As a life-long swimmer, I have been in my fair share of pools across the country. For a public pool, this place was excellently maintained. The water was a great temperature that I thought worked well for the space. I definitely wouldn't come here looking to do sprint sets, but for a casually-paced long swim it's perfect. There are only three lanes - fast, medium, and slow. The lanes are all extra-wide, though, so it's easy to pass others if needed. I came with my library pass and forgot to print it out, but the guy at the front desk was nice enough to let me by anyways. Though the locker rooms are a bit older, overall it's a great experience and a great place for a casual swim. So glad that this is in the neighborhood! read more

I used to swim here regularly during the week. Splitting the (too narrow) lanes was common but having to circle-swim (3+ people) was not as common. So I could usually do a full, varied workout. City pools are crowded and small, so it was an understandable reality. The pool's hours changed a year ago, making it harder for me to go regularly. Recently I tried the newish Sunday morning hours, and both times it was much too crowded, with four people per lane (and more waiting) typical. It's too difficult to keep a pace, especially if you vary your strokes, with that many people each trying to do their thing in such a crowded, narrow lane. The Sunday hours are for just 90 minutes, so everyone has to come at once. SF added the Sunday hours so at least one city pool would be open each day. Great idea, but one pool for the whole city and open for such a short time was misguided. How much more would it cost to be open another 90 minutes, given the staff is there anyhow? I know resources are tight, but on Sundays at least the Garfield pool is a difficult experience. read more

The locker room was renovated! It's much nicer now. The pool is as I described it before.

The lifeguard yelled at me and 3 other people in the short time I was there. His ego is clearly getting the best of him. Incredibly rude. Plus, the pool is cold and they were letting people do laps in the kiddie area during the kids only time. Will not return read more

1. The splash pad jets are so powerful and the droplets are so large that nobody seems to actually enjoys them. Certainly not at the age that most children love such things 2. One of the lifeguards yelled at a mother that come to the edge of the pool to talk to her daughter because it blocked his view slightly (she was a few yards away). My heart sank for her. 3. It's a pool and it was a hot day so 2 stars not 1. It served it's purpose. read more

I love this pool! I just read all the negative comments and I'm scratching my head wondering if it's the same pool they're commenting on. It's a great pool for lap swim which is what I do and it's all I can comment on. It's an easy walk from my house and I get a great workout. I've been in many of the public pools in the city (North Beach, Sava, and Rossi) over the last 30 years and they were very funky. They're so different today! I love the fact that the city has renovated all the pools and playgrounds throughout the city. If you live in the city, it's a big playground for adults and kids! You can swim, hike, run, and cycle it. Might as well get outside and Enjoy it! I might mention that the renovated libraries are spectacular too! read more

This pool was not one of the best places I went to staff was yelling at us and we couldn't wear swim goggles with nose coverage, very stupid rules. Do not recommend it. read more

I went with my friends and they gave us a very little place to swim. The pool is very deep, the shallowest part was 4 ft tall, I thought it was a pool for little kids. One of the staff members was watching one of my friends changing, which was very weird and disturbing. Also, I was running because my dad was there to pick me up and the lifeguard made me do 10 pushups. I wasn't even near the pool. Not returning. read more

Wow, finally got to go to the renovated pool. It's an entirely new experience! Basically, you bring $7, pay the front desk, show your vaccination card (bring a mask also), then go to modern, clean bathrooms with lockers (BYO lock) and showers. Walk to the pool (where you can also leave your items poolside if you don't have a lock) and choose a lane based on your speed. It was a bit crowded at the lunch hour (3-4 people circle-swimming per lane) but started to get much less crowded around 1:30pm. Check the website for times. I wish they had better before/after work times (or any), but other than that, A+. Thanks SF Parks & Rec! read more

Garfield Swimming Pool - The pool as you walk in from the locker room. Lap swimming is after a more shallow pool. The divider can be moved. - Swimming Pools Near Me - San Francisco, California

