Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an absolute hub for all kinds of sports and fitness. The…read moremost striking feature of the entire centre is probably the outside Olympic sized swimming pool. I've never tried it out but it does look amazing. What I have tried on numerous occasions are their squash courts. There are 10 international standard squash courts including a four walled glass show court. The courts are the best that we play on in our league (on a par with Moorabbin). They are quicker than most around the circuit but I'm a fan. If I lived next door to MSAC, I would play a hell of a lot more sports here. A great venue for all sports.

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is the place to be for r all kinds of sports and fitness. The…read morebig feature is probably the outside Olympic sized swimming pool. I am yet to take a dip, but ill get there at some point. What I have tried on numerous occasions are their Basketball courts. There are 10 international standard squash courts including a four walled glass show court. Badminton Courts, Table Tennis Arena, Gymnasium, Olympic pools x 2 wading pools, slides, Surfing on wave, bike racks & gym. A amazing venue for all sports & fitness.

Clean pool , great facilities and friendly staff. I am in a wheelchair so I particularly notice…read more disability accessibility.

How lucky we are to have access to such a pool so close to the city. This is a 50 metre outdoor…read morepool that provides for the littlies as well with separate a kiddie pool. There are spacious surroundings with a lot of lounging area, although there is a distinct lack of grass. The pool is mostly clean and chlorine levels are well maintained. The spa is large enough for eight and it can get busy in the sauna and steam room. Lap swimmers mostly use the pool year round (thanks to the solar heating, this is easily possible in winter too), but in the warmer months hoards of people flock the pool, especially on weekends. On Sunday afternoons in summer, live bands play and the party atmosphere is contagious. Open since 1908, there are numerous photos and plaques to provide some history. Also there are huge cautions in Italian, to remind you of the history of Fitzroy.

I feel a bit weird reviewing this gym. Sort of like I'm cheating on my long-time favourite, Virgin…read moreActive. The fact of the matter is however, I no longer work in the city. So making a special trip in for Virgin seems a little extreme. Moreover, at just $23 a fortnight, North Melbourne Recreation is a darn sight cheaper than the big V. Joining North Melbourne Rec gives you access to a surprising number of different facilities for that weeny price too... the basketball stadium (home court of the Melbourne Tigers), tennis courts, Carlton baths, North Melbourne swimming pool and of course, the gym. I generally go during off-peak hours so I can't comment on how busy it gets, but I've been impressed at how smoothly things seems to run during the more in-demand times. For those who are so inclined, it's probably also worth noting that as this is the home ground for the Melbourne Tigers (basketball) AND the North Melbourne Kangaroos (AFL) you often aren't short of eye candy. What it's really about for me though, is that it's clean, new and supervised. The latter being important for those of us who may have a nasty habit of passing out on occasion!

the NMRC has loads to offer almost everyone, from pool to gym and even basketball and netball…read morecourts! Personally I am a fan of the pool! There is the usual 25m lap pool divided up in to fast, medium and slow but the big star of the North Melbourne pool isn't the lap pool. it is the three other, interconnected pools. Starting at a baby pool, which must only be a few centimeters deep and is totally covered by a shade cloth. This is connected by a small pebble path to a toddler pool, with steps and 'beach entry' so the little ones can approach it with ease. For those who don't know, a 'beach entry' is just a gentle sloping ramp from the side down to the bottom of the pool so it almost feels like a beach, if you ignore the lack of sand. The toddler pool is only partially covered by a shade cloth, so parents can get a tan as well as playing with the little ones. Next is the main pool, also connected by a pebble path to the toddler pool (I don't know why i found that so cool, maybe it was just the burble of the water or the more natural feel) The main pool is where all the action is! Like the toddler pool, it has steps and a 'beach entry' and steps. It has a few little ledges to sit on and for children to play, In the middle is a huge water umbrella to make sure you stay cool on the 40+ days. All in all this is a great pool for all ages!

Great club, top line equipment, friendly social interactions, recommend if you are local or passing…read morethrough.

