Situated right at the edge of a small Forest (Parc Forestier de Clamart), you will find the Piscine…read morede Clamart, a 3 basin swimming-pool that has been opened in 2014. You have 2 basins of 25 Meters length, one with 8 Lanes without shallow end (that´s the one for swimmers) and the second one is a bit smaller (4 Lanes) and shallow at one end. A third basin is (mainly) for children with water-fountains, massage-jets and that sort of stuff. There is also a hammam and a sauna that I did not use. There is a nice patch of grass outside to lie down and soak in some sun, sadly the few trees that are planted there will take another decade or so to provide shade if you´d rather not be burned to a crisp on a sunny day. Negatives? In the shower-area are there were some broken showers and moldy-looking ceiling tiles. Cleanliness also could have been better (see pictures). Of the 4 blow-dryers that were mounted in a height that I can use, only 1 worked. The 6€25 Entrance fee is a bit too high for my taste considering what is offered but residents get a discount. Practical stuff: Lockers work with code, bathing caps are mandatory. Mens swimwear has to be tight fitting. Showers are separated for men and women - but quite a lot of people seem to ignore that @Piscine de Clamart. The signs pointing that out are maybe not making clear enough who is supposed to go where. But there are a couple of closed shower-cabins for those who like their privacy. Overall Piscine de Clamart is a modern, friendly & versatile pool for those who like to swim or other water related activities. It´s not perfect, but then what is?

Now this IS something different. A little architectural marvel is what Piscine de Bagneux is. Not…read morethat you would notice that walking up to it through the construction site that is currently all around the area. But once you get inside, you will see that this public swimming pool is something special. When the extension of the Metro Line 4 is finished, Piscine de Bagneux will also be very easy to reach via public transport. Practical information: 1€ piece required for the lockers, bathing caps are mandatory and surfer shorts are forbidden. One 25 meter long swimmers basin without shallow end and two diving boards. There are two more smaller pools (and a hammam & sauna) for non-swimmers and children and a sundeck. Negatives? During the constructions of the Metro, Piscine de Bagneux is not that easy to find. Via the Avenue de Stalingrad that is the official address the pool is not accessible. Currently you have to enter the Cité des Martyrs de Châteaubriant and follow the signs. While the black and white color scheme is very interesting, it´s neither very practical, nor very inviting. The shower-area is just dark - the pool hall is snow-blindness inducing.

The basin (25 Meter long) and the pool hall are quite nice and have had some sort of renovation in…read morethe last couple of years. Big roof windows = lots of light on sunny days. There is also a small whirlpool ("spa") in the pool-hall, sadly a bunch of retirees had claimed this piece of land for theirs and wouldn't budge so I did not get to enjoy that one. There is also a Sauna, a Hammam and Fitness equipment that I did not try (and costs extra). The single entry just for the pool at 3,85€ is reasonable. If you discount old grime, it was generally quite clean. Practical information: Bathing caps are mandatory, Lockers work with code. Negatives: When I was there, they had no lanes for swimmers in the pool thus the swimming experience wasn't all that great and had this familiar battle royale vibe to it. Also one lane was taken up by storing equipment (for a course later that day perhaps). While the pool hall got renovated some time ago, showers and dressing rooms haven´t gotten said renovation and it isn't really nice there. I especially disliked the showers.

Where do you start with this one? The Stade Nautique Intercommunal Châtillon Malakoff (SNICM in the…read morefollowing) was quite a letdown for me. To get the positives out of the way first - the 50 Meters outside basin is not bad. Continuously 1,80m deep with 8 lanes - it´s just what the doctor ordered. And the basin itself is not in bad shape too. Also positive is that the swimming pool offers a large number of basins with many different usages. Indoor there is another 25 Meter long pool for swimmers as well as water-slides and diving boards. Lots of security-guards in every area of the building and outside. Which would generally be a good thing, if they were friendly that is and wouldn't give off this "we hate to work here while you have fun" vibe. The Lifeguards on the other hand and the rest of the pool staff were quite friendly. Negatives? The SNICM is old, poorly maintained, aesthetically unwelcoming, dark (inside even on a sunny day) and dirty. Toilets smelled awful and half the showers wouldn't work. Dressing rooms were small, dirty and grime was everywhere. The area around the outside pool is a very unwelcoming concrete landscape with a tiny patch of grass and plenty of high buildings around who have a good view of everything in the pool. In the 50 Meter basin, they were not using wave-breaking lane dividers - so there was quite a bit of swell going on. In the pool-hall the noise level was very high when I was there. Practical stuff: Bathing caps are not mandatory but surfer shorts are forbidden. Lockers work with code - but cost 50 Cents a pop. Dressing rooms and showers are separated for men and women but I saw a lot of women in the men's area - so that seems to be more of a suggestion rather than a strict rule. 5,05€ for the single entry is relatively cheap for an outdoor pool here, but then the SNICM isn't really offering much that one would want. Pack an extra 50 Cents piece for the lockers as they cost that if you need them and don't want to carry your stuff around with you - and no, you´re not getting those 50 cents back. Verdict: Where is a wrecking ball when you need one?

