Minneapolis sauna business may be forced to close due to zoning ordinance

Sauna business in hot water over services

A new sauna business in Minneapolis might be forced to shutdown due to a decades-old zoning law that restricts its services.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Zoning laws could force a popular sauna business to shut down in Minneapolis.

Embrace North is a sauna and ice-cold bath experience. The business says it has 900 members in less than two years of operation. But there's a problem — an old zoning ordinance identifies saunas as used for sex.

The wording of the ordinance will soon change under a re-zoning project, but it won't allow for an outdoor permanent sauna business.

"We’re just trying to get in contact with the right people to figure out how we can move forward in a way that meets the regulation that they want to have and also in a way that we can continue to operate," Kellen Kersten of Embrace North told FOX 9.

The owner has been told he has to shut down by March 3. A member of the Minneapolis City Council says it's possible the zoning could eventually change to include the outdoor space, but that won't be for some time.