Full disclosure: I'm approaching 40 years old and haven't been a member of a gym in my life…read more That's a lie. I was a member of a rival gym a couple of years ago. When I joined up I was given an introductory personal training session in which I was reminded how unfit I was and sent packing with a detailed report on my woeful state of health. Or that's how it felt. Totally demoralising and I never went back. That was the background to my contact with Virgin Active (Bourke St.), following a new determination to get fit. It loomed in the background as I perused their site and filled in the contact form. So much so that I shared it with them when they called me back the same day. And again when I had a tour. But my experience with Virgin was nothing like what I experienced elsewhere. It was positive, inclusive, accommodating. They looked to take their cues from me and support my goals rather than impose their own standards. I could talk about the equipment (loads of it), the space (masses of it), or the range of activities (pool/spa/sauna? Check. Indoor rock climbing? Check.) I could mention the cleanliness of the venue or friendliness of the staff. But what it comes down to here is care. Is this a warehouse full of keep fit stuff or does it house a culture of care? It's the latter. Virgin Active have my ongoing business because at each stage they have proven themselves to care about who I am, where I'm at and what I'm aiming for. And that's valuable.

The historic St Kilda Sea Baths are located directly on the esplanade in a beautiful, white…read morecomplex. Extensive work has been taken out on the building and the Sea Baths now contain two restaurants, day spa, pools, gym and health club. As far as pools and gyms go, I don't think there's any positioned better in the world. From both area's you get the most amazing panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay. I'm not much for working out, but I know from experience there is nothing better than lazing back in the massive, heated spa in the pool room, the spa being about two metres from the floor to ceiling windows that look straight out on to the ocean. We were in St Kilda for my husband's birthday and it rained all weekend constantly. Wanting to still enjoy the beach, there was no better way than to soak in that spa and watch as the storm clouds and rain swept in from the horizon. It was a seriously tranquil experience. Both the gym and day spa have won numerous industry awards and it's not just for the views, location or facilities. All of Melbourne's best beauty therapists and personal trainers vie for positions at the Sea Baths so you're bound to get the results you want. The only downside is if you want to live the life of a bay side suburbian, you'd better have the cash to go with it because the beauty, professionalism, tranquility, facilities and bubbles come at quite a cost. Not a place I can afford to go often but worth every bit of pampering when I've got the time and finances to go.

This place is too swank and has the multi-million $ slot of real estate.... this is a place of…read moreexercise and getting the fat off, and the fit on?! This... with restaurants and bars flanking it from all sides, the beach directly in front, and the most gorgeous views of the Bay? Just an amazing facility, with an indoor salted seawater full size lap pool, and a very elongated chill and relax spa for just 'being'. A few chairs for stretching out in that salty, humid environment to people watch the esplanade there. Showers at the pool level, in case one is coming in off the beach, to rid all sand. Upstairs are the gym facilities and proper equipment. I have an inside know of the fees for the monthly membership, and it's just hard to rationalize plonking that kind of coin down for something, that ultimately, is for sweating and working out. Still, it is a beauty, this health club bedecked with all finer things. Just look for the domed Santorini-like white building along front in Catani Gardens. Unless you've got a zoned parking permit, I also wish you well on the parking. That can definitely make you want to climb the walls and get your runners on!

Theres two types of people. People who pose on the stairs and people who sit on the grass laughing…read moreat the posers on the stairs. During Summer the Prahran pool is a chlorinated blessing for south siders eager to cool down and show off their latest elastane swimwear. Male and female tanorexics (posing is not limited to the gays as local culture would have you believe) lay on the stairs and soak up the sun like lizards while the hipster kids lay on the grass and drink smuggled goon. I may be painting a somewhat seedy picture of the Prahran Pool however overall it is a pleasant experience during the warmer months. They have early opening hours for the keen swimmer (summer and winter months) and there is also a spa, sauna and steam room. The cliche of the Prahran pool may be some what exaggerated, there is still a bit of a clique but who cares? When its hot everyone sweats and the pool is a chill saturday afternoon.

