BIZNOTES: Another sauna on the shore; In Pizza We Crust update; Panda Express ceremony

Three biznotes today:

SAUNA ON THE SHORE: Alki already has one, and now another West Seattle beach park will be getting regular visits from a mobile sauna. Good Day Sauna is owned by Julia Winter and based in West Seattle. She explains: is a

Beginning September 20, 2025, our sauna will be stationed at Lincoln Park for scheduled events, located along the beach path to offer guests a seamless heat-up and cool-down experience with direct access to Puget Sound.
As demand grows, we plan to increase our presence and establish a regular schedule at the park. Good Day Sauna operates as a community sauna, with individual seats available for booking to encourage shared wellness and connection.

Julia has online booking for Good Day Sauna at gooddaysauna.com.

IN PIZZA WE CRUST UPDATE: This pizza joint long in the works for the former Swinery at 3207 California SW is getting closer to opening, proprietor Stephanie Tran told us when we inquired for the first time in four months: “We are finally making some headway. The city of Seattle finally approved our change of use permit last week and we are now pending our final inspection with the health department. I don’t have an official date yet as I’m waiting for the health department but we’ll likely open a couple weeks after the inspection.”

PANDA EXPRESS CEREMONY: One day after the Westwood Village Panda Express started serving customers with a “soft open,” they had a grand-opening ceremony this morning. We met manager Sophia – who has worked her way up through the ranks at other Puget Sound locations – and regional director Simon – they’re holding the commemorative T-shirt given to the first 88 guests:

Simon thanked the 20 or so people in line and introduced the Inochi Taiko duo:

West Seattle Chamber of Commerce executive director Rachel Porter coordinated the official ribboncutting:

Other businesses with future openings at WWV include J.Crew Factory, a UPS Store, an H&R Block branch, and F45 Training.

norsegirl September 4, 2025 (3:48 pm)

Hello.Re: Good Day Sauna. “Along the beach path”…Please clarifly more specifically where the sauna will be located? On the beach? On the paved walking path beside the beach? Thanks.

WSB September 4, 2025 (4:34 pm)

Toward the south end, according to the full note she sent.

rpo September 4, 2025 (4:18 pm)

17 months for a change of use permit to be approved for the pizza place. Great job, city of Seattle. Situations like this make me wonder if they have had to pay rent for the past 17 months while the city wastes their time and money.

My two cents September 5, 2025 (4:19 am)

I don’t think it is either fair or accurate to place the “blame” on the City of Seattle given the lack of background information.

oerthehillz September 4, 2025 (4:18 pm)

Panda did a great job today with all the pressure they must have felt. So many customers! And as an employee I’d imagine it was stressful. There were so many of them behind the counter having to deal with the crowd and learning all at the same time. Everyone was very friendly!

Panda Man September 4, 2025 (4:23 pm)

I was there for Panda Express. If you look closely you might could see me in the picture in the background. Got my picture made with panda got my free t-shirt they even gave a panda keychain and a panda bag. I was going to say hi to West Seattle blog yet you were busy. Thank you so much for keeping us informed on what’s going on. Without you I would never go to anything. You’ve been my source for events in the area for the past eight years. Thank you again West Seattle blog

1994 September 4, 2025 (9:08 pm)

Wait! a panda was there for taking pictures?!? ” Got my picture made with panda…” Looks like a fun time was had!! Live music too!! WSB is wonderful :)

Steamed September 4, 2025 (8:53 pm)

What’s next, commercial taco trucks and blow up bouncy houses for the kiddos right at the high-water line? Look, I think the sauna is a swell idea, but on private property. Not in Lincoln Park. Ever. How is this any different than the Gorilla Zipline concept, or the that big concert some group wanted to put in the upper park two summers ago? Why are PRIVATE companies allowed to profit off of PUBLIC spaces? Is the Parks Dept taking a cut? Have they authorized this eyesore? Blech. You know what I’d like to see? A privatized off-leash ticketing enforcement program for all the scofflaw dog walkers who let their dogs walk (and crap) all over sensitive beach habitat. Or even a privatized garbage pickup service to clean up after all the salmon fishers who leave their bags of chips and soda cans on the beach. Yes, a rant. WHY are we allowing these private companies to profit off of public spaces? Will there be added concessions? Garbage pick up? Show me the permit. Show me the council member who says this is a good idea. It is not.

