Mission Pool

Very nice outdoor pool. The pool is well maintained and it is kept at a pleasant temperature, but it may be too warm for anyone swimming lots of laps (bring plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated). Pleasant grounds. Friendly staff. Small locker rooms with small lockers, but there are several showers available on site.

The week of May 18 – 22 — various shutdowns, tiny little notes on the door.
God fucking forbid they might keep the website up-​to-​date so those of us coming over from the other side of town might know about this. That would make too much sense in this clusterfuck time of ours.
Also — no response from e-​mail. They don’t answer the phone. Charming.

We love this place! The staff are super friendly. I like that the wind is blocked off so it’s pretty warm. The water and facility are clean. The water is a nice warm temperature and doesn’t smell chlorinated.

I’ve been swimming here for thirty years… love this pool
great staff, funny… caring… good with the kids…
swimming here is an amazing experience!

I am soooo happy that i found an outdoor swimming pool that is open for public.
The water is heated to perfect, especially in this cold SF weather. The staff is very friendly.
Get there as soon as they open. It gets pretty crowded within an hour.

This is a decent public pool. It’s 25 yards and only four lanes wide, so it can get crowded pretty quickly, especially around 5:30 — 6:00. The temperature was great – not too warm, but there were a lot of leaves and debris in the water. Locker rooms/​showers were basic and kept fairly clean. I kinda wonder how the city was able to build such a gorgeous pool like Sava and then have Mission Pool turn out to just be *ok* after what seemed like such an arduous renovation.
I also wish they would designate lane speeds with those plastic signs during lap swim like they do at YMCAs because the lifeguards don’t say anything when slower swimmers decide to crash faster lanes just because there are fewer people in it. For the most part though, it seemed like most of the people there were aware of basic lane etiquette (split the lane if there are only two swimmers, circle-​pattern when there are 3 or more) and being aware of their speed relative to others and changing lanes when necessary.

The newly renovated outdoor pool is awesome! I went during the free community swim day grand re-​opening on Wednesday, August 7, but it officially re-​opened July 27. The staff is very friendly and all the life guards seem pretty cool.
The long length of the pool seems to be 25 yards and there are four lanes for the lap swim. They provide kick boards and pull buoys. I was there during the 11:30am — 1:30pm lap swim and all the lanes were full with at least two swimmers per lane. The water was luke warm, pretty clean, and lightly chlorinated.
They also renovated the locker rooms, but it’s nothing fancy. As you walk in, there’s a small shower room on the side (easy to miss) with 3 shower heads. Then you’ll encounter a long row of lockers opposite a long row of benches by the wall that has hooks to hang clothes. There’s a lot of space between the lockers and benches so you won’t have to bump into people. The largest locker is kind of small and it barely fits my gym bag. If you don’t want to use a locker, you could probably tuck your bag along a wall by the pool outside. After the lockers are the toilet stalls and they look very clean (it has been freshly renovated, afterall). Finally at the very back, you’ll see two sinks with large mirrors and a handicap-​accessible shower next to it. I wish they had a wall-​mounted hair dryer as found in some swimming pool locker rooms.
I would definitely come back and do some more swimming here.

This pool is now OPEN! I went to check it out (but didn’t swim) and here’s an assessment:
– nice outdoor pool, not huge. 4 lap lanes probably, 25 yards long. Temp seemed good, like 82 degrees F maybe.
– locker room is revamped, but not luxurious. Very basic, very small room where there are like 4 showers. Close quarters! Also the lockers are little boxes so maybe bring another lock and use 2 lockers.
All that said, I’m definitely putting it on my «Pools of San Francisco» list, along with Hamilton Pool and UCSF Mission Bay.

MISSION POOL IMPROVEMENTS_​PROGRESS CONTINUES
February 27, 2013 | by Toks Ajike
The first phase of the work (Pool Locker Room Improvements) is approximately 75% complete and it is expected to be complete by Mid March so that the Pool Deck and systems can commence right away. Tile work is ongoing, fixture installation will commence next, interior to follow afterwards. Exterior stucco work will also be commencing. Concrete Slab was poured at the locker room, epoxy flooring to commence after concrete slab reaches design strength.
Phase II work which includes all work related to the Pool deck, pool piping and recirculation pumps will commence after Phase 1, in Mid March.
This entry was posted in Aquatics Program Alerts, Aquatics Program News, Mission Playground Renovation News by Toks Ajike. Bookmark the permalink.

