. Rotary Park is a waterfront beach-and-playground site with a non-motorized launch, restrooms, picnic tables and grill amenities, and the city describes it as a family-oriented park with a highly visible lakefront setting. McCall says Legacy Park, Art Roberts Park, Davis Beach and Rotary Park are the city’s waterfront parks on Payette Lake, while city beaches are swim at your own risk and city docks allow only two-hour boat moorage.

McCall opened an official public-input page on April 13 and asked for feedback from full-time residents, part-time residents, local employees and visitors. The comment portal showed public comment open for the April 16 regular council meeting, while the April 9 special-meeting comment window had already closed. A public hearing is expected in early May, and the decision will likely set the tone for whether McCall treats prime waterfront parkland as a place for strictly public recreation or as a home for revenue-producing wellness tourism.