Awful. Too crowded, too small, ridiculous rules and nasty people (the swimmers, not the staff)read more

The pool is warm. The slow lane is good, but lifeguards need to get fast swimmers out of the slow…read morelane.

First time visiting this outdoor pool faciltiy on 1/17/26 (Saturday) during their public hours…read morewhich opens at 11am. Front desk staff was friendly and I was able to sign up for a 10 visit pass for $51, otherwise it's $6 a visit. I figured this will hopefully keep me consistent for the beginning of the year. The facility itself could use an upgrade but overall it is wat you would expect from an older building. The entrance into the pool is through the locker area which has lockers, changing area with benches, showers, and bathrooms. The pool looks fairly clean on the surface and we'll maintained. There are lanes divided into slow, fast, and medium speeds for circle swimming. Much of the demographics is 50+ during the time I went and they were all spaced out fairly evenly. The pool is actually open earlier for swim club members ($55/month) which is nice for early birds and the crowd seems younger at that time. I was told it's open to the public to sign up for that as well. The water itself was a good temperature. The pool goes from 3 ft to 9 ft. The bottom of the pool was clean on the 3 feet side, but had debris on the floor in the 9ft side. Folks would swim for about 30 minutes - 1 hour and more folks would flow into the lanes. Everyone is respectful and the regulars would chat with one another at the walls. There are kickboards and other supplies you can borrow from in a shed if you'd like. There is a lifeguard on duty. I asked her for the time, but she didn't know it, which I thought was odd because I could hear her talking on the phone or talking aloud. I asked another swimmer for the time and he said there's a clock right behind me, which I didn't see, and I'm surprised the lifeguard couldn't just tell me there was a clock to check. Apart from that, I enjoyed my one hour swim and got a reality check on how out of shape I am. I'll definitely come back to continue swimming and work my way up to the fast lane. Check out more recs and spots in the bay @thefoodhigh

Superb pool. The lanes are wide and the pool is heated. The pool length is 30 yards. The other…read moreswimmer are friendly.

I grew up at Franklin Park Pool. This is where I truly learned how to swim, took swimming lessons,…read moreparticipated in annual swimming competitions and in the end, became an instructor and life guard. It's not the greatest pool in the world. There are only two pools (the "kids pool" and the "big pool"), the locker rooms are literally just rooms where you can shower and throw your stuff (there are no actual lockers), a minimal BBQ area and there is literally a "cage" where you can stash your kids. BUT since I grew up here, I knew there was nothing better, and it was within walking distance of my house. I always found the people who worked and taught lessons here to be amazing (which was also how I ended up doing the same later on). I don't know if the staff is still up to that standard. The place was a little lame on the rules (you honestly weren't ever supposed to have toys in the pools), but once I was put in charge of summer life guard duty with one of my best friends, we turned that on it's ear. There will never be a better summer job than one where you can get into an all out war with the two guys who ran the park programs by enlisting your afternoon swim class into helping you fill up water balloons and take them down. And I'm sorry, but we started American Idol wayyy back in the day with a boom box, a handful of CDs and impromptu performances with the kids when we would get bored. And yes, I hated "adult swim" when I was a kid and we would get kicked out of the pool for an hour. But I LOVED fire fighter swim hour when I worked there and got paid to sit in the sun and watch beautiful men swim laps, jump out, do a set of push ups and jump back in. Money. Well. Earned. =)

This is a wonderful swim club, with a gym. It's not a huge anonymous health club; but a…read morewell-maintained 95 year old community treasure. The gym equipment has been updated, is clean and works well. The service team keeps the pools clean and at 81-82 degrees. Baby pool is a little warmer. It's a very warm & casual vibe. Staff are friendly and attentive. Milan, the manager, seems to recognize and have a warm word for everyone. The members, too, are very friendly. Through a cooperative agreement with Piedmont Swim Team, there are excellent swim lessons for all ages. My husband and I took refresher courses from Zoe, who is a truly talented instructor. Lessons are also available to non-members. The downside for some families will be the swim-at-your-own-risk policy: there are no lifeguards. Staff are pretty attentive, but also have other duties. PROs - This is a great club if: - Lap Swimming is your preferred activity; or - You live or work in the area; or - Mid-Day is your preferred Sun bathing period; or - you avoid crowds; or - Your backstroke is improved by watching red-tailed hawks. CONs - If your pod needs a lifeguard, or if historic facilities are not your vibe, you may want to check somewhere else. I heartily recommend this club. Enjoy your swim!

