Pancras Square Leisure

During lane swimming sessions, three lanes divided by speed with anticlockwise circle swimming are available. The speed designations weren't well enforced. The shallow end is too shallow to flip turn and the wall in the deep end is too slippery to push off. Otherwise, it's a relatively decent pool to just get some laps in.

The change rooms could use a bit more upkeep but they're not terrible. Bring your own lock.

Rating 9 on a scale of 10. This is an immaculate pool with a super cool, wall-of-color created with LED lights that lends atmosphere to the totally underground swimming area. The lanes are too narrow to pass comfortably but most of the time there’s only one, maybe two others in a lane.

The locker room has enough showers but needs some cleaning focus. The usual English token is used for the locker system. It's very convenient for travelers and one of the few modern pools in London.

In the two years since my April, 2015, review this has become my go-to pool. Make sure that all five lanes are designated "Swim for Fitness" on the website before you visit: the pool is quite small and doesn't work otherwise. Mornings and lunchtime are predictably crowded but, in my experience, other times are mostly fine. The pool attendants are very laid back about lane discipline, which can be annoying at times. Another minor gripe is that lane ropes are often left way too slack. Still, it's one of the best places to swim in Central London, even if the changing rooms could be better.

This is the most convenient pool ever - next to two main train stations. I swim here most days on my way to wherever I'm going. They have towel service which means you can swim en route to meetings, on the way to the airport, before getting on the train... It gets very crowded at lunch time - usually 12:15 to 1:30 PM - but is really quiet at other times. Just before or just after the lunch slot, you are almost guaranteed to be the only person in the lane. Google HQ recently opened in the building next door which has made the lunch slot even worse - lots of Google Olympians, some keen to practice (or show off) their butterfly stroke in relatively tight lanes. Thursday afternoons from 2 to 3 PM is women and girls only and Wednesday afternoons is school groups, so only two lanes are available for laps. As noted in other reviews, the changing rooms are small and there are only three showers, but the pool itself is ultra clean and the location, literally at St Pancras and Kings Cross stations makes up for any negative thing you might say about the place! I love this place - there isn't a more convenient pool right in the middle of everything. (and surprisingly, all things considered, on average really not crowded). The light display wall that other reviewers complained about has recently been turned off - no doubt as part of Camden council's money saving measures...

The 25m x 10m main pool has five ridiculously narrow lanes, about 2m wide (standard is 2.5m), making it uncomfortable to share a lane and nearly impossible to pass with more than two swimmers. The fifth lane is a bit shorter to accommodate a wheelchair lift for disabled swimmers plus a powerful water jet which disrupts the other lanes. The fourth and fifth lanes are apparently frequently reserved for recreational swimming as they were when I tried the pool on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Loud piped music (techno pop?) and LED illuminated wall panels with changing lights were distracting. Pool attendants were typical London laissez-faire, not bothering to organise swimming lanes by ability.

Changing rooms (or the men's changing room, at least) are just adequate, with beautifully designed benches and shiny lockers (which will gobble your 20p coin), but there are only three shower heads available; this facility was clearly not designed to accommodate many people.

All in all, not exactly a nice experience, and I dread to imagine what it’s like at busy time during the work week, when it has to accommodate the crowds from London’s hippest quarter.

I agree with the first review. One really can pop in for a swim en route to Paris on the Eurostar. One thing to add - the lanes seem narrow, making overtaking difficult. A colorful wall makes it an arty experience. There are no hooks for towels or hanging clothes within the lockers. Pull buoys are available.

Pristine, as one should expect of a facility that's been open for less than a month. Unusual for European pools of recent construction, the locker rooms are conventional and gender segregated. Use of a locker requires a 20 pence coin: most unusually, this is swallowed up when you lock the door; it is not refunded when the locker is opened. There is very limited space poolside for the stuff that you want to keep with you. The pool itself is underground (in the basement of a large public building) and so has a low ceiling - quite unlike the magnificent facilities provided for London's poor by the city authorities in Victorian and Edwardian times. On my weekend morning visit the pool was laned for lap swimming (a detailed weekly timetable is posted on the facility's website). Of the five lanes, one was marked fast, one slow, and two medium; the fifth being available for those not wanting to lap swim. There were only four swimmers for the whole of the time that I was there, but this should not be taken as a guide for the future because the pool is at the heart of what is now London's biggest urban renewal site. Amongst other international businesses, Google has announced its intention to locate some 5,000 workers there. When the development is complete, a single 25 metre pool will barely meet the need of the local office population, let alone the casual use generated by travelers passing through the two main line railway stations that are the pool's next door neighbours.