Westwood Recreational Center Indoor Pool

As local public pools go, it’s ok. The water is kept clean, a bit too warm (83 – 84) but not excessively chlorinated. Schedule is generous enough for a good variety of swim times.
Concerns include annual closure at about the same time as that of other westside pools, cold locker room with slick floors, antiquated sign-​in system and having to share the pool with bigots who exploit the plight of less fortunate residents by complaining about «homeless pee» when no amount of chlorine will protect swimmers from «privileged poo.»
Three decades of swimming in virtual every westside pool has brought the rare surprise at just about every venue of pool closure due to intestinal accidents — which, contrary to the offensive suggestions of Mr. [Nameless] here, know neither financial status nor mental state.
Perhaps swimmers who claim indignance at the sight and sound of someone else’s misfortune might consider working to resolve our fair city’s affordable and/​or supportive housing issues for the benefit of all of us or — just as beneficial to the rest of us — please stay home.
Westwood Rec gets three stars for overall quality as compared to Culver Plunge, SMC, Stoner, 24-​hr, Spectrum, PacPal and Loyola, and a fourth star for its non-​discrimination policy.

No!
And not just No; but overblown, melodramaticized, Darth Vader at the end of Star Wars III «NOOOOOOOOooooooo».
I’ve been coming here for several months. It has been my aquatic meditation. My respite from the traffic, taxes, and drama of living in LA. Each inhale, exhale, and crawl stroke another bit of tension leaving and peace coming in to my tortured soul.
Until 2 days ago. This was the arrival of my Marla Singer from fight club. In fact you could just watch the first 20 minutes of Fight Club and substitute «swimming» for support groups, and you’d basically have my exact situation. (An observation that also makes me wonder if I’m schizophrenic).
Here I sat in the little pool lobby waiting area, waiting for 5:55pm, when they let people come in for the 6pm lap swim time and I can secure the third-​lane from the left and go to heaven for 2.5 hours. All for the low price of $ 3.50.
And SHE ruined everything… Pushing her homeless old-​lady grocery/​every living possession cart, she wheeled and waddled her way to the front counter. She uttered those warbling yet pleasant sounds of early-​onset dementia or life-​long drug addiction as she counted out change into the counter. Not before dropping some change and bending slightly to expose her «well seasoned with the passage of time» ADULT DIAPER from the back of her pants.
«Stop her! Say you’re closed» I prayed to every deity I could think of.
My prayers were not answered. She got her ticket and mumbled something about paying for a shower.
«Maybe she just wants a shower!» Said my inner monologue, the same one that whispers to you when you’re stuck on the 405 and it’s 8pm…
I got my ticket and rushed in to shower and change. If she was just showering, maybe I could get 60 laps in before she finished. Homeless crazy diaper wearing people aren’t known to be speed demons at any task, let alone personal hygiene issues.
I dove into the pool and began my laps, already feeling a disturbance in the force. About 15 minutes later I hear her voice. Louder than any single voice and drowning out all the ambient noise of the pool environment. She was shouting nonsensical verse towards the lifeguard, who sat on his platform as both prisoner and safe from her coming any closer.
I was 15 laps in to my swim. I couldn’t stop. I have to do 60 laps. I have to. So I did it. I swam through what I knew was a rippling and spreading pool of crazy homeless old lady diaper pee. I finished and knew I that no amount of chlorine would ever keep me safe from what was once a pool, and now was a homeless person urinal.
I’ve had nightmares since then. I can’t sleep. And today I went back… But the sign on the door said «pool closed, water is cloudy»
I am Jack’s sense of shock and awe. Homeless pee. It killed an entire pool. I now understand why quality pools in the area cost so much to use. Because the filth of humanity, showing all the common sense of pigs who do not disregard their own feces, will corrupt the water, and every other part of society they touch.
I award Westwood pool one star, because homeless raw sewage is unforgivable.
I’m am jack’s weeping sense of regret.
TLDR: homeless people use this place as a bath/​toilet. Avoid it at all costs. The $ 3.50 isn’t worth your health or sanity.

