TL;DR beautiful pool, beautiful gym…read more PLUSES: + outdoor pool = great view (campanile) + design is old, rustic, and beautiful + huge locker rooms + halls are perfect for a photoshoot

This 33-meter (108+ feet!) rooftop pool of Roman proportions and elegance is a treasure of the UC…read moreBerkeley campus. The locker room is approached by a walk through a sunlit hallway of old, multi-paned windows. The locker room is spotless, and fabulously equipped. Then, the pool itself...holy crap...first of all, it's on a ROOF, and it's made of MARBLE and mosaic tiles. And there are huge concrete terraces on which to sun and rest oneself, as well as to view eye candy from the waterpolo team doing leisurely laps as if just for show. The lanes are huuuuge so collisions are rare. In fact, it sometimes feels like the place is a secret even from the lucky students who can enjoy it, because I don't remember it ever being crowded. In fact, as the sound of the Campanile heard between breaths of the fresh Berkeley breeze blowing over the verdant quad can charm anyone into thinking that they are having a dream of liquid solitude. Here, I was able to break through my 2-lap ceiling and seal my love of swimming forever. Okay, one pain in the ass is that you have to pay a fee to rent out a locker...but at least you CAN rent out a locker! Another pain in the ass is that you have to wear a damn swim tag on your person to show that you are allowed to be in or around the pool in the first place...but the crispy, sun-yellow, and oh-so-filchable towels provided by the gym make up for all this... Yeah, so basically, there's nothing negative that can be said about this pool. It is a drop of Heaven on Earth.

Update: after contacting the city I was allowed to go around the side instead of having to go…read morethrough the locker rooms. If you want to do the same, just tell them at the check in desk that you'd like to enter around the side. Staff now has instructions to let you do so if you ask. However, still no access to nonbinary bathroom or shower accommodations at this public facility.

A good no-frills city pool for lap swimming. Friendly staff, and the people who swim here are also…read morefriendly without the "get-out-of-the-way-I'm-getting-my-swim-in" attitude you get at some pools. You usually have to share a lane and often have to circle swim, but that's pretty standard for a city pool. You need to pay in advance and register at city of Berkeley website. Pool and deck are well-maintained. It is a school pool so you're changing in a middle school locker room. My one wish is that they would clean/mop the locker room partway throught the evening, as it is often impossible to find a place to change that isn't wet and slippery.

First time visiting this outdoor pool faciltiy on 1/17/26 (Saturday) during their public hours…read morewhich opens at 11am. Front desk staff was friendly and I was able to sign up for a 10 visit pass for $51, otherwise it's $6 a visit. I figured this will hopefully keep me consistent for the beginning of the year. The facility itself could use an upgrade but overall it is wat you would expect from an older building. The entrance into the pool is through the locker area which has lockers, changing area with benches, showers, and bathrooms. The pool looks fairly clean on the surface and we'll maintained. There are lanes divided into slow, fast, and medium speeds for circle swimming. Much of the demographics is 50+ during the time I went and they were all spaced out fairly evenly. The pool is actually open earlier for swim club members ($55/month) which is nice for early birds and the crowd seems younger at that time. I was told it's open to the public to sign up for that as well. The water itself was a good temperature. The pool goes from 3 ft to 9 ft. The bottom of the pool was clean on the 3 feet side, but had debris on the floor in the 9ft side. Folks would swim for about 30 minutes - 1 hour and more folks would flow into the lanes. Everyone is respectful and the regulars would chat with one another at the walls. There are kickboards and other supplies you can borrow from in a shed if you'd like. There is a lifeguard on duty. I asked her for the time, but she didn't know it, which I thought was odd because I could hear her talking on the phone or talking aloud. I asked another swimmer for the time and he said there's a clock right behind me, which I didn't see, and I'm surprised the lifeguard couldn't just tell me there was a clock to check. Apart from that, I enjoyed my one hour swim and got a reality check on how out of shape I am. I'll definitely come back to continue swimming and work my way up to the fast lane. Check out more recs and spots in the bay @thefoodhigh

Superb pool. The lanes are wide and the pool is heated. The pool length is 30 yards. The other…read moreswimmer are friendly.

Wow, coming back to Albany Aquatics Center for kiddo swim lessons is full circle. Back in the day I…read moreswam here for swim meets in high school and now coming back, such a cool moment to be with the family. They offer Tot Swim (including on Sundays) which is honestly such a fun addition. We called ahead of time with a bunch of questions as newbies and inquired about walk-ins. We received answers to everything we needed to be set up with success for our first swim. There's also a super cool vending machine by the bathrooms/showers/changing areas that offers nutritious pre and post snacks, goggles, sunscreen, and I think swim caps too. The indoor pool is super spacious and everyone was respectful (of lanes, hehe). You're able to utilize pool accessories during the swim hours and there's lifeguards on duty with a stop watch to let you know when Tot time is over. We had around an hour and 15 or so. There's an awesome grass area and epic park next door. Parking is accessible in front of center. Can't wait to return! Definitely check the swim calendar online before heading over.

My son is currently enrolled in swim classes here. The instructions & expectations are clear. At…read morethe end of each session we had to be a bit persistent in obtaining a report card, but upon receipt, it's very detailed on what he needs to work on and what he did well. We will continue to enroll him here, especially since they also have an indoor pool for Fall & Winter sessions.

Plenty of problems to work on at this climbing gym. The routes are also decently rated. Staff at…read moreIronworks are helpful. Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere and set up here.

Amazing gym, went with our old neighbors for climbing, been a hot minute almost 20 years for me and…read moreit was a good plunge back into climbing. really friendly people both employees and patrons, parkings a bit of a fight if you don't know where to go, but membership gets you into other gyms.

Good area to work out clean organized and great place to work out the pool looks comfortable but…read moresmall and very close to Berkeley High School

Since the pandemic, greatly shortened hours. No longer a women's weight room, and women's locker…read moreroom now unisex. No wonder membership has declined!

I made the mistake of getting a 10-times swim pass card, anticipating that I would be able to swim…read moreuntil the end of September. Well, we are past the first half of September now and I have not been able to use my pass. The heater is broken and the water in the swimming pool is very cold. The administration makes no attempt to accommodate the community. The pool is open in the morning for a lap swim which makes no sense. The warmer parts of the day are in the afternoon, so the water doesn't warm up until 1:30 PM when they close the pool. Also, the weight room opens up at 6 PM so you cannot coordinate workouts. Oh, and the pool is closed on Saturdays and Sundays when most people have free time to use it. Why not open the pool from 4 pm-6 pm, and on weekends, so people could enjoy warmer water and then use the gym? Please, either make a more sensible schedule or refund my money!

I like the pool and the people there also nice life guard and nice school awesome stuffread more