Just a block from Mission Dolores Park, and around the corner from trendy shopping and restaurants…read moreon Valencia St, I would have never guessed that there was an outdoor pool right there in the heart of the city. The building itself could use some updating. The locker rooms definitely have *character*- there is all kinds of wood paneling, and orange and red tiling in the showers and walls. The shower area itself was confusing- there were 3 showers in a small, very dimly lit (and orange-tiled) room. Although the locker room was obviously outdated, the only thing that was truly missing that other SF city pools included is a swim suit dryer.   The pool was busy compared with other SF city pools I have visited; I was surprised to see 2-3 people per lane. It was a smaller pool (4 lanes, 30 yards), with narrow lanes, and it did feel crowded. Some were waiting for swimmers to leave before hopping in for their swim- my lane mate complained about running into the entry/exit ladders when swimming near the wall, and I did get breaststroke kicked.   Apart from the number of people, it was such a treat to swim outside right in the middle of the city.The Mission Pool is a hidden gem best meant for anyone who is comfortable with no-frills locker rooms, and is looking to get outside to enjoy a casual swim.

The pool offers a pleasant outdoor swimming experience with four lanes of 30 yards. The staff…read morerecommended I come when the place opened for lap swimming, and the lanes (fast, 2 medium paced, 1 slow) filled quickly. I might go 25 minutes into the session next time. The pool could be cleaner, and the life guard team should be cleaning the bottom of the pool of debris. The filter system is fair; I had to deal with hair strands around my hands on several occasions. Not everyone wore caps. The lane lines discs are small in size, so the water was choppy, worse than open water swimming according to one swimmer. I agreed. I question the focus of the lifeguard staff: music played loudly, one guard was tanning in her bikini on the deck (off duty, she should have been on the grass out front or elsewhere), and the guard holding the rescue float was jamming out to Lizzo and other tunes, dancing with his eyes closed, singing along. A second guard seemed to be staring into the pool standing under the umbrella, needing to jump over equipment if he needed to get in the pool. One of them should have been walking around as the lanes were full. I didn't fear a drowning but a collision that the guard wouldn't see. No one was ready for action. Experienced swimmers could hold their own here, but I'd suggest newer swimmers look at other public pools before jumping into this one.

Awesome pool with great light and wide lanes. Lifeguards keep it pretty clean. Parking is pretty…read moregood for the city

Affordable, great staff, amazing lifeguards, clean and well maintained facilities…read more From year round athletes training, every day swim exercise routines, swim lessons, or casual family fun times-it's a well designed space with a great viewing area. Pro-tip: -There's a 2 hour parking limit in surrounding area parking -pay close attention to street cleaning days -the front desk is information central

Enjoy the perfect temperature in this pool. The staff is friendly, and it's very clean!read more

We love the Rossi pool! Brian Root and his staff are so friendly and they take really good care of…read morethe facilities. The water is so clean and the people so nice that you feel like you are at a spa pool! Thank you Brian and your team for making Rossi one of the best pools in the city! You are doing a wonderful job and we feel so lucky to have you!

I love this place! Great place for weddings. My husband is…read morepart of this club and god! We love this location, good customer service, food, great service! The hotel there is also amazing 100% recommend! And if you are having dinner there get the prime rib!

Would give 0 stars if I could. I had high hopes because I'm a member at Los Angeles athletic club…read more. I thought because this place had more history. It would be a nice venue, but couldn't be further from the truth. Firstly, every one of the staff members was rude and standoffish, I think this must be the only place to work out near downtown San Francisco because it was so overcrowded..Restaurant wait was long, and good luck waiting for your check. Complete attitude of indifference. Seems that all they care about is turning beds and jacking up their membership numbers. They literally turned off my room key before I even checked out, all my luggage was upstairs still. Didn't apologize or offer to get the lubgage. Do NOT recommend

Wonderful place to do swim lessons with your little one! I've done at last 3 Cuttlefish sessions…read morehere now with my daughter, which have been fantastic. You sign up for day of the week, and get a 1 hour swim lesson with other children around the same age (6 months - 6 years for Cuttlefish). The first 15 mins of the class are free time in the water, you can play with the various water toys. The next 15-20 mins is Karaoke in the Pool, with nursery rhymes in a circle time. The last 15-20 mins of the class are divided into age groups, with the youngest kids on one side, and older kids on the other. Some of the teachers are really wonderful, Mary is my favorite, as she has a passion and affinity for working with the little ones. All the teachers are great though in different ways. My daughter loves swim lessons here, even though the class week after week is the same thing lol. The classes are also inexpensive compared to Le Petite Balen. The makeup sessions are very flexible too - just be sure to call Monday morning at 10am the week you'll be needing a different day - and generally they're able to fit you in. Or even in my case, they couldn't, but said to call the following week to have me do the make-up, which was so kind. Parking is super easy here too, and conveniently located next to the Zoo and Sunset district.

