Swan Leisure

Swan Leisure is the gym and leisure centre located in Rathmines, and it’s a really good gym, in my limited opinion.
The staff are ever visible and helpful, happy to make you an exercise régime based on your needs. I’ve yet to meet one of the trainers who wasn’t a pleasure to chat to.
They’re also greatly motivating — in the year I’ve been a member I’ve tried spinning, trx, kettle bells, boxercise and yoga for the first time, and had exercise tailored to me since I had a knee injury.
The classes start early (7.15am) for office workers and go until 9pm, so there’s a time to suit everyone. Now spinning is a favourite activity of mine, something I didn’t think I’d ever say.
I don’t use the pool much, but it’s a standard pool (and when I do the sauna is lovely afterwards).
The gym itself isn’t huge but in my experience there’s never much of a wait for machines, and I’d mostly attend classes anyway. Really nice atmosphere, and very much a community centre, with all ages attending.

This is only a review of the pool area and changing rooms — I have not been to the rest of the building.
Upon arrival the staff have always been really friendly and helpful. I’m not a member of the gym but paying per trip is easy and cheap at € 6 per adult (kids are free under 3 years, happy days!)
There is loads of room in the changing rooms even when it’s busy and I particularly love the family sized cubicles — very handy. I have also never had a problem finding a locker; even the smaller type fits everything — lockers are free too; you get the euro back when you put the key back in the lock.
The pool itself is very clean and well maintained — a far cry from the pool that was here when I was in college — don’t even go there!!! They even have toys for kids littered around the pool which is a nice touch.
I go here a lot and will continue to at that price.
Good for gym heads, pool heads, family heads, fitness heads, and bed heads.

The Swan leisure is the closest gym to my place so I’ve been sporadically go there for years in the gym and swimming pool.
The place is quite clean and new, the swimming pool has a new technology of water disinfection so there’s not too much clorine in it which is very good.
Quite often, though, the place is too overcrowded because few lines are for swimming lessons or when the swimming pool shrinks to 12.5 metres because a divider wall is raised in the middle and when you have to share a 12 metres line with other 5 people after the 4^th kick you give or take trying to swim you just leave, believe me.
The staff are very prepared and friendly, I had an amazing personal trainer for private lessons, Sharde’ and she was brilliant, so full of energy and a great motivator.
Just a couple of things puzzle me:
–why to have a private shower you have to go upstairs and walk up in your swimsuit and towel for a floor and the changing room downstairs are reserved only for schools?
(the alternative is have a shower in the rinsing showers in front of the pool.)
— why the hairdryers are terribly weak and 2 on five always broken, but the swimsuit dryers are there perfectly efficient? I mean in the Irish winter is more important to have dry hair or a less wet swim suit in the bag?
Another thing I found unusual is that from few months ago you have to bring your own towel to wipe the machines… really? I was told by a member of the staff that paying for the paper to wipe the machine was a waste of money… ok. so I should bring my own two towels one to wipe my sweat and one to wipe the machines… Or you think I wipe myself with the same towel??? Don’t know… images of evil faced germs passing from the machines to my face just revolt my stomach… Maybe is just me but I vote to reintroduce the paper towel to wipe the gym machines! Call me dreamer…
A part of this i keep going to the swan because it is a pleasant place (when not too overcrowded), very very close to where I live and the staff are very friendly.

Bit of a disaster trying to organise swimming lessons with Swan Leisure. I booked and paid for ten lessons over a year ago. I had about two lessons so far (due to a football injury). Everytime I try to book a 3^rd lesson the time doesnt suit me or the instructor. I was promised that the instructor would be flexible with times, but they aren’t free the weekends.
Because of this, i would not recommend Swimming lessons with Swan Leisure.

Splash splash splash!
Does anyone else remember the old Dublin corporation Rathmines pool? The one they knocked down to build this one? Man alive, I’m usually not one for stamping and trampling on old buildings, but boy am I glad that they made way for redevelopment.
Missing my trips to the seaside, I decided I was in need of the next best thing, a dip in a pool. Shamefully, despite living nearby Rathmines, I hadn’t yet been here so I got my togs and dropped in on a Sunday afternoon. By all accounts this is family day at the pool so if kids knocking balls and toys around and splashing about bothers you, it might be a day to avoid. However I remember the joy of being a kid in a pool, and I wasn’t bothered by it. They also had three large lanes sectioned off, two fast lanes and one slow (thankfully). So those of us who did want to swim laps could. They also seem to change their rota for adult (lane swims), lessons and child swims regularly so it’s worth a trip to their website to check ahead of time if you are really wanting something specific.
After a few swims, I took in the sauna and steam room to relax and then took another dip before heading home floaty and relaxed. Just what I needed. I was impressed with the standard of cleanliness in general, the changing areas are mostly good, they even have larger family changing cubicles with is great, the pool is happily very clean. The staff were friendly and helpful, smiley and obliging to all the stupid questions I had. They even have a nifty togs ‘drier’ — an absolute delight. Long gone are the days of soggy togs in your gym bag.
Finally, don’t forget your swim-​hat, they are mandatory.