Very convenient, clean and very friendly staff. It’s not too crowded and you will always find lane to swim. Great for lap swimming!

Pool supposed to open this week, but, as was the case last year, the pool is not ready for primetime after its yearly maintenance month. What on earth do they do to it that it can’t be ready after a month? Par for the course. Maybe they can fix the heater, which is terrible. I am seeing older people using wetsuits for crissakes, and this is an indoor pool! The staff offer up all sorts of excuses for why the water must be this cold. I was thinking of taking my grandkids there for summer lessons but they hated it because of the cold temp, so I had to cancel the classes.
The locker rooms are shitty, but the main problem is the cold temp and the apparent lack of decent maintenance.

After reading a couple of Unilocal reviews about this place, I was a bit skeptical to go here. I frequent Cheviot Hills pool but it’s only open in the summer and Westwood is open year round. A couple of reviews talked about the «gross and disgusting» locker rooms. I don’t know if it’s me. but I’ve swam at a couple of different LA City pools and this place is immaculate compared to some of the others that I’ve been too. They have plenty of benches, real lockers and last but not least, HOT water. I’ve been to some LA City pools where you don’t get hot water until someone flushes the toilet.
A few tidbits about the place — The cost to swim is $ 3.50. It used to be $ 2 w/​a library card but they raised the price and got rid of the library card incentive altogether. Try to have exact change. Lanes are marked slow, medium, fast so find your lane and jump in. Parking is free (up to 4 hours). There are lots of activities going on in the park so the parking lot gets filled up in the evening (6−7pm).

Pool Review:
I’m never going back here!
Terrible service– the people that work here don’t care about their paying customers.
I go early in the morning to swim and I’ve just had a terrible experience with the people that it makes going not worth it. The pool itself is fine, but that’s the only positive aspect.
The locker room is disgusting at 7am, I can’t imagine how it is later in the day.
All I have to say is, make sure you have exact change you will be turned away!
We are in 2014 people, and this pool is stuck in the 80s. How hard is it to get a machine to pay with credit cards?
I’m sorry, but the terrible service is not worth it.

Can I give — 5 star? With the new rules, for the 2014 summer Sepulveda pool’s schedule just think twice before you are paying for enrolling in any program. It looks like a big scam. The new rules are complete antipublic or anti swimming. What a shame! Don’t waste your money: extremely expensive for what are they offer. Same review for Stoner swimming poll: expensive, crowded, cold water, showers with cold water, no shade, no places to sit. Unfriendly staff and a ridiculous expensive admission fee!!!

Here’s a link to the times that this pool is open for lap swimming (
). This place is really affordable. It’s $ 2 with an LA library card and $ 2.50 without. They offer a lap pass for $ 55 for 30 admissions if you know you’re going to be a regular. Once you pay, you get handed a small ticket you hand into the lady attendant in the locker room to ensure you’ve paid. If no one is there, you just leave it on her counter. I really enjoy coming here despite the locker room. It goes a little something like this…
THE GOOD:
–PARKING: It’s free! You basically park in the parking lot belonging to the park. Your spot is good for four hours, which is plenty of time!
–POOL: I only come for lap swimming and it’s awesome. It’s 25 m long. Unless the swim team is there, there’s six lanes open. Each lane is labeled slow, medium, fast (2 of each) to keep swimmers grouped with others around their level. Ain’t nobody got time to slow each other down.
–ETIQUETTE: People who come here to swim are fairly serious swimmers… or serious enough about it to know the etiquette. For example, if there’s two people already sharing the lane they’ll go to another lane where there’s only one person despite the lane being labeled a different level. Pretty common sense, but it’s nice to see this and more from here.
–SAFETY: There’s always at least one lifeguard on duty. Great to have.
THE REALLY BAD:
–LOCKER ROOMS: It’s super duper old school. There’s no tiled floors. Imagine concrete floors that aren’t even paved smoothly, metal toilets, and janky lockers. The mirrors are metal panels haha. Everything works though. You have open showers (one room with 8 shower heads along the walls) and open changing spaces. I personally wait to go home to shower because I don’t want to stay in that locker room any longer than I have to.