I joined Montclair Swim Club because I was looking for an option closer to home and after about a…read moreyear decided it wasn't really for me. They have good hours and the lifeguards at the front office are super helpful. The pool itself is a bit unusual - one end is quite shallow so it takes a bit of getting used to it for doing flip turns. There are always kids around - and quite often children's swim teams practicing. When I first started swimming there, I kept hear the name "Marco" being yelled repeatedly and thought "This must be the worst game of Marco-Polo ever!" I later found out it was that one guy on the kids' swim team who doesn't hear instructions and keeps swimming when everyone else is stopping. The hot tub is not bad - it's quite big. It's sadly full of people who all seem to want to talk OVER the noise of the jets. I can only imagine what it must be like for the people who live in the canyon all around and have to hear banal conversations, frequently alcohol fueled as there are many people with cans of beer in the hot tub, about personal relationships and compost bins. While parking is plentiful - there are plenty of people who block the road because they can't be bothered to park and walk 20 feet. There are even some rather entitled white male Tesla drivers who will criticize another person's driving despite the fact that they had no problems parking themselves (and the parking lines are many, worn down, and contradictory at best). There's definitely a bit of elitist element among the long time/regulars. Finally, the locker rooms are a horror. They are not kept clean and could do with re-tiling. The lockers are a mess. The toilets are miniscule and not much bigger than what you'd find in an airplane. I do confess that the source of my discontent was a visit to Villa Sport in San Jose last summer -- and the realization that for HALF the money, I could be getting way way more value. Let's not even get into the strange cash-only deposits and lack of policy to suspend membership when out of town or out of commission for long periods of time. It's a really great pool and club for families -- it's got picnic tables, grills, and you can bring the au pair as part of your membership. Two stars for single people without kids who prefer clean lockerooms - but five stars for families with lower standards and more money.

Harbor Bay Club is not low priced, but it is worth every penny. It looks like a country club. It…read morehas a huge outdoor pool with 6 lap lanes, tennis courts and pickle ball courts. There is an outdoor hot tub. In the women and in the men's locker rooms there is another hot tub, sauna and steam bath. The locker room is constantly being cleaned, by the hard working staff. There are hair dryers and plastic bags to put your cosmetics in. I use the elliptical machine every time. The room with elliptical machines, stair climbing machine and tread mills looks out over a grassy field , the pool and then the estuary. The club was open during the pandemic because the club designed a way to have air circulating throughout. There are tropical plants inside the club. I like to do Pilates and yoga and there are always rooms available. There are many classes here, Pilates, reformer, yoga etc. There are a lot of rules for this club, which I find refreshing. You will not see anyone filming themselves for TikTok here. That is not allowed. The people are friendly and extremely polite and considerate. The young people at the front desk are always helpful and friendly. It is a very positive Alameda vibe.

"I strongly advise against joining this club. My experience over the last ten days has been nothing…read morebut frustrating. The environment is extremely toxic, filled with arrogant and rude individuals who lack basic manners. The staff here is just as unprofessional and unhelpful. It is not a place for decent people; the atmosphere is mentally draining, and the quality of people frequenting this club is highly questionable. Save your time, money, and mental peace--this place is not worth it."