As of Dec 2012: some delays, revised opening around Summer 2013

I LOVE the pool.
I was thrilled that it re-​opened this summer after being closed for 1.5 or 2 years.
I live 2 blocks away and so appreciate that it exists and is open til December!
The pool is clean, a great place to swim, cheap ($ 5 adults; $ 1 kids), OUTDOORS, solar heated… ALL GREAT.
The renovation is beautiful.
I love the place.
There was a problem which has now been solved: With the new Fall schedule, there was no longer weekday rec swim. I want to thank and commend Recreation Supervisor, Sean McGrew, who responded to neighbors’ requests to bring back weekday rec swim! Rec swim is back Tues-​Sat 3 – 4:30pm, at least for Sept. They will evaluate Sept attendance to determine whether to continue rec swim in Oct. Please go!
Schedule:

I can’t wait to go!
Closed until 10÷1÷11 or maybe 11÷1÷11. Booo.

Outdoor swimming pools are the best! This place is low-​key, fairly clean, and affordable! A great place for low-​impact exercise under the sky.
Be aware that the pool’s open hours are weird. Two hours around noon, two more in the evening, closed on Sundays. Check
for schedule, or phone them. And write the Board of Supervisors about extending hours!

Love Mission Pool — such a luxury to swim outdoors in the City!
Minus one star for whoever decided that painting the sloping floor in the locker room with slick, glossy paint was a good idea. It’s wet & slippery enough without adding to the problem.

Finally tried the Mission Pool after living next door to it for almost a year, and I have to say I’m impressed. I love outdoor pools; swimming in the sun makes my day. There are only two lanes but people here know how to circle swim and it isn’t a crowded mess. The changing rooms are clean and not skanky, sufficient showers and lockers, the pool is not a murky mess (unlike the terrifying muck you encounter at 24 hour fitness’ pool) — all in all — worth the $ 5 entrance fee.
The only thing that bugs me is the swim times — pool is closed on Mon and Tues (sad face), and opens off and on during other days which is difficult for me when I’m on a normal 9 – 6 work schedule (currently between jobs).
Other than that, great amenity to have in the area, and I hope the city maintains it and doesn’t decide to close it!

Heated open air pools are the best, particularly when it’s sunny and cold! I love the fact that this pool even exists and that it’s 5 bucks a swim.
The pool is 30 yards long, which is nice when you’re training to swim in open water (pushing off from the side is cheating!) On the downside the pool is pretty narrow and there are only two lanes, fast and slow. If you’re a medium paced swimmer, you may get a little discouraged.

Mission District — Mural Stop #1
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE MURALS OUTSIDE: D Not exactly the POOL & PLAYGROUND itself…
My boyfriend and I had an excursion of the Mission District and this was one of our first stop for murals!
What an amazing sight it was. Snapping away, my boyfriend noted the details on the front and side of the building, and loved the cute alley to the right. The residential side (across the mural) had cute little doors that were short and painted.
This place also had some outdoor basketball courts, so I think I’m going to have to check out what the playground and pool have to offer during the summer…
One thing to note: it says «NO DOGS ALLOWED» but there were a few dogs roaming the grassy area in front of the building. Weird…

Important note: An adult swim pass for all SF public pools has gone up to $ 5 as of Oct 09. Its getting to be expensive, but if you hate being a treadmill rat like me, its a good option.
This pool is only open in the spring, summer and fall, but the water is heated, so even on cold days the pool is a perfectly pleasant place to swim. I really like this place for lap swim and the only annoying thing I can find about it is the one weekend lifeguard who monitors the pool a too obsessively and then tries to shout things at people while they are swimming underwater, I learned to just ignore him.

How could you not give this place five stars??? This is a public pool, in San Francisco, in the freaking middle of the Mission!!! I was waiting for the perfect day to try it, and in the midst of our latest heat wave (is it just me or is the Summer of 2008 shaping up to be some good evidence of global warming), I found myself swimming laps right at 19^th/​Guerrero. Not swimming well, mind you. Horrendously in fact. I have no doubt people were looking at me with disdain just like I tend to look at people hogging the elliptical at the gym who shouldn’t be. There are two lanes — fast and slow. There should also be an even slower Jason lane, but the place isn’t that big enough. That I was able to experience this for $ 4 on a warm summer day was completely worth it.
10,000 bonus stars to SPF 85 sunscreen for keeping me burn free. Me, my dermatologist and my mother thank you.

Once you’re diagnosed with a debilitating illness, it’s kind of hard to maintain your «if I’m not bleeding, I’m not working hard enough» exercise approach. My doctor recommended swimming. Ok, sure. After a few days of sprinting up hills in Noe Valley, I limp the three blocks over to Mission Pool, a mere three blocks from my apartment.
Seriously, I look stunning in a one-​piece and goggles, and I do a mean breast stroke. But, sweet Jesus, the undivided lanes bug the shit out of me.
The naysayers exclaim, «but it’s outside — brr!»
Whatever, dudes. I’ve been swimming outside in Vermont. In May. We may as well be in Jamaica right now.
I can’t imagine swimming in this pool for recreational purposes in the summer. My skin feels itchy just thinking about it. But I refuse to get fat, dammit! So, I’ll see you at Mission Pool. And you, old lady in the floaties — move the frick over!