Plans approved for WA’s first floating sauna in Pemberton

By: Lisa Cook 

The Manjimup Council has given the green light to a 73.5-square-metre timber sauna facility at popular natural swimming spot, Pemberton Pool.

The sauna will be moored to the right of the beach entry at the teardrop-shaped pool, a natural swimming spot carved into the Lefroy Brook by locals in the 1920s. 

Nestled among towering karri trees, it will offer visitors the chance to sweat it out in timber-lined heat rooms before diving into the cool waters of the beloved forest pool. 

The floating structure will feature two saunas with panoramic windows overlooking the pool, four changerooms and a semi-enclosed deck with a communal fire pit for post-sauna relaxation. 

Up to 12 guests at a time will be able to enjoy the Nordic-style sweat sessions, with two staff members on hand to guide visitors through the experience. The sauna will open daily from 8am to 9pm, closing only on Christmas Day. 

Nigel Reeves, the operator behind the award-winning floating saunas at Tasmania’s Lake Derby and Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, is spearheading the project. Known for transforming picturesque natural locations into wellness destinations, Reeves says the Pemberton installation has been designed to blend seamlessly with its forest surrounds. 

The development proposal emphasised a light environmental footprint to ensure the sauna would not disrupt views or the serene atmosphere of the pool, which is a much-loved summer retreat for locals and tourists. 

Construction is expected to begin in August once the building permit is obtained, and the sauna is expected to open by Christmas or early 2026.

Image credit: Australia's South West