Oakland has a multitude of Parks and Recreation Centers, most of which undergo constant renovation…read moreand repair to keep them accessible and modern. But this Oakland Parks and Rec pool feels like the little forgotten sister, perhaps because of it's location or the fact that Fremont Pool has almost the exact footprint and design of Temescal Pool, which was recently renovated. Despite it's shabby appearance, this pool is constantly filled with children and adults. The OPR website states, "Fremont pool is located at Fremont High School and serves the East Oakland community with fun, safe and recreational programs. Pool use includes swimming classes and lessons for tiny tots, children and adults, swim team practice, water aerobics, recreational swim and so much more." Despite the flooded changing rooms, I always enjoy taking the water aerobics class that occurs at the end of the day after adult swimming lessons. There are generally very few people that show up, and you couldn't ask for a better student to teacher ratio. At times, there are more swim and water aerobics instructors than swimmers themselves! And if you come on a lucky day where Martha is your instructor, be prepared to have the water workout of your life. This woman knows her stuff.

Great customer service and lifeguards are nice and friendly. Definitely recommend this placeread more

review #29 out of 31!…read more I got to visit this club last weekend (Jan24). The weather was nice and sunny, but a little windy so layers were a must. I was here to watch my tennis team play (who ended up winning all lines SWEEP) and I loved the views! So pretty! I could see the city so clearly. Every room looked like it had a nice view, except the bathroom for obvious reasons. I would love to play at the tennis courts here for a match one day (total 10).

This review is just for the tennis courts! I was lucky enough to be able to play here for a special…read moreevent in collaboration with another tennis group that I'm a part of. First off, right away, I got a great parking spot with a beautiful view, overlooking the city and the courts! The parking lot seems kinda small/medium, I can imagine it gets filled up, but I was lucky enough to get a spot. It seems easy enough to get street parking outside though if the lot fills up. Inside, there is a room to the left when you enter with a TV and chairs/tables. That day they had US Open matches on. We were setup here for a potluck, to be enjoyed later post tennis. There's then a patio view where you can look down at the courts/people playing, and the city view. Then there are stairs leading down to the courts! The courts were very clean, well-maintained, and brightly painted! I'm comparing to the public courts of Oakland lol which can sometimes be rough - sometimes there is a lot of foliage from nearby trees/nature, fading paint, cracks, holes in nets, etc. These courts were pristine compared to what I'm used to! I met some OHTC members through the event, and everyone was very nice. They were even convincing me to join, and I would consider! Employees there as well were very nice and helped me with any questions I had. I hope to have more events here, rally as a guest, or to join one day!

This review is long overdue! Growing up, I never learned how to swim, but it was always a goal of…read moremine to conquer it. While I wasn't afraid of pools or the ocean, I'd drown if I found myself in deep water without a life vest. I decided to finally take the plunge and learn in my 30s, and I'm so glad I found Woody! At the time, she was offering lessons in Oakland, and I chose her because it was in my neighborhood. Although the 1:1 lessons were a bit pricey for my budget at the time, they were worth it! After a few months of lessons, I was able to get past the mental barrier I had around deep water and finally learned how to tread water. Beyond that, Woody equipped me with numerous skills and techniques to feel confident and comfortable in the water. Let me tell you, learning to swim as an adult is no easy feat, but having a fantastic instructor makes all the difference. I highly recommend Woody for swim lessons! Thank you, Woody!

My daughter started swim lessons about three years ago. She is 9 now. She liked being in the pool…read morewhen we started although did not know how to swim (though she thought she knew how to swim!) She didn't want to start swim lessons. We wanted the peace of mind that she knew how to swim so we joined the wait list and started as soon as we could. We told her it is a life lesson and she had to do it and thankfully she agreed. Our daughter isn't quick to trust or warm up. I was a little concerned that the teachers wouldn't respect her shyness That was not the case at all. The coaches are all respectful, kind and professional. Now she knows how to swim and more! The picture is of her learning to dive! My husband started taking lessons too because he was inspired to improve his swim technique. Both really enjoyed swimming with the coaches and learned a lot. We highly recommend Woodys swim school!