Closest gym to where I live in Rathmines. They have great fitness classes, all included with a membership besides Zumba and yoga. The workout area is kind of small but it suffices. The staff is very friendly and help you out anytime you ask about anything. I believe the main attraction of this place is the pool, which always has classes for children and people swimming laps.
Just don’t forget your towel, they won’t let you workout! And 20 min limit on the cardio machines if the place is crowded!

One-​stop shopping (or swimming) for all!
I signed up for swimming lessons as an ‘improver’ and it was worth every Euro (about 70 Euro for eight weeks actually). The instructors (Alan and Deirdre thus far…) are fantastic and they really care about you getting it right so ya don’t drown!
The place is quite large and very clean. I love it. It’s a bit of an ‘oasis’ on a wet, gray day (of which there are many here!)
Also, I take the water aerobics class (for a mere six Euro) immediately following my lesson. And, it’s quite a workout!
Dressing stalls, lockers, showers, sauna, gym, café … this place really has it all.
I am so pleased to find it and I highly recommend it for any one really. Learn to swim or get some water exercise. Or just stay dry and take a Zumba class!
If you want to learn to swim, ask about Alan or Deirdre — they are awesome instructors!
Ahoy the shore!

This is a fairly new pool/​gym in the centre of Rathmines. There’s not much at all to fault about it. I quite often use the pool. It costs six euro a ‘go’ which is just about OK, or you can pay for a membership, which gives you a better deal according, of course, to how often you use it. The changing area is nearly always clean, as are the loos. The pool itself is usually inviting, again (as should be expected I suppose!) very clean, and properly attended with friendly (and flirty!) staff. There is a sauna and a steam room, both of which are just about spacious enough. Tends to be a good experience.
However, there are a few minor negative things which caused me to knock a star off here: The reception desk isn’t well staffed at all, so if someone in the queue ahead wants to join the gym or generally wants to ask a whole load of questions to the lone person at the till, everyone else behind them could be waiting for a long time to just pay for a swim. If you only have an hour, and 15 minutes of it could quite possibly be spent in a queue, then this is not for you!
I think it’s great that they have a division at the top end of the pool. They have a wall thing that comes up to make a separate area, which itself has a moveable floor. This section is most often used for exercise classes, lessons, etc, so the rest of the pool can carry on as normal. At the weekend, it becomes a lovely little kiddie pool with toys and stuff thrown in. Which brings me into the other negative thing: I really really wish that they had a rule that made sure parents kept their babies and toddlers in the area that is specifically designed for their amusement! (They don’t, and parents don’t). At the weekends, the main pool is impossible if you want a ‘real’ swim, because it’s just crawling with tiny kids, with only one or two lanes reserved for everybody else. Annoying!
Best on weekday evenings I think, and can be a really enjoyable experience.

As you all know I live in Rathmines. So one day I decided that I would quit my big city gym and support the community gym. I went in, took the tour, and then got the membership.
I’ve been there for nearly two months and I am so happy. I almost wonder why it took me so long to go there in the first place. It’s got everything I need, it’s clean, has loads of classes (including free Pilates, which is usually an extra in any gym) and there’s a pool. Which brings me to my only bone of contention, which is that there are too many people there and I never feel as if I get a good swim/​practice and the weekends are full of children and their parents, with no times for adult only swims.
I’ll get over this fact one day. Like maybe when I retire and don’t have to go to work.

It’s a pool. It has lanes, you swim and you finish that is it. I haven’t been to the gym part. Really friendly and helpful staff. Don’t know how I feel about the unisex changing rooms — I know you get your own little booth but still meh.

Went there for a photoshoot would you believe… so no first hand experience BUT a good observation of this place and I was very tempted to go for a swim when I was done !
it’s clean, modern looking in there… and cheap ! only 6e for a swim, I think, like public pools.
Their opening hours are the most flexible I know… I mean, for a place that doesn’t require a membership
Monday — Friday 06:30 — 22:00
Saturday & Sunday 08:00 — 18:00
From the swimming pool you can see the street which is kind of funny, but they can’t really see you because there’s the reception area in between. And the gym is at the back, overlooking the pool. The gym doesn’t seem that big but it has 50 different equipments so that’s plenty, isn’t it ?
The 25m pool has a movable floor so at times it is split to facilitate lessons etc. I think it’s a place more for serious swimmers than kids by the way. They really target people who want to stay in shape and lose weight (they offer a programme for that) rather than a family fun thing.
Oh and the staff is really friendly too so. that’s a winner !