Overview:

Open: This is a year round pool

Price: $3.50, or 30 swims for $87.50

Pool Hours: Tuesday - Friday 6:00 - 8:00 am, 12:00 - 2:30 pm, 3:30 - 7:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Locker Room: Bag check or you can bring your own lock

Equipment: Kickboards, pull buoys, and lounge chairs

Website: Here

Showers: Heated

Parking: Moderate

Crowds: Moderate for both lap and rec swim

Call Ahead?: The pool is consistently open, so you rarely need to call ahead.

Details:

The Glassell Park Pool is located within a larger recreation facility in the neighborhood of Glassell Park. The recreation facility is always very busy and full of people playing tennis, baseball, running around the fields, or as I like to do, swimming. This outdoor pool is open year-round and, while older than many of the other facilities, has great water quality, lots of lap lanes even with the recreational swim scene, and a good crowd.

The scene is something to note as the people who come are a diverse mix of Angelenos that make this pool feel like you are truly in the city. Families, couples, groups of friends, and lap swimmers unite each weekend afternoon for a good swim. Up until 2017 they had an active group of people who were quite good divers; I think there was a small club who would come and practice diving and it was so fascinating to watch while I was swimming. I would always catch someone plunging into the water out of the corner of my eye as I took a breath. The diving boards were removed, though, and now the dive area is filled in with lane lines. I think this was a valid change because each time I visit this pool, the lanes always have a minimum of two people in them.

I must admit I have only ever visited this pool on a weekend (hours are from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm) because I could never make it during the week, but I am sure there is a devoted group of swimmers who are there every day.

If you go on a weekend, and are there towards the end of the day, look out for a short, older woman who arrives around 4:30 pm. She must only get a few laps in each day, but she has everyone who visits the pool around that time memorized. If she doesn’t know you, she will introduce herself, give you an amazing compliment, and will tell you a story about a swimming experience she once had. She is a treasure and consider yourself lucky if you are able to meet her. 

The other great thing about this pool is the big “GLASSELLLAND” sign installed on the hill just about the pool.

Lap Passes: Yes. 30 swims for $87.50, and for kids/seniors, 30 swims for $25

Equipment: Kickboards and pull buoys are available. Lounge chairs are also provided on the pool deck; I think this is the only pool in LA that has them.

Ladies Locker Room: 4/10. The primary space of the locker room, with the benches and changing stalls, is straightforward and very tidy. The bathrooms are not great at all. I used them once and the toilet barely flushed. The shower room’s walls are mildew-ed and need a good remodel as I don’t think a cleaning would help much as this point. There is a single showerhead source with five showerheads coming out in a circle around it and only two work well. All in all, you get the job done, but the room is straightforward with no frills other then the bag check. The lady managing the back check is super friends, polite, and has always accommodated any guest’s needs or questions.  

Parking: There is a medium sized parking lot directly adjacent to the pool, but it is shared with the rest of the park and sports facilities within the recreation center property. When the baseball leagues are in session, or on a super hot summer day, parking can be a challenge. But, I’ve always found a spot.