A «little» older crowd since seniors get in free but it’s perfect for laps. 25 meters with a decent locker room for a public pool. 2.50/entry or $ 2 with a library card.

Westwood pool is legit.
I used to drive all the way from Brentwood to the Santa Monica Swim Center, which was always way too crowded. Westwood pool is not crowded and only costs $ 2.50! That is super cheap compared to public pools in any city that I’ve lived in (San Francisco, Louisville, DC). As others here mention, the pool is clean and well staffed (A little over-​staffed, looks like a «job creator» to me).
Some people on Unilocal complain about the locker rooms; I guess that they are a little old, but having grown up in, and always lived in, cities, they seem like pretty standard public facilities to me. I have seen homeless people in there showering etc. but hey, they deserve a decent swimming pool too, right?

(lap swimming review)
Pros: (1) 25M indoor pool, which is great for those cold days when you don’t want to swim outside. (2) Well attended but not too crowded. I went on a Saturday morning and had lane to myself for most of the time. (3) Clean pool. I didn’t see any UFOs (unidentified floating objects) in the pool and the water is crystal clear. Chlorine isn’t overwhelming. (4) Friendly staff (5) Respectful swimmers (generally on the older end of the age spectrum)
Cons: Changing rooms leave much to be desired. More-​or-​less clean but lockers are run down and benches need a new coat of paint.
Other: The pool temperature may be slightly on the warm end if you are pushing yourself hard, but I thought it was a comfortable temp. for a medium-​level pace of laps

*lap swimming review*
For a public pool, this is a good facility. Water is clean, lane lines aren’t in tatters, lots of lanes (if the swim team isn’t around), it’s actually regulation length (25 meters!) and most people know how to share a lane.
The lanes are split into slow, medium, and fast designations but nobody pays attention to them. I’ve experienced a few turtles in both the medium and fast lanes, but it’s a public pool so it’s expected. There’s also an open portion on the shallow end for water jogging, aqua exercises, etc.
The locker rooms are just below par for a public pool. That funny moisture smell is always prevalent. Be safe and ALWAYS wear sandals/​slippers/​chanclas. They wash it down daily, but seen plenty of mysterious things on the ground.
Staff is good as far as I can tell. They smile occasionally and seem to be enjoying their work.
***M-​F at 12 — 1pm and Friday Evenings 6−9pm are «Swim Team Days» meaning 4 – 5 lanes blocked off to accomodate the team. Which means there’s only about 3 – 4 lanes left for the general public… Things can get REALLY crowded so adjust your workout accordingly.***
$ 2.50 entrance fee OR $ 2 with a LA library card
Tues — Fri: 6:30am — 1:45pm (12:45pm during summer) & 6:30pm — 9pm
Sat: 9am — 12:45pm
Sun: 10am — 12:45pm
TIME TO WORKOUT!

As a triathlete, I’ve swam in almost every public and private pool in LA county.
This pool is by far the cleanest I have ever been in. The only place that beats this is the Sports Club LA in West LA but let’s face it. Unless you are willing to cuff up $ 150 a month for membership. This pool is as good as it gets. It used to be free to get in if you had a library card but for $ 2 now who can complain.
Not for the wading crowd though. If you come here, it’s all business and laps.
My only comment would be that it gets crowded during summer when all the other triathletes and kids gather around. But that’s with all public pools in LA county. The showers are kinda old but again that’s with most public pools.
Thumbs up for this public utility. Republicans beware and stay out of our public funded facilities please! You and your darn budget cuts!