Enrolled my baby into the Cuttlefish class and he enjoys it! Some instructors are more enthusiastic…read morethan the others, but that's okay. I like that the pool is heated since it gets pretty cold in the area. The first 15 minutes is free time, then the rest of class consists of sing-along and additional activities. I thought an hour would be too long, but it goes by pretty quickly. One session isn't enough to teach them to swim, it's nice to get them acclimated to being in the water and getting their whole head wet. Especially when we don't know anyone that has a pool near us.

I used to swim here regularly during the week. Splitting the (too narrow) lanes was common but…read morehaving to circle-swim (3+ people) was not as common. So I could usually do a full, varied workout. City pools are crowded and small, so it was an understandable reality. The pool's hours changed a year ago, making it harder for me to go regularly. Recently I tried the newish Sunday morning hours, and both times it was much too crowded, with four people per lane (and more waiting) typical. It's too difficult to keep a pace, especially if you vary your strokes, with that many people each trying to do their thing in such a crowded, narrow lane. The Sunday hours are for just 90 minutes, so everyone has to come at once. SF added the Sunday hours so at least one city pool would be open each day. Great idea, but one pool for the whole city and open for such a short time was misguided. How much more would it cost to be open another 90 minutes, given the staff is there anyhow? I know resources are tight, but on Sundays at least the Garfield pool is a difficult experience.

The locker room was renovated! It's much nicer now. The pool is as I described it before.read more

Very crowded pool Snorkeling equipment allowed so pool is…read morelike swimming in the ocean. Swimmers are wild and you can expect to get kicked! Swimmers constantly cut by not going to end before turning for return lap. Swimmers hacking spit in pool wells! Saw a Swimmers get in pool with dirt covering her bottom feet! Some lifeguards need to do a better job of managing pool activity. Large fins make for unfair swimming conditions! Overall Balboa pool could do with some user friendly changes. Very disappointed experience. A lifeguard made me get in the slow lane to accommodate a Snorkeling swimmer so I had to wait for clearance to do my laps! I felt discriminated because I wasn't on the scuba team!!!​

Great pool, surprised myself that I really enjoyed the heated water…read more Thanks for the swim, Balboa - keep it nice!

I've used the pools at the YMCA buildings in San Francisco. I decided to try this pool in North…read moreBeach. It's $8 day pass. I didn't know it was the only public pool with a sauna. The gyms have saunas with pool. The pool was nice. The location is nice in North Beach. The locker room was pretty good. I would be back. Lap swim is ideal.

This is such a great place to swim and relax. I've been here 12 times and it's been smooth sailing…read more The main facilities are clean. I love how they have a swimsuit dryer and plenty of showers. I highly recommend you purchase shower shoes! Don't let your feet touch the ground in the locker rooms. I like the 2 pool concept. It makes it easier for the lap swims to be spread out. I have a monthly pass and I have been swimming usually during the "lap swim" times. I know the "rec swim" can get busy here. Bring shoes!!! Staff are nice. Easy drop off and pick up area outside the building too.

Overall, I very much appreciate having Koret swim pool around. It's just sometimes its rules and…read moreexecution of them irk me. Otherwise, every swim is a great swim!

Just updating this to say the gym is closed closer to 1.5-2 months per year, easily. There's a…read morereason why it's so much cheaper. If you're someone who goes to the gym 6-7 days a week do not choose this gym.

The worst administration and gym ever. If you come to them with a complaint, expect to be dismissed…read moreand receive empty words and no action. Their aquatics team are a bunch of inexperienced volunteers and treat children badly! Extremely disappointed and horrified by the treatment we recieved in this gym and by its administration!

I never imagined I'd have to write a review like this, but after repeated incidents and a shocking…read morelack of accountability, I feel compelled to speak up. At this gym, there's a member who regularly blasts loud music from a speaker on the rooftop area--despite multiple polite requests and formal reports from other gym-goers asking for basic respect in a shared space. Rather than enforcing any reasonable noise policy (or even acknowledging common courtesy), management has repeatedly excused the behavior, citing "no official rule" about rooftop music. What's worse? Those who report the issue are being punished. Instead of addressing the offender, the gym suspended a reporting member--sending a loud and clear message: they will protect the rule-breaker and penalize the rule-follower. This is not just poor customer service--it's a clear failure of leadership and community care. We don't need a sign that says "don't play disruptive music in shared workout spaces," just like we don't need a sign saying "don't show up to the gym naked." Some things are common sense. If you're looking for a gym that prioritizes your comfort, respects community standards, or takes member concerns seriously--this is not the place. Until there's an apology and an actual accountability system in place, I can't in good conscience recommend this gym to anyone.