My gym pool is a heated puddle with two lanes and there is always someone doing aqua aerobics in one of them, so I have given up on it for real swimming. What I want is a proper pool where I can put thirty solid minutes in before the rest of my Sunday starts.
Who actually has a lane free on the Westside, and what does a drop in run these days? I keep hearing about the Culver City plunge and not much else.
I grew up around Torrance so my bias runs South Bay, but Begg Pool in Manhattan Beach is the one I still drive back for. Outdoor, long course in the summer, and the lap lanes never turn into the free for all you get at the city pools on a weekend.
The Culver City Municipal Plunge on Overland is the one I use, it is about five dollars a visit and you can just walk in. The catch is that the lap schedule gets carved up by the school teams, so check the posted hours for that specific day before you drive over. I have been turned away twice doing exactly that.
Santa Monica Swim Center on the SMC campus is my answer and I have been going there for years. Two pools, both outdoor and heated, so the fifty meter side stays open for actual lap swimming while the families take the other one.
Sunday mornings before ten are the calm window, after that you are sharing a lane with someone doing backstroke into you. Drop in is cheap and nothing needs to be reserved ahead, just bring your own towel ^^
Pasadena is thinner than people think for real lap swimming, so I drive over to the Pacific Community Pool in Glendale instead. Indoor, heated year round, and it opens early enough that I can swim and still make a morning car meet. Fifteen minutes down the 134 from me, which is nothing, and the lot behind it is free.
I work remote so I swim on weekday mornings, and honestly that is the real hack here. The same pool is a completely different place at ten on a Tuesday than it is on a Sunday at noon.
Santa Monica Swim Center is my regular because the fifty meter stays open most of the day and the water is genuinely warm, and the Culver City plunge is my backup when I am already on that side of the 10. I tried the Westside JCC too and passed, nice facility but the lane time gets eaten by classes and I got tired of planning around a schedule that changes. If you can move your swim off the weekend at all, do it, it is a different sport.
I use the West Hollywood Aquatic Center. Open 6am–9pm during the week (shorter hours on the weekend). They do require reservations for some lap sessions so check the WeHo site before you drive over. Water is clean, lanes are wide enough, and you can usually get 30 uninterrupted minutes on a Sunday if you book the early slot. Parking is in the structure (validate).
I mostly use LACES. It’s an indoor pool and useable all year long. They also offer classes, have warm showers, 2 diving boards, and medium warm water. People here are friendly and keep things professional.
The place is very accessible to Mid-City, Palms, Culver City, Beverly Hills..
I use the public swimming pool in Hawthorne (Inglewood Ave). It’s actually right below LAX and one of the best for doing laps (as one half is designated to exactly that).
That pool has the perfect water temperature and doesn’t get as cold as other pools. I personally avoid the weekends as it gets crowded. Staff is friendly.
I like that one too. It’s a bit far from where I live, but I went with my friends some years ago.
