Anonymous
Unfortunately, this is not the greatest place to do laps. It’s a beautiful, historic building, but the 5 lane, 25m pool is more for leisurely swims than for working out. It’s busy (with a couple of the lanes occasionally taken up by classes), the lanes are very narrow (swimmers in my lane and the lanes next to me kept bumping into me), one side of the pool is only about 2-feet deep, so it’s hard to take off, let alone do flip turns. On a positive note, the pool temperature is good, the staff were friendly, it’s inexpensive, and it’s conveniently located less than a 10 min walk from the north train station.
For those that visit, be aware that they don’t accept credit cards. Also, swim caps are required for everyone. After paying the entry fee, you go up the stairs to a coed room where everyone puts their shoes in lockers (lockers cost a refundable 0.5€, but you can also just keep your shoes in your bag). You then walk barefoot through a dirty foot washing pool to the main pool area where they have individual free “cabins.” You change and leave your things in your personal cabin (there’s a guard there and they open up your cabin when you return), and head down a slippery spiral staircase to get to the pool. The only showers are at the poolside. Everyone just swims in whatever lane they choose, with no separation based on speed/skill.
For those that visit, be aware that they don’t accept credit cards. Also, swim caps are required for everyone. After paying the entry fee, you go up the stairs to a coed room where everyone puts their shoes in lockers (lockers cost a refundable 0.5€, but you can also just keep your shoes in your bag). You then walk barefoot through a dirty foot washing pool to the main pool area where they have individual free “cabins.” You change and leave your things in your personal cabin (there’s a guard there and they open up your cabin when you return), and head down a slippery spiral staircase to get to the pool. The only showers are at the poolside. Everyone just swims in whatever lane they choose, with no separation based on speed/skill.