Located underneath the Marché Saint-Germain, you will find Piscine Saint-Germain after walking down some Stairs on the south side of the Market. In the Entrance Hall you are greeted by an old certificate stating that this was the best swimming pool in all of Paris - in 1997.
So while during all the time since then, Prince William had the chance to go from small boy, grow into a man, lose a lot of his hair, become a helicopter pilot, marry and father two children - I recon Piscine Saint-Germain hasn't changed that much in 18 years.
Or to spell this out for those not getting it: Signs, plaques etc that say "we were great once" are always a worry - be it at a restaurant, hotel or a swimming-pool. 18 year old Glory is worth nothing today, what counts now is now. Someone should take these signs down and but one up that says "we wanna be the best pool in Paris again - in 2020".
But this review is starting to sound more negative than I actually mean it. Piscine Saint-Germain is a decent small basement pool (one 25 Meter Basin). It was clean when I was there, the people working there were very friendly and despite being a pool without any natural light - it isn´t one bit dark or depressing in there. So they are getting the basics right.
Negatives: While the Building and basin is in decent shape generally, the toilets are not up to standard and the shower area definitely has seen better days. There are not many individual changing cabins. I am not a big fan of the decor (nor the dolphin-paintings in the changing cabins), but it could be worse.
Another thing that has struck me as odd was the disclaimer of liability in case of theft. Piscine Saint-Germain doesn´t have lockers, but a wardrobe check where you deposit your clothes with an employee. Now, how can my belongings be stolen while behind a counter, guarded by a member of the staff? I am not making accusations (again, the staff at Piscine Saint-Germain were very nice) - but if my belongings would be stolen while in personal care like that and those running the pool think that they are not responsible in such a case - I think I would prefer to just have a simple locker with a key. read more