TL;DR beautiful pool, beautiful gym…read more PLUSES: + outdoor pool = great view (campanile) + design is old, rustic, and beautiful + huge locker rooms + halls are perfect for a photoshoot

This 33-meter (108+ feet!) rooftop pool of Roman proportions and elegance is a treasure of the UC…read moreBerkeley campus. The locker room is approached by a walk through a sunlit hallway of old, multi-paned windows. The locker room is spotless, and fabulously equipped. Then, the pool itself...holy crap...first of all, it's on a ROOF, and it's made of MARBLE and mosaic tiles. And there are huge concrete terraces on which to sun and rest oneself, as well as to view eye candy from the waterpolo team doing leisurely laps as if just for show. The lanes are huuuuge so collisions are rare. In fact, it sometimes feels like the place is a secret even from the lucky students who can enjoy it, because I don't remember it ever being crowded. In fact, as the sound of the Campanile heard between breaths of the fresh Berkeley breeze blowing over the verdant quad can charm anyone into thinking that they are having a dream of liquid solitude. Here, I was able to break through my 2-lap ceiling and seal my love of swimming forever. Okay, one pain in the ass is that you have to pay a fee to rent out a locker...but at least you CAN rent out a locker! Another pain in the ass is that you have to wear a damn swim tag on your person to show that you are allowed to be in or around the pool in the first place...but the crispy, sun-yellow, and oh-so-filchable towels provided by the gym make up for all this... Yeah, so basically, there's nothing negative that can be said about this pool. It is a drop of Heaven on Earth.

Update: after contacting the city I was allowed to go around the side instead of having to go…read morethrough the locker rooms. If you want to do the same, just tell them at the check in desk that you'd like to enter around the side. Staff now has instructions to let you do so if you ask. However, still no access to nonbinary bathroom or shower accommodations at this public facility.

A good no-frills city pool for lap swimming. Friendly staff, and the people who swim here are also…read morefriendly without the "get-out-of-the-way-I'm-getting-my-swim-in" attitude you get at some pools. You usually have to share a lane and often have to circle swim, but that's pretty standard for a city pool. You need to pay in advance and register at city of Berkeley website. Pool and deck are well-maintained. It is a school pool so you're changing in a middle school locker room. My one wish is that they would clean/mop the locker room partway throught the evening, as it is often impossible to find a place to change that isn't wet and slippery.

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.

Wow, coming back to Albany Aquatics Center for kiddo swim lessons is full circle. Back in the day I…read moreswam here for swim meets in high school and now coming back, such a cool moment to be with the family. They offer Tot Swim (including on Sundays) which is honestly such a fun addition. We called ahead of time with a bunch of questions as newbies and inquired about walk-ins. We received answers to everything we needed to be set up with success for our first swim. There's also a super cool vending machine by the bathrooms/showers/changing areas that offers nutritious pre and post snacks, goggles, sunscreen, and I think swim caps too. The indoor pool is super spacious and everyone was respectful (of lanes, hehe). You're able to utilize pool accessories during the swim hours and there's lifeguards on duty with a stop watch to let you know when Tot time is over. We had around an hour and 15 or so. There's an awesome grass area and epic park next door. Parking is accessible in front of center. Can't wait to return! Definitely check the swim calendar online before heading over.

My son is currently enrolled in swim classes here. The instructions & expectations are clear. At…read morethe end of each session we had to be a bit persistent in obtaining a report card, but upon receipt, it's very detailed on what he needs to work on and what he did well. We will continue to enroll him here, especially since they also have an indoor pool for Fall & Winter sessions.

OLYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST MISSY FRANKLIN…read more I came last Saturday to watch a swim meet between Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears. The main attraction for me was a chance to see Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin swim in competition. The layout of the facility is different from what I normally see a swim meet on television. First the lanes are only 25 meters long - half of the standard 50 meters lane. Second the facility is outdoor. The facility overall is small than the standard world class swimming facility. However the smaller facility means that you have a great view to see events from the diving competition to the swim races. Another cool feature about the facility is that on the wall facing the spectators you can see years of NCAA championships that Cal Golden Bears team have won relating to water sports - Men's Swimming and Diving Team, Women's Swimming and Diving Team, and Men's Water Polo. Not only did I have a chance to see Missy Franklin swim to win three events - 200M Freestyle, 100M Freestyle, and 500M Freestyle - but also the swim meet was free admission to the public. Where do you have a chance to see an Olympic Gold Medalist compete for free? It appears this is the place to see.