Not safe for people of colour…read more I was at Prahran Aquatic Centre; first time. I once went before but didn't use facilities - just sat with friends. I was asked by a customer if I had "lots of kids". I smiled and said I was maybe a bit young. She then asked me if I was Indian. I said "I might be". She pressed me "you MIGHT be?" I stated that I was born and raised here and don't like commenting about my race because of stereotypes it attracts. She immediately said "Indians have lots of kids". I said that "this was an example of a stereotype I was trying to avoid". She said defiantly "that's not a stereotype, that is a statistic". I said "no, it's actually a stereotype". She cut me off by saying "you have issues, you bring those issues upon yourself and you belong in St Kilda, not here". I reported this to staff. She stated that she agreed it was inappropriate and I said to her that I didn't really feel safe anymore in this environment. She kept telling me that they wanted the pools to be diverse. She kept offering me a free pass, which I eventually accepted. I told her that casual racism was something I faced everyday. She also said "that's not Australian culture!" I told her indeed it was Australian culture and she said "I don't think it is Australian culture!" I said as someone who has blonde hair and blue eyes she isn't going to be able to discern racism that people of colour face, although she may be able to discern sexism. She agreed that she faces continuous sexism in her area of study. Staff said she would talk to the lady. Linden advised me "I'm not trying to put you down" but that the woman was "trying to dig herself out of a hole about assuming I was old enough to have lots of kids and that's why she commented about you being Indian". I got lots of explanations that "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole and didn't mean any harm". Apparently the lady admitted that she was sorry - to Staff. No such apology was conveyed to me. Staff didn't respond other than to brush aside when I said that her last words to me were "you have issues and belong in St Kilda" which doesn't indicate that she wasn't really all that sorry or trying to make up to me. I repeated this a couple of times and Staff who would just kind of ignore it, interrupt me and not respond. I also said that assumptions about race are not a valid way to dig yourself out of a hole. Staff would say "I'm not justifying it" but then would go on to justify it by saying "she didn't mean any harm and trying to dig herself out of a hole". I was annoyed that this was accepted as an explanation of racial stereotypes: that "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole". Staff became incredibly defensive and loudly said "I didn't justify her, I just wanted you to REFLECT on what she meant and realise that she didn't mean any harm". Yet repeatedly justified her with that explanation. This is classic behaviour towards people of colour. We need to *reflect* and understand that racist comments weren't meant to cause any harm. I replied to Staff this reflected a larger issue. The issue of the perspective of people of colour being minimised, such that we are expected to understand stereotypes are somehow explicable and therefore their harm somehow neutralised. Let alone the comments that I had "issues that I brought upon myself" and should "go to St Kilda where the people are precious" - which Staff repeatedly ignored when I raised it. When Staff would say "she had a different story", I would ask her whether she denied what she said. Staff would simply respond by saying "she didn't mean harm". Staff never were able to deny the facts - but kept saying "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole and didn't mean harm". I said to Staff this is why diversity in staff and not just clientele so important to create an environment that is safe for all cultures, not just representing one world view.. At this Linden absolutely exploded, told me I was being incredibly offensive for suggesting that the staff were not diverse. How dare I when they are "trying to create diversity". (My job as a person of colour is to reassure her and not challenge her). That she had given me a free pass and an explanation and I am supposed to "feel better". And that commenting on the importance of diversity is "reverse racism". She started accusing me of "reverse racism". I knew I had tapped into white fragility and ignorance. I explained to Linden that reverse racism isn't a thing. That pointing out that she is white and therefore unable to understand the harmful nature of stereotypes people of colour face is not "reverse racism", as evidenced by her "explanation". At this point, staff hung up on me. I have concerns that comments about lack of diversity and therefore lack of empathy are met with screams of "reverse racism" and I'm hung up on.

Don't honour their swim passes, don't listen to customers, dismissive of enquiries. Overpriced and…read moreunderdeliver.

The 50m pool is excellent. The temperature is perfect at 26, the end turn walls are non slip, the…read morechange rooms are clean and the water clear.

Here's a useless fact: Carlton Baths is where my maternal grandparents met for the very first time…read moreand fell in love. It was an old-fashioned chlorine scented romance... That was back in the 1940's, and the swimming pool has now expanded to a YMCA gym with a few not-so-modcons for keeping fit. I don't use the machines, but I do attend the yoga classes occasionally. It tends to be an over fifty crowd at yoga, which suits me as I'm instantly in the more flexible half of the class despite being terribly lazy. The Baths offer other popular classes like Zumba and Pump, but I'm too uncoordinated to attempt these. There are also a few low impact classes especially for elderly people - a more gentle version of yoga and good ol' water aerobics. I can't wait till I'm retired so I can get a floral swimming cap and hit the water aerobics circuit. The building is currently undergoing refurbishments so there are disruptions and relocations for some classes - check the website for updates.

From the owner: If you want to focus on you, your health & your fitness, the Carlton Baths Community Centre is the…read moreplace to be.