Theres two types of people. People who pose on the stairs and people who sit on the grass laughing…read moreat the posers on the stairs. During Summer the Prahran pool is a chlorinated blessing for south siders eager to cool down and show off their latest elastane swimwear. Male and female tanorexics (posing is not limited to the gays as local culture would have you believe) lay on the stairs and soak up the sun like lizards while the hipster kids lay on the grass and drink smuggled goon. I may be painting a somewhat seedy picture of the Prahran Pool however overall it is a pleasant experience during the warmer months. They have early opening hours for the keen swimmer (summer and winter months) and there is also a spa, sauna and steam room. The cliche of the Prahran pool may be some what exaggerated, there is still a bit of a clique but who cares? When its hot everyone sweats and the pool is a chill saturday afternoon.

Not safe for people of colour…read more I was at Prahran Aquatic Centre; first time. I once went before but didn't use facilities - just sat with friends. I was asked by a customer if I had "lots of kids". I smiled and said I was maybe a bit young. She then asked me if I was Indian. I said "I might be". She pressed me "you MIGHT be?" I stated that I was born and raised here and don't like commenting about my race because of stereotypes it attracts. She immediately said "Indians have lots of kids". I said that "this was an example of a stereotype I was trying to avoid". She said defiantly "that's not a stereotype, that is a statistic". I said "no, it's actually a stereotype". She cut me off by saying "you have issues, you bring those issues upon yourself and you belong in St Kilda, not here". I reported this to staff. She stated that she agreed it was inappropriate and I said to her that I didn't really feel safe anymore in this environment. She kept telling me that they wanted the pools to be diverse. She kept offering me a free pass, which I eventually accepted. I told her that casual racism was something I faced everyday. She also said "that's not Australian culture!" I told her indeed it was Australian culture and she said "I don't think it is Australian culture!" I said as someone who has blonde hair and blue eyes she isn't going to be able to discern racism that people of colour face, although she may be able to discern sexism. She agreed that she faces continuous sexism in her area of study. Staff said she would talk to the lady. Linden advised me "I'm not trying to put you down" but that the woman was "trying to dig herself out of a hole about assuming I was old enough to have lots of kids and that's why she commented about you being Indian". I got lots of explanations that "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole and didn't mean any harm". Apparently the lady admitted that she was sorry - to Staff. No such apology was conveyed to me. Staff didn't respond other than to brush aside when I said that her last words to me were "you have issues and belong in St Kilda" which doesn't indicate that she wasn't really all that sorry or trying to make up to me. I repeated this a couple of times and Staff who would just kind of ignore it, interrupt me and not respond. I also said that assumptions about race are not a valid way to dig yourself out of a hole. Staff would say "I'm not justifying it" but then would go on to justify it by saying "she didn't mean any harm and trying to dig herself out of a hole". I was annoyed that this was accepted as an explanation of racial stereotypes: that "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole". Staff became incredibly defensive and loudly said "I didn't justify her, I just wanted you to REFLECT on what she meant and realise that she didn't mean any harm". Yet repeatedly justified her with that explanation. This is classic behaviour towards people of colour. We need to *reflect* and understand that racist comments weren't meant to cause any harm. I replied to Staff this reflected a larger issue. The issue of the perspective of people of colour being minimised, such that we are expected to understand stereotypes are somehow explicable and therefore their harm somehow neutralised. Let alone the comments that I had "issues that I brought upon myself" and should "go to St Kilda where the people are precious" - which Staff repeatedly ignored when I raised it. When Staff would say "she had a different story", I would ask her whether she denied what she said. Staff would simply respond by saying "she didn't mean harm". Staff never were able to deny the facts - but kept saying "she was trying to dig herself out of a hole and didn't mean harm". I said to Staff this is why diversity in staff and not just clientele so important to create an environment that is safe for all cultures, not just representing one world view.. At this Linden absolutely exploded, told me I was being incredibly offensive for suggesting that the staff were not diverse. How dare I when they are "trying to create diversity". (My job as a person of colour is to reassure her and not challenge her). That she had given me a free pass and an explanation and I am supposed to "feel better". And that commenting on the importance of diversity is "reverse racism". She started accusing me of "reverse racism". I knew I had tapped into white fragility and ignorance. I explained to Linden that reverse racism isn't a thing. That pointing out that she is white and therefore unable to understand the harmful nature of stereotypes people of colour face is not "reverse racism", as evidenced by her "explanation". At this point, staff hung up on me. I have concerns that comments about lack of diversity and therefore lack of empathy are met with screams of "reverse racism" and I'm hung up on.

