I love this pool! It shares a parking lot with Ballard High School - so parking can be tricky if the students use the spots marked for pool, but I think they have an attendant to watch it. Locker rooms are dated but clean and the pool is impeccablely maintained. During lap swim, 6 or 7 lanes are available - with one reserved for lessons. They rotate into different swim types all day though - so something for everyone! read more

Ballard Pool - Swimming Pools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Such kind workers here!! The swimmers themselves were also incredibly nice. The place was clean, and using a single quarter for the locker worked fine. The locker showers weren't as scalding as they are at Meadowbrook (which is a good thing!), albeit still borderline too hot, IMHO. The hot tub is a lovely touch when trying to thermoregulate (ie warm up) before swimming laps! I think it should actually be warmer, personally, and I usually can't even handle hot temps! All in all, a very positive experience here. I felt cared about while there, which means so much. read more

Cool public pool. Safe and fun, decent size. Threw my son's 10th birthday party there and everyone had a blast!

THe locker room is fairly clean. THey offer 10 time card at a discount rate with no expiration date. We've left things in the locker with no locks, and it's been fine. The shower is easy to turn on and water is warm. Kids love the hot shower. The swimsuit spinner is effective to get water out. There is also a jacuzi hot tub, it is nice after a swim. Some of the bodyguards are strict - have to rince the body before going into the pool. And if you don't have swim suit on, you cannot stay on the shorter side of the pool. etc. THe parking is always so full, hope there's more parking. the staff is nice and helpful. Teacher for swim lesson is nice! Not a lot of people Friday early afternoon. read more

We've been taking our kids to swim lessons here for the last year, and I like it. They have a pool and a hot tub that are open during family swim, the staff are also really nice. It's not the newest building, but they keep it up well. It also seems more kid friendly than the pool at Greenlake, where we also go for lessons. read more

I have been taking the evening deep water fitness classes at Ballard Pool and loving it. Now that the pool is closed for renovations for two months I thought it would be a good time to share what makes this pool and the Hyrdro-Fit instructors great. I appreciate that the front desk staff, managers, and lifeguards are all friendly and professional. The pool itself is small, but it has a cool 1960s/early-1970s modern architecture that makes it fit in with landmarks like Canlis and the Space Needle. ***One of the best things about Ballard Pool is that the lights in the ceiling are recessed in giant cans, which gives the pool a modern vibe, but most importantly shields the swimmers from glare. Dear Seattle Parks and Rec, in the renovations that are happening right now, please keep these can fixtures to shade whatever new LED lights you install or else you will make the mistake of creating an ambience in the pool like that of Queen Anne where the unshaded LED lights pointing straight at the water make swimmers feel like they are being questioned under the harsh light of a single bare bulb in a police interrogation room. Yes, the Ballard Pool is small but it is packed with a lot of equipment for fun. There is a rope swing, water slide, animal-shaped flotation devices, a jacuzzi, and of course, the Hydro-Fit belts and hand buoys. There are also stairs and a chair lift to help people get into and out of the water who would find going up and down the ladders difficult. I often see the tail end of theme parties that the pool throws for the free swimming sessions for kids, and I am impressed at what a good job the pool staff do to make the pool fun for kids. The kids at this pool seem to love it! What about the deep water fitness instructors? The regular teachers are Lisa and Sam, and they are both excellent. They impress me because they know a lot of different Hydro-Fit moves that keep the classes interesting, and they play great music in class. And, they are great at encouraging students to do their best but also go at their own pace that is safe and comfortable. The Hydro-Fit classes can be big and the teachers might not notice that you are a new student, so you might have to ask for the teachers to do some extra demonstrations of the moves so you can catch on to what is happening. I have been having fun visiting other pools in Seattle while Ballard is closed, but I miss the Ballard Pool and hope the renovation goes smoothly so that the pool can reopen soon. read more

Swim lessons here are poorly managed, to say the least. As classes are frequently overbooked, they will kick competent swimmers down to "swim" (hold onto the wall) with toddlers. They were about to do this to a 10 year old, but did it to our 6 year old instead. They are often trying to up-sell you on private lessons, saying that is the way to avoid wasting time with toddlers. However, when we did go for our previously booked private lesson, the pool was closed that day for training, which they never notified us of. Don't waste your time here. read more