Pretty cool pool in the area, affordable and walking distance from my house! Lanes are big enough to share with others. Only thing is it's cash only and have exact change only! The guy at the front was nice enough to let me slide thru my first time -I was a dollar short, cool guy. I'll be coming back for sure. It's a good workout read more

I sometimes run in the mornings, but the Mission district traffic exhaust cramps my lungs, and an old Filipino man with a frightening iron grip tried to kiss me on the *lips* the other day as I huffed and puffed at the top of 22nd and Dolores, so I've decided to find some cheap alternative exercise that doesn't involve a guru. The Garfield pool is a solid $4 lap swim provider. Slow, medium, fast; kick boards and assorted foam accessories provided; nice jungly plants. Not too crowded in the a.m. Inevitable inappropriately paced swimmers in every lane, but just time your entry, like in jump rope. Bring your own towel and lock and don't forget to check the web schedule for Lap Swim. The showers are nice and hot. My friend claims her friend got ringworm there, but I don't know what ringworm is and remain willfully ignorant and thus unfearing. Please don't pee in the pool if you go. read more

Being a public pool Garfield attracts somewhat of an interesting clientele who apparently have their own interpretations of what "lap swim" means to them. You get your people who actually don't know how to swim and cling to a kickboard and the wall for dear life, you have your folks in full snorkeling regalia, and finally your inconsiderate jackasses that swim down the middle of the lane like they own the pool. Then there's the rest of us, people who are at various ability levels, and have different goals in mind with their swimming and just want to get their laps done in peace. Basically,Garfield is a good pool if you have the patience to swim with the general public, and can remember to check the schedule daily to memorize when the various lap swims occur. Word to the wise, the evening lap swims are generally a giant clusterf**k with the aforementioned categories of people showing up in full force. I try to stick to the morning times, because honestly I can't handle it. I'd also like to give a special shot out to Charles who was my swim teacher for a while at Garfield. This man has improved my swimming so much and is such an encouraging positive person with which to work, that I'm truthfully kinda bummed he is only teaching the kiddies during the summer (nothing personal to Ron who is also a great teacher). The other reviews have been accurate as to their description of the facilities, and procedures for admittance, I would however like to reiterate the point of wearing flips flops in the locker room and pool area. It's not as gross as 24 hour fitness or anything, but damp highly trafficked areas breed a certain amount of funk naturally, which I'm assuming most of you'd wish to avoid. OK, now you know what's up so go get your swim on, just don't be a douche about it please! read more

I'm being easy with the rating, mainly because a pool IS, after all, a pool. That being said, I went to this pool for lap swim on a Saturday morning. Lap swim was to start at 9:15 a.m., so I assumed it would be okay to show up ten minutes early or so to change and be in the water at that time. Not so; they opened the front door at 9:16 a.m. sharp. Everyone else waiting seemed to know what they were doing. In they shuffled, just throwing down little red cards (which, I discovered, are "scrip")...and I found out you need EXACT change. It's $4 for one session. Lucky for me, a fellow swimmer saw me struggling and had the necessary change. I also found out that if you buy in bulk, you save. A ten-session scrip-book is $36.00, a savings of $4, or one session. So, buy nine, get one free. Also, if you need the water for therapy or for health-reasons, it is only $20 a book (or a month? I'll have to look closer next time). Regardless, the locker-rooms are super-easy to find...and old. I rinsed myself off and then went right out to the pool. They have the lanes divided into slow, medium, and fast...though I wasn't sure which category I would fall under. I bet for medium; later on, moved to slow. (Hey, I'm new to this! haha) I digress. You share the lanes with everyone. Literally, super-crowded. There were about eight people in the slow lanes alone. And I forgot goggles. I was one of two people in the pool without a swimming cap and goggles...I felt like I was horribly new to the whole thing. But, I stuck it out. I swam for a full hour and I didn't have any major problems, sans a back-stroke swimmer almost nailing me; the lifeguard caught my attention, though. The staff was super-friendly. They explained any questions I had. Oh, and the pool was the PERFECT temperature. Not too cold, not too hot, not hard to step into initially at all. I'll go back. I might make it a weekly thing...as long as I remember goggles :) read more

