Beachside sauna application refused as naked customers annoy neighbours

A seaside sauna business has been turned down for retrospective planning permission after residents complained about "naked and semi-naked people being visible".

Halsa Sauna in Caswell Bay, Swansea, has been operating since 2023 and is based in the grounds of a detached house.

An application submitted to Swansea council in August 2024 by an agent on behalf of the business's owner Gareth Davies has now been rejected on nine grounds, including concerns around noise and privacy issues.

Davies has not responded to a request for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service and it is not yet known if he will appeal the decision.

The application for Halsa Sauna, which advertises itself as "beachside bliss where sauna meets the sea", was made 11 months after the site's change of use was completed.

A planning statement on Davies' behalf said he had created a high-quality tourist business which was shielded from wider public viewing points.

It said up to eight sauna customers could attend at any one time, although four was the average number.

It also said "arrivals and departures are carefully managed to ensure no conflict" between bookings.

Halsa Sauna had been advertised on Swansea council's tourism website for a while before being removed in October 2024 when the team was made aware it did not have planning consent.

As well as the cylindrical sauna there are three cold water barrels, three showers, and a changing room surrounded by fencing.

There is no toilet and guests arriving by car park hundreds of metres away and walk along Caswell Road or the beach if tides allow.

Swansea council received 43 objections, raising numerous concerns such as naked and semi-naked customers being visible, shouting and screaming, the lack of toilets, claims that cold barrel wastewater had been emptied down the embankment outside and parking issues.

Planning officers said the development created noise and disturbance detrimental to nearby residents and the external staircase used by customers to access the sauna and barrels caused overlooking and privacy issues.

Officers also said Caswell Road did not have a pavement from the public car park, raising safety concerns. They said the scheme did not enhance or conserve the Gower area of outstanding natural beauty in which it was located.

The decision report, published late last month, also said trees and shrubs were evident before the sauna and other facilities were installed and clearance work should not have taken place before a planning application was submitted.

Officers were worried about where the showers and barrels were draining but Davies' agent said in an update in 2025 there was a mains sewer connection and that barrel wastewater was disposed via the foul sewer.

Although antisocial behaviour concerns also fell outside of the planning officers' remit, they noted the "type and intensity of disturbance" associated with the facility was not considered appropriate within the location.