Mendocino Locals Fuming Over Polluting Sauna's Arrival on Beloved Waterfront

The idyllic riverside town of Mendocino, California is facing a brewing controversy as locals express outrage over the recent arrival of a mobile sauna business on their pristine shores. Just 150 miles north of San Francisco, Mendocino is home to the Big River estuary, a sprawling waterway that has long been cherished by the town's tight-knit community of under 1,000 people.

However, in September 2025, the business MendoSauna set up shop, parking its portable wood-fired saunas along the banks of the Big River. The company offered sauna and cold plunge experiences to customers, much to the dismay of many locals. Residents have alleged that the smoke from the saunas is polluting the air and waterways, with one local describing the smell as reaching "a half a mile away."

The community's anger has been palpable, with one former biology teacher, Robert Jamgochian, stating that the "community is pretty fired up about this." His wife Ann echoed these sentiments, saying the smoke "hurts your lungs" and that some residents have even avoided the beach altogether while the saunas are in operation.

Despite the backlash, MendoSauna had received a special-event permit from California State Parks to temporarily operate on the Big River Estuary. However, the future of the business remains uncertain, as the state agency is currently gathering public comments until October 30th to determine if it or similar ventures should be allowed to continue using the area.