Small 3 Basin pool with one 25 Meters long swimmers basin, a water area for babies and a…read moremulti-purpose basin (max 1,20 depth) with some massage-jets and some water fountains. There is also a fitness area, a sauna & hammam that I did not use (and costs extra). Cleanliness was alright at Aquapol, the dressing rooms and showers (mixed!) were very clean. Staff was friendly. Everything was in good shape, the changing-rooms seem to have been recently renovated. Nice big windows in the pool hall and a small area outside to soak in some sun in summer. Practical info: Lockers need a 1€ piece, loose swim-shorts are forbidden and bathing-caps are mandatory. Metro Mairie de Montrouge is a 5-10 minute walk depending on your speed. A Vélib Station is right in front of the pool building. Some small downsides: The changing rooms in their dark red color may be pretty to look at, but can be quite dark, depending on where the light in the ceiling is. The opening mechanism (a switch in the middle of the bench) didn't work in one cabin I was in. When I was there the hair-dryers at the individual changing cabins were broken and you had to go over to the group cabins. The lane-separators they used when I was there were not the wave-breaking kind but the simple ones. Strangely they do have wave-breaking lane dividers (standing next to the pool) but don´t use them.

Recently opened (July 2015), this little public swimming Pool isn't quite finished being…read moreconstructed in all it´s Details. There is also a Sauna, a Fitness Area and a Hammam-bath as well (everything costs extra), but I have (so far) only been at the swimming pool. First impressions are very good. It´s a very modern building and while taste is certainly in the eye of the beholder - I quite like the design and the architecture. The changing rooms are spacious and were clean when I was there. The showers were also very nice, but they are missing a fixture to put your shower-gel/soap. Since bathing-caps are not mandatory at this pool - being able to put your soap somewhere and not on the floor, would make showering it more comfortable and thus could help keep water-quality good. Inside the Pool area, there are three basins. One for toddlers, one "multipurpose" with adjustable depth (1 Meter 30 max) and a 25 Meter pool for swimming (I think it´s 25x12), depth 1 Meter 80 all around. The swimming-basin is stainless-steel. There are two, let´s call them "islands" at the walls, made from wood, with deck-chairs for some relaxation. There are some small palm trees on them and one of said "islands" also features a fishtank. The brochure says that this is "your first feg-shui swimming pool" - I´m not sure about that, but I also don´t care ;) The multipurpose-basin will also be the venue of Aqua Jogging, Aqua Fitness and all these sort of things. On Top of the Building, there is also an exterior sun-deck. You can reach Auqazena via the RER-station Calmart, the Bus 169 or the TUVIM Bus (green line). Or of course by Car, though there wasn´t a lot of parking space left when I was there. Negatives? Like I already hinted in the first sentence, despite being open to the public, the whole thing is simply not finished now (July 2015). I´ve been there a couple of days after the first opening and while everything was generally functional, a lot of the necessary details were still missing. I´m, sure this will all be done in the next weeks or months, but it lessened my experience no less. For example: the signage. I could make a long list now, but let´s just say that they are still in need of A LOT of signs on the walls. Where to go, where everything is, how to use the (electronic, money-less lockers) ... etc. There is not even a Sign outside telling you what this building is. There also is no clock anywhere inside. Privacy is another issue that popped up during my visit. There was a lot of picture taking going on inside around the pool which is forbidden in almost every other public swimming pool that I know. But at least the (very friendly and helpful) Staff stepped in when some teenagers started taking under-water pictures. If you are shy, the upper sundeck is also not for you. The residential-buildings are quite close and there is no Visual cover of sorts and so there are a lot of people who can watch this sundeck up close from their living-rooms. Price-wise I´m not feeling the 5 Euro 60 (Residents of Issy get a reduction) Entrance fee for the pool. Sure, there are some good plans and abonnements if plan to go there often, but 5,60 is still a lot of money to go for a swim. Either way, I will certainly return in some weeks time, hoping everything is finished by then. It´s generally a nice, small, modern pool.

I´ve been looking forward to this one. 50 Meter Basin, open air and situated at the edge of a great…read morePark with a nice big patch of Grass to lie down after swimming to soak in some sun. Awesome. In theory. And don´t get me wrong, it´s all there. A great lawn for sunbathing and a 50 meter pool that is in decent shape despite it´s age. There are also some other basins, diving boards and a volleyball field. And to finish this - the staff were even reasonably friendly. On the negatives side of things there is the Building that houses the changing cabins, the wardrobe check, the showers and a little Bistro. Awful. Truly awful. Smelly, old, unwelcoming, dirty and not up to modern standards at all. So if you want to enjoy the great pool, the nice lawn and all that - you first have to pass through this little house of horrors to get there (and if you want to leave again too, of course). Would I recommend Piscine de la Grenouillere? If you can change into and out of your swim-gear in your car - yes. Practical info: bathing caps aren't mandatory but surfer-short type swimwear is forbidden. No Lockers but a wardrobe check.

This pool has seen better days (straight out of the late 1970ies I recon), but I guess it is still…read moresomewhat ok. Clean if you discount the grime. Nice big windows and lots of light due to that. One 25 Meter basin and another shallow pool for children etc. 1 Meter diving board and Saunas included in the entry fee. Speaking of the devil: 5,60€ they charge for the entry - and that does not reflect the value that is offered. Bathing Cap mandatory. Surfer shorts are forbidden.

Piscine Roger Aveneau offers two pools. A 25 Meter basin for swimming with no shallow end and a…read moresmall pool for children. What stood out positively for me was the friendliness of the staff. It was also quite clean - if you discount general oldness and the grime that comes with it. The Pool-Hall is also not bad. Lots of windows equal lots of light and the many trees you see in front of the windows are quite nice to look at. Negatives? Piscine Roger Aveneau was build in 1971 and could do with a big renovation. Maintenance wise they seem to be doing a decent job, but after 45 years I think it is time for a big overhaul @ Piscine Roger Aveneau. The Building´s age is showing everywhere. Practical information: There is a Velib Station right in front of the sports complex and a Bus stop near by. There are no lockers but a wardrobe check where you deposit your stuff with an employee and get a rubber-band. Showers and dressing rooms are separated for men and women. The Price at 3,80€ for the single entry is not too expensive.