Kopališče Tivoli

The wristband worked effectively as expected: It allowed entry into the facility; it was used to assign lockers; and it was used to exit the facility. Once you choose a locker, touch it to the monitor screen located midway in a row of lockers, then touch it to your locker to lock it. To retrieve your items after a swim, touch the band to the monitor and your locker number will appear on the screen and your locker will open.

At 7:30 AM the lap lanes were reserved for classes and teams. The remaining combined three lanes were for general swimming, making lap swims at a fast pace a challenge. Swimmers did not follow any order and it was distracting to have to frequently look to see if you would collide with another swimmer.

There is a café upstairs with an aerial view of the pool.

I laughed to read about the chipped wristband in the first review. There has perhaps been some infrastructure decay since 2014, but no one explained it to me. Visually clear graphics encouraged me to use it to enter the pool. It served no other purpose, as the chip reader to exit the pool is broken, and I did what all the Slovenes did and just left it on the (unattended) desk.

Although, this is one of those cabana-style changing rooms, there are separate showers for males and females, permitting one wash 100% of one's body surface without exposing it to the view of another gender. No swim cap required.

The pool is in the middle of Tivoli Park in a verdigris-coloured, copper-roofed building. If approaching by foot from the centre of Ljubljana, walk up the steps on the left side of Celovska cesta directly after having passed under the railway bridge. The pool building is across the car park. The pool entrance (which is small and not well signposted) is on the right side towards the back of the building.

When visiting for the first time, ask the receptionist to walk you through the process, particularly the use of the chipped wristband which will be issued to you (this controls use of lockers and exit from the facility).

A modern facility with long opening hours during the winter months (available from 6 AM on most weekdays). Laned for lap swimming. Reasonably busy on my visit (6:30 AM on a weekday) but good lane discipline.