Great club, top line equipment, friendly social interactions, recommend if you are local or passing…read morethrough.

Full disclosure: I'm approaching 40 years old and haven't been a member of a gym in my life…read more That's a lie. I was a member of a rival gym a couple of years ago. When I joined up I was given an introductory personal training session in which I was reminded how unfit I was and sent packing with a detailed report on my woeful state of health. Or that's how it felt. Totally demoralising and I never went back. That was the background to my contact with Virgin Active (Bourke St.), following a new determination to get fit. It loomed in the background as I perused their site and filled in the contact form. So much so that I shared it with them when they called me back the same day. And again when I had a tour. But my experience with Virgin was nothing like what I experienced elsewhere. It was positive, inclusive, accommodating. They looked to take their cues from me and support my goals rather than impose their own standards. I could talk about the equipment (loads of it), the space (masses of it), or the range of activities (pool/spa/sauna? Check. Indoor rock climbing? Check.) I could mention the cleanliness of the venue or friendliness of the staff. But what it comes down to here is care. Is this a warehouse full of keep fit stuff or does it house a culture of care? It's the latter. Virgin Active have my ongoing business because at each stage they have proven themselves to care about who I am, where I'm at and what I'm aiming for. And that's valuable.

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is an absolute hub for all kinds of sports and fitness. The…read moremost striking feature of the entire centre is probably the outside Olympic sized swimming pool. I've never tried it out but it does look amazing. What I have tried on numerous occasions are their squash courts. There are 10 international standard squash courts including a four walled glass show court. The courts are the best that we play on in our league (on a par with Moorabbin). They are quicker than most around the circuit but I'm a fan. If I lived next door to MSAC, I would play a hell of a lot more sports here. A great venue for all sports.

Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre is the place to be for r all kinds of sports and fitness. The…read morebig feature is probably the outside Olympic sized swimming pool. I am yet to take a dip, but ill get there at some point. What I have tried on numerous occasions are their Basketball courts. There are 10 international standard squash courts including a four walled glass show court. Badminton Courts, Table Tennis Arena, Gymnasium, Olympic pools x 2 wading pools, slides, Surfing on wave, bike racks & gym. A amazing venue for all sports & fitness.

Things I like: Great location…read moreBeautiful building Friendly, helpful staff Very clean locker rooms Things I don't like: Pool is often crowded (but, people are generally good about sharing lanes) If you merely want a day pass for the pool, it's not so bad. However, if you want to visit the whirlpool and sauna, tack on about $4 dollars extra, a locker rental $2.50 more and towel rental is $5.50 (!) Be prepared to spend a lot of money for a day pass, but know that an Aquatic membership is actually pretty reasonable. Additionally: Not-so-confident swimmers, beware- the pool has a deep end which you will encounter at some point I've never been to the fitness equipment area, so I can't speak to that. In sum: Great place to go if you've got a membership, but if you only want to go swimming here once or twice, I'd skip it.

I hate gyms. Either the people suck or the facilities suck or the building is made up to attract…read moretry-hard, new age, up-yourself, know-it-all pricks. Ok, they're not all like that, but most of them are missing a soul. Which often means the people who go there are missing one too. The thing I like about the City Baths is it's retro, old school charm. It reminds me of an old timer who after 80 years still works out the old fashioned way by running after chickens, or something, instead of hopping on a treadmill. It may not to decked out with the newest technology, or in the most pristine condition, but it has personality. Which is a rare find in a gym.

Here's a useless fact: Carlton Baths is where my maternal grandparents met for the very first time…read moreand fell in love. It was an old-fashioned chlorine scented romance... That was back in the 1940's, and the swimming pool has now expanded to a YMCA gym with a few not-so-modcons for keeping fit. I don't use the machines, but I do attend the yoga classes occasionally. It tends to be an over fifty crowd at yoga, which suits me as I'm instantly in the more flexible half of the class despite being terribly lazy. The Baths offer other popular classes like Zumba and Pump, but I'm too uncoordinated to attempt these. There are also a few low impact classes especially for elderly people - a more gentle version of yoga and good ol' water aerobics. I can't wait till I'm retired so I can get a floral swimming cap and hit the water aerobics circuit. The building is currently undergoing refurbishments so there are disruptions and relocations for some classes - check the website for updates.

From the owner: If you want to focus on you, your health & your fitness, the Carlton Baths Community Centre is the…read moreplace to be.