Ron Chism the pool manager at Garfield Swimming Pool is one of the best swim instructor, lifeguard and managers that I've ever experienced. Ron very much understands and overly serves the community of swimmers and the general neighborhood. Even though the pool is a bit old, Ron and his staff are always welcoming and ready to serve you with such high quality, integrity, and respect. There is no doubt that Ron is one of the few leaders with in the Recreation and Parks Department who is able, willing and rather enjoys doing the job hands on and interacting with people. read more

This pool is great. Straightforward no-nonsense lap swim, at $4/pop. Sometimes it is frustratingly crowded, but you get what you pay for. The place is old but perfectly serviceable. This neighborhood, though, fucking sucks. Full of human shitbags. My car was broken into here while I swam TWICE on TWO CONSECUTIVE SATURDAYS. Don't leave ANYTHING of value in your car, or you'll become a repeat target for crackhead thieves who will assume you're worth rolling two or three times. Hell, maybe they'll just take your car. SFPD claims to patrol through here; I've never seen 'em. They certainly, unsurprisingly, don't give a damn about crime here; they can't solve gang murders, let alone car breakins. Sadly I think I'm going to have to find a pool that isn't in a neighborhood surrounded by garbage humans. read more

I go to this indoor pool on days when I don't feel like working out too hard. For reference, I've been on swim teams and have been lap swimming for over 15 years, so I've gotten to the point where I can swim with about the same exertion level as that of a brisk walk. The water is definitely warmer than in most lap pools, but it doesn't bother me. The place is no Equinox, but the pool feels just clean enough, as do the locker rooms. For $6, you can't ask for much more. Plus, I love the community feel and supporting SF Parks and Rec. The crowd is mixed, from men in speedos and caps doing sets, to old ladies moving at turtle speed. It can get a bit crowded, but, again, I'm just happy to be swimming there! The lanes are very wide, so passing is easy. The showers are hot and have great water pressure! As the other reviews have noted, the lockers are broken, so don't expect to be able to lock up your valuables. The showers don't provide soap, so bring your own. No outlets for hair dryers, but there's one industrial-type hair dryer available. read more

The facts: -$5 / hour (the pool ostensibly opens only for an hour of lap swimming at a time: 6-7PM) -30 yards long (why?) -Well-stocked with buoys and boards -Showers and lockers The finicky: -Too-warm water temp -Don't expect to do sets; this is a public pool. Polite hamster-wheeling only, please. Still, grateful to have you in the neighborhood. read more

I've been swimming in public pools in six different countries. This is the worst run I have ever been in. The lifeguards will not enforce sensible safety rules - people may turn around mid-lane, swim two abreast during lap swim in a full lane and when you complain, it is simply dismissed as paranoia. Quite frankly, I think ejecting the whole staff from the manager on down would be the way to make this pool far better. I'm buying a gym membership - quite frankly, I'd rather give my money to a private organization that is sensible than to the public pools if the public includes the self-entitled patrons and the half-wits who run Garfield Pool. read more

So many things give this place its character: The staff will give you free swim lessons and pointers when there aren't too many people in the pool to present a safety hazard. Everybody who swims there is nice: plus Ron C is hunky. Sometimes you get to shower with the folks who came there, like, for a shower. Yummy bare concrete floors in the locker room (wear tongs if you're squeamish). The only reason they don't get four stars is because when they're closed they don't tell you when they're going to reopen and when they're open they don't tell you when they're going to be closed. Which can be frustrating if you get into the groove of swimming at 6am (I mean, what can be worse than waking at 5:45 and finding out that your pool is closed due to fecal contamination? I suppose, waking at 5:45 and *not* finding out that your pool was closed due to fecal contamination). read more

