Cedar & Salt has operated at Long Reef since November 2025 with no complaints, serving more than 1,400 sweaty visitors. Now, Council says it cannot continue to operate while they work on a policy change that might permit his portable sauna business. It’s estimated, leaving owner Robert Dempsey-Smith without his primary source of income.
The portable Finnish sauna has been operating on and off around the Northern Beaches for over two years, constantly facing challenges regarding its permanent stay within the LGA as a result of historic land laws where he parks the business. The issue is complex, but essentially there is no rule encompassing or properly defining sauna businesses in those locations, and  as such the activity may be technically unlawful.
Dempsey-Smith, a Narrabeen local, Â says he was under the impression he was given a temporary OpenSpace booking permit from Council to operate out of Long Reef carpark as a trial while Northern Beaches Council was drafting new policy and framework to cater for his conundrum legally. Instead he was told it was about to expire and not be renewed until the new policy in place, if at all. This could take 18 months.
Council says to the contrary he has only been allowed to operate while they collected data on the business to assist in the drafting of policy, with analysis of operations now complete.
The father of two says he felt blindsided by the update, receiving an email just a few weeks ago revealing his permit will not be renewed from tomorrow, May 14. Now, his only hope is Councillor intervention via a vote on their May 19 meeting to grant another temporary extension through the business’s peak period in winter.
Some hope over winterÂ
Curl Curl Ward Councillor Nicholas Beaugeard is putting forward a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting seeking a further temporary permit for Cedar & Salt, covering the business’s peak winter period.
He broadly supports innovative businesses like Dempsey-Smith’s, but says a concrete policy and framework is needed first, particularly given the constraints of the Plan of Management, a legislated document developed through years of community consultation.
“I’d love to be able to, but we can’t just wave a magic wand and change a Plan of Management. So, what we’re asking [Council staff] to do is see if we can find a legal way to extend their tenure there,” he told Manly Observer.
The motion argues that ending the trial before winter arrives – it speak operation – defeats the purpose of running one. Council has been reviewing the policy and framework governing commercial operators on Crown land for over 30 months, and Beaugeard says it makes more sense to assess the business during its peak than to shut it down heading into it.
The motion reads: “The Cedar & Salt sauna at Long Reef has operated under a temporary permit framework and has demonstrated strong community uptake with no identified compliance issues during its trial period. However, the trial is due to conclude prior to the peak winter season, which represents the period of highest demand and most meaningful opportunity to evaluate its performance. This motion seeks to provide a practical interim pathway to support local activation and small business.”
Why is it so complicated?
Cedar & Salt operates on Griffith Park Crown land. The site permits some recreational commercial activity – food and beverage, water-based sporting equipment, play equipment – with the key consideration being whether the use has a clear relationship to Griffith Park’s public purpose.
A portable sauna fits none of those categories explicitly. It is not prohibited either. That gap is the problem. For over 30 months, Council has been reviewing the policy and framework that governs how commercial operators can conduct business on Crown land, and no rule has been written that properly defines or accommodates a sauna business.
Dempsey-Smith argues the sauna fits the site’s existing recreational uses, particularly ocean swimming and surfing, and that its low-impact, removable structure is consistent with passive recreation. Council staff recorded no compliance issues during inspections throughout the trial.
“I’ve been coming to Long Reef for about 25, 30 years, and this just adds another dimension to the beach”
Customers agree. “I’ve been coming to Long Reef for about 25, 30 years, and this just adds another dimension to the beach,” regular Matthew Clark said. Will Deer said the Northern Beaches was fortunate to have the business, citing its benefits to fitness, health and wellbeing.
The complication is that Cedar & Salt is not the only operator seeking to run sauna operations in the LGA. Any decision to permit ongoing or expanded commercial activity of this kind would need to go through an open and transparent process – which is exactly what Council says it is trying to build.
What Happens Next?
Council will vote on whether to grant Cedar & Salt a winter extension next Tuesday. Another councillor, Sarah Grattan, says she has worked with Dempsey-Smith to find a path forward, though she will abstain from voting due to a conflict of interest.
“Dog walkers, fitness businesses, surf schools, there’s all of these businesses that make money from public land, but are doing an amazing thing for our community,” Councillor Grattan said. “We need an overarching way of managing this.”
You can view the motion on page 92 of the Council agenda documents here.Â