Lincoln Park Eagle September 4, 2025 (11:45 pm)

Sir, I am in agreement. Sounds like a relatively large device sitting on a narrow path, while belching smoke and particulate matter. The path is often already crowded with folks walking and bicycle riders. Why was there no public comment or debate on selling out Lincoln Park? What person or persons thought this was a good idea and made a decision for the rest of us? I appreciate the entrepreneurship, but not in a public park. And jeez, we just voted for a Parks levy…
- Neighbor September 5, 2025 (6:06 am)
  
  Steamed and Lincoln Park Eagle, the sauna operation is a small business, woman-owned, fostering community connection on a beach that’s been issuing permits for vendors for years (as WSB points out). Seems like a great idea to me. We walked by it the other week and it was a small but interesting aspect of the shoreline, very contained, and the people running it were lovely.
  - Lise September 11, 2025 (10:32 am)
    
    Good for this company for its intentions. It, however, has NO place at Lincoln Park. This is our public park. Who permitted this? Where was the public input? More and more ‘vendors’ are showing up and placing themselves in our natural environment without our approval and input. It has nothing to do with the people running it, other than I would hope they, too, begin to think about the broader issues here.
- k September 5, 2025 (7:17 am)
  
  How is this different than all the ice cream trucks over the years at Lincoln Park?
- adam September 5, 2025 (7:24 am)
  
  Oh god you freaks and your concerns. In Europe you see saunas placed at beaches all the time and they’re great! Good for your health and I think its complete BS its belching “smoke” and particulate matter its not even hot enough to burn anything maybe 200 degrees. You should take a Xanax. maybe try it out when it comes to Lincoln
JSBM September 5, 2025 (3:41 am)

I’m thrilled about the sauna, we visited a similar sauna in Ireland on the west coast a couple years ago, it was absolutely lovely and beautiful. I imagine many who wade into the Sound water to cool off will have never done so before, which will be a new way to enjoy our amazing Lincoln Park.
DH September 5, 2025 (8:00 am)

Agreed. Lincoln Park is not the right location for something like this. I encourage people to not use it. Just like those lime bikes placed on residential streets. They eventually moved them because they went unused. They make sense in some places but not everywhere.
Smoky Seattle September 5, 2025 (9:11 am)

Completely agree that Lincoln Park is not the right place for this private venture. We are living in an environmental crisis and yet Seattle Parks continues to defund Environmental Learning Centers and in this case approves spoiling a natural water front heavily used by the public with a private for profit business that will add more smoke and global warming to the planet.
Lisab September 5, 2025 (10:01 am)

100% agree!
tim September 5, 2025 (10:39 am)

What next? Shave Ice stand? Elephant ears? Scooters? Get that junk off of my beach!!

Midi September 4, 2025 (9:14 pm)

I stopped by for dinner at Panda tonight, it was busy but moved very quickly and everyone seemed energetic – even at the end of a very long day. Glad to have them in town!

1994 September 4, 2025 (9:15 pm)

Thank you WSB for posting the drumming video! What a great sound and such moves by the drummers. Sorry I had to work and missed this event!! And now I see the panda!! that Panda Man mentions….in the other video with ribbon cutting!

aa September 4, 2025 (10:57 pm)

Steamed is posing valid questions, I hope they reach out to the company and /or Seattle Parks and get back to us. Being in a public sauna where you reserve a seat not knowing who else will be in there? Not for me.

WSB September 5, 2025 (12:52 am)

For those who were not aware that Seattle Parks has been awarding permits to vendors/concessionaires for years:
https://www.seattle.gov/a/163237

Lisa September 11, 2025 (10:33 am)

Thank you for providing this.

Juan September 5, 2025 (7:51 am)

Does this mean the city is going to allow food vendors in Lincoln Park?

Goombasa September 5, 2025 (8:50 am)

Excited for Panda in the area, but isn’t weird to have Japanese drumming at a Chinese American restaurant opening? Would you have an oompa band at an Italian restaurant opening?

Vito Gio September 5, 2025 (1:47 pm)

Glad I’m not the only one who thought this.

walkerws September 5, 2025 (9:04 am)

I’m not a big fan of a sauna that doesn’t have shower facilities for people to use beforehand. Or that requires swimsuits, but that’s a different story.

M September 5, 2025 (12:08 pm)

I am excited for Panda and even Wendy’s because it’s something “new” here. I would love if someone would open a Soba Shop that would serve Japanese food, that isn’t sushi or ramen. That and a East Coast style Chinese Take Out place. Anything but another pizza place!

Natty RAD! September 5, 2025 (2:27 pm)

Went yesterday and snapped this pic. Kudos to the friendly and patient staff! There was a line almost to the soda machine when I walked in but they moved it along quickly and kept the inside very clean. The orange chicken was great!

Lise September 11, 2025 (10:35 am)

I actually agree that it has NO place in a public park, especially not in Lincoln Park. It is as unacceptable there as the pickle ball courts, tennis courts, and ziplines that were attempted and stopped for all these reasons: Here are the questions that this raises:Are we going to allow it to become another beachfront arcade as we have at Alki? Do we have the upstandingness to protect our planet and the other creatures with whom we share it? When do we decide that we must become the stewards of a sane and just approach to our planet, people, animals?Do we have the ability to notice that we are already experiencing worse air quality due to forest fires – do we really need another way to spew carbons into a pristine habitat of many wildlife, and lose one of the few place in our fair city where we can go to actually ‘commune’ with nature ourselves? Have we no idea that protecting these most precious resources supersedes the need for people to have another’cool’ experience at these, and more, expenses?Have we thought of people who live with respiratory difficulties already, and don’t need this? Have we thought at all from a humble and respectful angle? Has the parks department??

Sorry, comment time is over.