Just had my first and great experience at Garfield pool! Staff was more then friendly and helpful and the class I attended with my little baby girl was really cool - she loved it! (Tot' swimming class.) I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't for the little pile of something grose left on the shower floor. (But we worked our way around it...) Great experience! Looking forward to our next class! read more

they were too strict they had us do tests and if we failed we had to sit on the stairs which was rude I feel like they could make the pool less deep or don't make one at all super uncomfortable because they watched me change like girl- privacy very rude bc I felt unsafe and I give it 1 star. read more

I am so lucky to have this place close by. It's much better than 24hr fitness on Bryant. I took adult swim lessons here and have finally learned to swim and lost all fear of deep water. The lifeguards and teachers are top notch. The atmosphere is relaxed and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons they have water aerobics. The water is a perfect temperature too for me. The only negative is they don't have outlets to plug in your hair dryer and the lockers are old. read more

I have been visiting the pool regularly the past 6 months for toddler swim lessons. The lessons are fun, simple and pretty cheap. The super young toddler classes involved singing, playing and a bit of lessons. The slightly older toddler classes is mainly just learn to swim, my daughter has improved a lot but I did enjoy the hokey pokey in the other class :p If I was rating the lessons themselves it would be a good 4 stars. The pool is a bit of a mixed bag. A bit dingy looking inside and out with interesting characters hanging around the square. There is normally street parking fairly close by, when soccer is on it does get super busy on Saturday mornings. The entrance goes through the change rooms which is always a fun "see you on the other side" when entering and leaving with someone from the opposite sex. The staff and teachers are really friendly, the showers are nice and hot and during the lessons on Saturday it isn't busy so lots of room to splash around. There is also a nice playground just outside to take the young'uns after their swim. read more

Awesome place to swim laps! The are many lanes and the lanes are wide, so swimmers of all skill levels can enjoy their workout at their own pace. It's true, the pool is old and neighborhood is a little dodgy. It may be a little intimidating for those who don't live around the corner. read more

I LOVE Garfield Pool, warts and all. BUT.... This pool is now CLOSED - indefinitely! Much needed annual maintenance was supposed to happen in the month of November 2009. I could live with the pool being closed for a month. But the Department of Recreation & Parks found that more work is needed than anticipated. And more money than was budgeted, too. AAACK! Children and adults learn to swim at Garfield, lap swimmers of all fitness levels enjoy the lanes, and people with special needs have hours set aside as well. All of these different swimmers are locked out now, and the closest indoor pool is miles away. I'm going to get all weak and flabby if I can't get the powers that be to fix this sad situation. Plus, I'm pregnant and there are only so many kinds of exercise that you can really do when you're big with pig....and swimming is the best. Really hoping this problem is solved before I hit say, month 7. read more

I'm pretty easy when it comes to public swimming pools and really don't mind if there are people who are using it as an opportunity to bathe. This pool in the Mission is perfect for the occasional lap swim and it only costs $4 a go (exact cash only). The guys who work there are super-friendly AND unsleazy. And the changing rooms are proper old-skool with metal lockers and concrete floors. It's 100ft long and there's always plenty of space during the week when I've been there, coasting along in the slow lane. NOT for people who get grossed out by feet/the odd floating band-aid/hair in the shower plughole. read more

I found this place to be more crowded than other places. Its tough to find parking. The locker rooms are ok. Its is still a nice place to swim. This is were the hipster go, so its TATTOO GALORE!!!! Lots of activity in the location surrounding the pool. LOTS. read more

This review is for the toddler swim classes and specifically the instructor Charlie. Charlie's energy is amazing. He is kind, encouraging, patient, and knowledgable. My son LOVES his swim class and every time we walk by the park he points for the pool. Charlie is a true gem and I really wish the city offered more classes so more children could participate. it's it cut throat getting into a class. read more

This place deserves no stars. This is the most nastiest pool in sf. Went in today for rec swim with my 2 kids.. The lifeguard with yellow glasses not only yelled at my kid but as well as the other people there. I rather drive 30 min away pay double the price than swim in this pool again. The people that work here are rude and most like racist. Never again. read more

It's clean and the staff are friendly. I wish they had longer hours in the evening. Take more advantage of this resource!