Did you know that all of the municipal pools look almost exactly the same? It's true! This one is slightly different once you get past the entrance. The locker room is smaller and somewhat trashed by the high school kids who might ram you with their cars in the parking lot. I swear I wasn't nearly that retarded when I was in high school. Damn whippersnappers! Get off my lawn! No sauna here, but it does have a colossal hot tub. I passed as is was full of people that looked like they wanted to socialize. No thanks, hungry-looking old broads. Maybe next time. They run exercise classes two at a time in the pool. The fogy contingent in the shallows dancing/dashing through the waters to the classic jams of The Beatles, Elvis, and the like. The injured list and listful in the deep doing water aerobics. Each instructor has a different thing going in these kinds of classes. It should be noted that you can get a monthly pass that is good at all of the Seattle pools. If you're game to work this into your exercise routine, you should check it out and save a few bucks. You can buy me drinks with the savings. read more

Life guards can be often rude. LG Courtney can be very rude. After hurting my back I could not lap swim, I would go in the hot tub as the hot water would relieve the pain in my back. This brought insults from three of the life guards making fun of me. When they have private events they do not post it to let the swimmers know. So you drive a long distance to get there but then they are closed and tell you to go away because of a private event going on. The parking is horrible, the high school kids park in the swimmers park lot which they are nor suppose to do then key the cars of the swimmers damage done to my car was 500 dollars. They are lazy to do any thing about it as even talking to the vice principal of ballard high school. read more

Eating and drinking all summer long was awesome for my social calendar, but not for my waistline... Now my favorite jeans are angry with me because I don't wear them anymore. The Ballard pool offers a variety of water aerobics, open swims and lap lanes all at an affordable price. I've tried a few classes, but since I'm at least 40 years younger than anyone else in attendance I tend to stick with the lap swim. Fellow swimmers are friendly (but could work on their lane etiquette) and I find the work out challenging but also relaxing. As a former competitive swimmer, I'm still confused by swimming laps without a coach yelling at me. Where is all the screaming? Do I have to pay extra for that? The pool and faculties are decent. Yes, it's old, but it's always clean, never over chlorinated and suits my needs. read more

It's a little bit OLD - OK mega! It's a little dirty. Employees are ditzballs. It's available hours when Greenlake Pool is not. Deal with it. read more

This is bs. Because my local pool is closed we came here, bad mistake! Swim tests again, that took 15 minutes because of the line. Then was told he wasn't allowed on the slide with a life vest. He was allowed on the small dive board....that was quickly cut off due to the rope being brought out...which he wasn't allowed on?? Ballard pool please make your rules clear! My son PASSED your swim test, therefore he should be allowed on all equipment regardless if he wears a life vest! That's better then no life vest, furthermore I'm doing YOUR job, nothing but teenagers running this place. Drove here, wasted time & $$ paid $1 for slide but was not allowed on it. Please better train staff. First time here, LAST time here. read more

I've been using the Ballard pool regularly since 1985 for lap swimming and find it to be a fine, clean, and friendly environment. Our son also took lessons here for a couple years in the 90s and received supportive effective instruction, and when he was a kid we rented the pool for parties a few times with great success. The only down sides to the pool is parking when school is in session can be terrible, and the cost to swim in city pools has increased way too much. read more

Other pools are closing nearby, so there aren't that many public pools available in north seattle. The experience to call and sign up for lessons and to ask questions was good and straightforward. There are different types of activities offered in the schedule, and the schedule is not that flexible and available, but it actually fits our schedule okay, to match kids and adult's schedule. read more

The pool and facilities are utilitarian but acceptable. The people and policies ruin it, though. A couple of the long-term lifeguards/swim instructors are great, but the majority of employees are undertrained and disinterested. Lessons range from barely worth the money (if you're lucky) to a complete waste. They overcrowd lessons, so younger kids spend 25 of the 30 minutes clinging to the wall. Kids who can swim a bit may be put in classes with kids who won't even put their faces in, and the kids who can swim will basically be ignored. Kids who don't improve on their own in spite of the worthless lessons are doomed to repeat the same six or so skills with a different bored teenager every lesson series. Add to the above a needlessly chaotic and contentious signup policy, terrible communication, and a tiny and frequently full parking lot, and there's nothing to recommend this place for lessons. Decent for lap swim. read more