It’s not the best place but hey… you can’t complain for $ 2 right? $ 2.50 without a library card and $ 2 with one (you can pick up a card free at the santa monica blvd branch).
the changing/​shower area is definitely sketchy. it has that stale water smell (reminds me of the smell from wild rivers). they make you shower before getting into the pool to wash off all your cooties.
pool area is good. i’ve been in the morning and in the evening. morning water is definitely cleaner and clearer (and less crowded). evening can get pretty crowded 2 – 3 people to a lane. the water is cloudier too and i always have thoughts of what’s lurking in that water. i die inside every time i swallow a little bit of water. :(
the staff are cool. they are helpful and generally have good attitudes.
anyway, all in all i’m very happy that this pool is around and close to my apartment. i would exercise a LOT less if this pool wasn’t there.

It’s a dump. The pool is nice, but the ventilation is terrible, the locker room is horrendous and unsanitary. It’s populated with homeless people showering, shaving and washing their underwear. I’ve seen anatomical abnormalities you would not believe. Why do they let them in if they aren’t using the rec facilities?

I’m not a california native, so an outdoor pool has never been my first choice for swimming laps (unless it is a hot summer day and I can laze about in the water). Luckily I came across the westwood pool. It’s next to a park/​playground and it took me forever to find the entrance! The pool is nice but (as noted by several others) the shower is old and run-​down. Not enjoyable, but I guess it’s a necessary evil.

I LOVE the Westwood Recreational Center Indoor Pool! What a treat in my neighborhood! The pool is very clean! The showers are old and there is a sign on the locker room saying the shower temperature is fluctuating due to something … I forget what, but no worries, I only wet down before I get in. (I shower at home)
$ 2.00 entrance with library card
$ 2.50 with out
A ground maintenance person did show me that a lock got cut recently from a bike that was parked there, so I had wished I brought my U-​bar … next time FOR SURE.
Here is the website so you can see all the pool activities /​times

I just started swimming laps here because I never realized there was a public pool in this area until now! The lap swim hours are pretty good (see below). I’ve never had to share a lane with more than one other person and they usually have the lanes marked by signs that say FAST, MEDIUM, or SLOW so you can pick your lane to suit your comfort level. I think they also have a lane or two dedicated to aqua jogging or water walking too.
The only downside to this pool is that it’s pretty old but clean as far as I can tell. The shower area pretty ancient so I never shower there after working out (but they do require you to shower before entering the pool). It’s an indoor pool… I’m kind of disappointed that it is not outdoors but then again, you can swim no matter what the weather’s like outside!
It is $ 2.50 admission ($ 2 with library card), which is a pretty good deal if you want to swim but don’t want to join a gym somewhere else to get access to a pool!
Monday through Thursday 6.30am-2pm, 6−9pm
Friday 9am-​2pm
Saturday 9am-12.45pm
Sunday 10am-12.45pm, 1−5pm

Thank you Westwood Pool for saving me from feeling guilty for not being active on the weekend. I have no wish to run or play sports or do anything actively on the weekend other than swimming. Now if only you would let me in for free like before with my Los Angeles City Library Card… that would be great. But I guess I wouldn’t mind coughing out two bucks nowadays.
For would-​be patrons, this pool is one of the best that I’ve been too. The water quality is not bad as I usually go in the morning. I’m not sure what the quality is like in the afternoon… or better yet, after recreational swimming hours. I like the lap swimming hours on the weekend which starts from 9AM to 12:45PM. Even if I had gone out the night before, there would still be time for me to swim after waking up the next day (unless I was wasted and three sheets to the wind the night before). The place does get crowded around 10:30 or 11 so be ready to share a lane with one or two people. Almost everyone who goes here is pretty nice and decent. Occasionally you would run into some ass who pretends he doesn’t see you getting into the lane and just keeps on doing his laps. I’d usually just avoid the trouble/​collision and go to the next lane. Like most pools, the lanes are designated with speed slow, medium, and fast. They have plenty of kickboards and pull buoys for your use so please remember to put them back after your work out.