Their website says their open Sat at 11am. I arrived at 1 pm and they were closed…read more Went to Hearst pool, mentioned it the folks at the desk and they couldn't give a damn. Their respond was oh well. Your a college with bright young kids the least you can do is have an accurate website!

Plenty of problems to work on at this climbing gym. The routes are also decently rated. Staff at…read moreIronworks are helpful. Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere and set up here.

Amazing gym, went with our old neighbors for climbing, been a hot minute almost 20 years for me and…read moreit was a good plunge back into climbing. really friendly people both employees and patrons, parkings a bit of a fight if you don't know where to go, but membership gets you into other gyms.

Positives: They…read morehave like 17 squat racks in a room. It's amazing to see. The chemicals in the spray bottles are blue, so I know the workout equipment I'm spraying it with will be clean. The cardio area looked nice but I didn't get a chance to use it when I went two weeks ago. Negatives: Their upper body free weight area is kind of stuffy.

The Berkeley YMCA continues to be my least favorite branch, which is unfortunate because it is my…read morehome branch. A month ago or so, I was there on a Saturday afternoon, and a staff member comes into the locker room to announce they are about to close. I hop in the shower and quickly get dressed. The staff tell each member on their way out that next time, they need to leave earlier. I can certainly understand wanting people to exit by closing time so that you can clock out as soon as your shift is over, but how about setting yourself up for success by starting with some sort of announcement about closing time? Do they really think all members know the exact gym hours -- which vary by the day of the week? I don't think they have public address system, but it would solve the problem of members not being aware that the gym is closing soon. The public library gets everyone out on time by announcing 30, 15, and five minutes remaining. The YMCA should do the same. One more thing: the men's locker room is has an unpleasant air -- and it isn't just from the men. The vents push warm air in for some reason, making it uncomfortable. I guess it's another way they try to get people to leave.

I made the mistake of getting a 10-times swim pass card, anticipating that I would be able to swim…read moreuntil the end of September. Well, we are past the first half of September now and I have not been able to use my pass. The heater is broken and the water in the swimming pool is very cold. The administration makes no attempt to accommodate the community. The pool is open in the morning for a lap swim which makes no sense. The warmer parts of the day are in the afternoon, so the water doesn't warm up until 1:30 PM when they close the pool. Also, the weight room opens up at 6 PM so you cannot coordinate workouts. Oh, and the pool is closed on Saturdays and Sundays when most people have free time to use it. Why not open the pool from 4 pm-6 pm, and on weekends, so people could enjoy warmer water and then use the gym? Please, either make a more sensible schedule or refund my money!

I like the pool and the people there also nice life guard and nice school awesome stuffread more

This gym is a perfect nexus for me. It's convenient to get to, it's remarkably inexpensive…read more(relative to similar gyms), and staff are friendly. The facilities are always clean and there are plenty of machines and weights for all (leg workout devices are a little sparse). Maybe not state of the art and new, but it's excellent value. As a member, you can also visit any City Sports Club in the area, and there are many!

This is a really nice physical space, I love the big windows and natural light…read more.. But omg I am too old for the misleading and covert sales attempts First of all, if having you hold a little machine with metal handles was a legit way to measure your physical fitness or cardio strength or lean muscle vs fat, I think on many decades of doctor visits I would have encountered it! This felt like 100 percent an attempt to leverage people's trust in technology and fear of the wellness industries standards too make me buy more services from this gym. Did I mention I'm too old to have a young man and his machine tell me about my body and health goals? They told me when I joined i would get a free personal training session that would tell me how to use machines ( i expressed repeatedly that i don't need help with goal setting, good on that, thanks!) Instead the supposed personal training session was an elaborate sales pitch. Did I mention I'm too old? The trainer had me do some exercises and I guess evaluated something but to get any details on how to use the machines, which I stated many many times was my only reason for the session , I was invited to give up more of my money and time. Luckily, I'm old, so all I wasted was about 3o minutes instead of also spending extra money or having random people with pseudo scientific machines and full in the blank worksheets make me doubt myself and my body. I'll keep coming bc working out feels good and makes me feel healthy but I'm aware I'm walking into an attempted scam every time I enter.