We had a terrible experience at Ballard Pool. The facilities were dingy to begin with, but that wasn't the thing that left us upset. Private 12 year-old bday party laced with more rules than you could possibly imagine. Don't run and don't dive in the shallow end, simple right? There was a 20 minute rule review and then the lifeguards yelled at us the entire time we were there. We were a tame group including mostly kids with various disabilities and these half baked teenage lifeguards just barked orders almost constantly. The person in change, though possibly not a manager, was the only person who had their crap together. He was cool, the rest of the experience was a real let down. Never again. read more

Note this review is kid-biased: The pros: -Close by Ballard neighborhoods (we can walk!) -On street parking -Cheap -Good for smaller kids -Parents can hang out without paying (unlike Monger) -Jacuzzi -Waterslide (a stretch, but one nonetheless( Cons: -Poor shape -Ridiculous hours for family/kid use!!! Seriously, only 2-3 on Sundays IN SUMMER??! Sorry, but why on earth would adult classes be smack in the middle of weekend days? What happened to at least 2-3 hours of public swim? read more

Cons: The water temperature was a problem when my son was 2.5 years. He could only handle being in the water for about 10 minutes before he starts crying because it's too cold. Now that he is older he doesn't have an issue. Some of the pay lockers are broken, and there is no indication they don't work until after you pay and can't retrieve your money. Pros: The swimming lesson time is convenient for me. They have plenty of parking, which is rare in Ballard. The instructors I've had in the last 2.5 years have been great. read more

It's a pool. You can swim here. It's mostly clean. It gets crowded and has limited lap swim times so lanes fill up (4 - 5 per lane). It is what it is. But you can exercise in winter when you don't want to swim in frigid lake water. Free showers and hot tub to boot. Lots of kids so it can get loud. Just get in, get out. It's a pool. read more

Ready parking nice teacher to child ratio. There is no distractions like popcorn in the lobby to be the point of breakdown for my kiddos. I love the place. read more

I try to go swimming at least two times a week. The ballard pool is closest to my home so I generally end up swimming here when I have the chance. I follow the general rules when I go there: I shower before I go in, I pick the lane appropriate for my speed, I don't cut people off in the lanes, I don't splash around like an idiot. I also don't use flippers, which is beyond me why people use them when it comes to lap swimming, but I digress. I really want to like coming to this pool but I always end up disappointed. The check-in woman that works most of the time is a total jerk and belittled me because I payed the 3.75 fee with a 20 dollar bill once (after searching under the seats in my car to find change so I wouldn't have to feel bad about giving her money). So please get a quick card pass - it saves you this interaction. After the public swim the locker room is disgusting with socks, hair and leaves from outside covering everything. The lanes can get really crowded: the worst was about 10 people per lane the other day. Which is great because people are exercising but it makes it really hard to keep a steady pace. There will always be some person who goes in the lane you chose that goes way too slow and you'll catch up to them halfway down the lane. Its not so big of a deal when there are 3 people in your lane, but it definitely is when there are 10. Anyway, my main complaint is the lap/adult swim times. Please, please, please just keep a few lanes open for lap swimming ALL OF THE TIME! Why can't you do this? You would get more money! There could potentially be less crowding! The Medgar Evans pool does it and it's amazing! More people would exercise because it would fit better to their schedules! Not everyone can swim at noon or at say, 7:30pm. It drives me nuts. And if anyone could explain to me why these pools in seattle are owned by the park system, I would appreciate it. read more

I enjoy the Ballard pool. It is generally clean, except the inside of the lockers could use a spraying out. The staff is polite, but not too chatty, which is great cause I came here to swim. I mostly go to lap swims and everything is perfectly acceptable. Their classes seem to be aimed at the 55+ crowd, but I can just push myself to work harder if I want something more difficult. The kid swim/classes always seems to be packed, so it must be good, right? I am looking forward to taking my kid to swimming classes here one day. I love that this pool is a short distance fro my house and can't wait for warmer weather to arrive so I can ride my bike here! read more

Amazing stuff, super friendly. Glad I found this place I am from out of town and would be lost! Thank you again!