This place is just awesome. Been a swimmer for years and have been to many pools, but this one is my favorite. It's an older facility, but the pool is well-maintained and clean. The *best* part of this pool is the staff. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable. I've had staff members notice things in my swimming and offer me suggestions for improvement. They are always ready with a laugh or a smile. Also, the folks who swim here are very friendly - it's rare to encounter someone pushy or rude (unlike many other pools I've been to). The lap swim hours here are also convenient and very regular. If you're looking for a pool with a friendly vibe and super staff, this is your place. read more

Just had my first swim at Garfield. If you are in nearby and want to do a nice lap swim, this is a good spot. $4 to get in (exact change) or 10 for $36 - cheap. There are three lanes, slow, slow and slower. If you are a fast and impatient swimmer don't come here, enroll in a masters program. I don't think it's worth making a drive over though. If I was going to drive to swim, I'm thinking USF's olympic sized pool or UCSF's outdoor pool on the roof. I think most people will like the water temperature but I found it on the warm side. Nice! read more

I love the location of this pool. Water temperature here is the highest of all the pools I have visited in San Francisco. The biggest downside of this pool is that the women dressing room has only one hair dryer (Hand Dryer indeed), and there are no plugs for hair dryers you would bring. read more

This pool is really close to my house, so I will continue to come, BUT if you're a serious swimmer, this pool is WAAAY too hot. If you're someone just leisurely swimming, it's perfect. Upon jumping in I was met with warm water, once I started getting my heart rate up from swimming laps, I was broiling. The temp could stand to come down a few is all I'm saying. read more

9/18/17 fathers day first time coming to this swimming pool. But some what shock because the opening hour is 9am. But staff arent punctual and im still waiting here with my 2year old daughter for them to be able to open the pool. Im wondering if its like that all the others days. read more

The pool is a large, three lane pool that is open for lap swim several times a day. The staff and the regular swimmers there are friendly and care about the community. The downside is the locker rooms are super old and need an update. All in all I love Garfield Pool. read more

Great place to swim, staff very helpful, good to see those guys helping the less fortunate.

I've been taking my daughter to the Preschool Swim class for 2 sessions now and we just enjoy it so much. The class is for kids 6 months to 5 years and the adult does have to be in the pool, 1:1 ratio kid to adult. My daughter is almost 4 years old. Angela, the swim instructor, does a fantastic job. There are only a few students some days but other days there are so many little swimmers... it is such a fun class no matter how many swimmers there are because we are all learning and getting used to the water. I have found Angela's instruction/coaching so helpful. She really takes the time with each parent/kid suggesting the next step in learning to swim, whether it be showing your kid what goggles are or learning the idea of buoyancy, Pre-school swim with Angela is top-notch! read more

I was very lucky to find this swimming pool for y family. Everything is very clean, the employees are very polite and attentive to the details. The instructor explains everything clearly. As I cannot swim, it is a great problem for me to go into the water. This place helped me to overcome my fears. Than you for your support, dear Garfield Swimming Pool!!! read more

I have only been to this pool during lap swim hours and i've found that the pool itself is great, and it is kept in excellent condition! It is a great pool for swimming. The STAFF however leave a lot to be desired, and because of Staff's poor performance at pool management, LAP SWIMMING can be a challenge. The problem is the staff do basically NO pool management and just sit there doing basically nothing. I've observed them observing the pool when any and all manner of infractions and intervenable moments are occurring. People run into each other, use the lanes incorrectly, and are rude and inconsiderate to each other, and because no one is drowning the staff do nothing. Often times i wonder if it's only when someone is drowning that they would get up from their seats. Trust me, i know pool management is hard, but to sit and do nothing for a whole shift is unacceptable. what are these people getting paid to do? One of the worst things is when staff are approached about an issue that is happening right under their nose. They often seem to react to calls for help as if they're being criticized on the poor job they're doing. Often when i bring issues to their attention they react defensively. They are city employees i suppose, and nothing breeds obstinate laziness like a secure city job. Its really too bad, because it could be a really great place to swim. read more