Problem solved! The temp is higher and the baby is happy again!

Weezie's happy. Very clean. The women's locker room is the cleanest I've seen. Cleaner than I've seen in health clubs. The pool isn't huge, but it suits my needs. Not overly chlorinated. My eyes never burn. Good temp for laps. I go for adult swim (sorry, no Harvey Birdman), and plug along in the slow lane. I get my work out. My friend gets to hang out in the spa. Small but relaxing. Everyone is nice. I haven't had bad experiences in the parking lot. True, it's next to Ballard High, but I guess I've been lucky. read more

This place is horrible. Rude, unprofessional, need more training and overall they just suck. Stay away!

Small and crowded pool made even more claustrophobic by all the "aquatic toys" that surround it. Try somewhere else.

I had a Birthday party there for my son 7 years old. The pool is okay but the staff is really not friendly. I had a different information from the reception and staff. At first they told me that we can use a boat and slide but then they told me that we can't. The swim test is really weird because kids need to use a special stile for swim. My son can swim one way and other way in pool but because he used a free stile the lifeguard told me that he did not pass the test and he couldn't use a rope and slide. I'll not be recommend this pool for kids who don't know how to swim right. But if you are really good swimmers this place is fun because of the rope. read more

The swimming pool and the atmosphere is very nice. The swimming classes are terrible for the youngest kids. Do not waste your money. The class for the kids under 3 years old is a mess. The ratio of instructors to number of participants is probably right; however, if the instructors stay together chatting instead of attending to a smaller part of the class, the ratio concept does not work. If you just want to be in the water with your baby, then it is fine. When the baby starts getting comfy with the water, then this it becomes very frustrating. When the kid goes to the next level, the 3 years old class, they ask the parents to step away from the water. This would be fine if the instructors were capable to deal with 3 years old. 3 years old do not follow commands, you cannot ask them to be fine without daddy and mommy and jump in and out of the water without building a relationship of trust first. The instructors must be able to work with this age range. This swimming pool is not able to offer this service.This is very disappointing. Please Ballard pool, improve. read more

Great pool, super fun for families, awesome staff!

The last two Thursdays I have done the deep water aerobics class called Hydro-fit. I absolutely love this class! I am 25 weeks pregnant and I still use the elliptical at the gym 5-6 times a week, I walk almost daily and strength train at least 1 time a week but its nice to add a new workout to my regimen. Especially one that makes you feel so weightless :-D The instructor is a hoot and the locker rooms are clean. What more can you ask for? read more

I've taken a class for the last year with my toddler. We love the ballard pool and look forward to the hot tub. Most of the instructors are great and the price is right. As for ambiance, it strikes me as a public pool. Nothing fancy, but nothing awful either. read more

Good lessons offered at multiple levels and a reasonable price. It's not perfect, but it's better than some other places we've tried. We are loyal multi-year clients. My daughter has learned to swim pretty well there and mostly enjoyed it. read more

The lifeguards took their jobs seriously and watched swimmers very carefully--this shows leadership and a well-run organization that puts safety first, and that's great. However, I came with my 4th and 5th graders to swim laps at noon to get exercise--I had confirmed that we were allowed to do this twice and I also paid twice--once for the lap swim and once for the public free swim that followed. A few of the adults made a fuss and humiliated my 5th grade daughter, who was dutifully swimming laps while crying because she was swimming during what they viewed as "their" time. A few young lifeguards also glowered at my dutiful crawl-swimming and self-conscious 11 year-old. At the end of the swim, the manager said he made a mistake and we shouldn't be there, though he offered his observation that we were swimming laps and not fooling around--this made my daughter want to sink under the floor. Horrible, horrible way to discourage healthy exercise, in a situation (at a public rec pool) that should have been a lovely outing with a mom and her two (responsible and respectful) lap-swimming children. (A big thank you to the lap swimmer who reached out to my son to compliment his hard work, and to another lifeguard who encouraged them during the public swim.) read more