Most LA Fitness pools are 25 yards long (75 feet), with 3 lanes for lap swimming, and the depth ranges from around 3.5 to 4.5 feet in the shallow end, sloping to 4.5 to 6 feet or deeper depending on the specific club.
Width accommodates three lap lanes plus some additional open space for aqua fitness classes.
| Spec | Typical measurement |
|---|---|
| Length | 25 yards (75 feet) |
| Lanes | 3 lap lanes |
| Shallow end depth | 3.5 to 4.5 feet |
| Deep end depth | 4.5 to 6+ feet |
| Water temperature | 80 to 85°F |
| Pool type | Indoor, heated year-round |
How many laps in a LA Fitness pool is a mile?
In a 25-yard pool, one lap equals one length (25 yards).
A mile is 1,760 yards, so swimming a mile requires 70 to 71 laps.
Quick reference: 9 laps = one-eighth mile, 18 laps = quarter mile, 35 laps = half mile, 70 laps = one mile.
Does LA Fitness Have a Pool at Every Location?
No, and this is the first thing to confirm before choosing a membership, pools appear at most standard LA Fitness clubs but not all.
Smaller urban locations and certain leased spaces lack the footprint for an indoor pool, newer LA Fitness locations tend to have pools as standard; older or compact clubs may not.
To check whether a specific club has a pool, open the club’s individual page on lafitness.com, scroll to the amenities list, and look for “Indoor Pool.”
The amenities section is the official source, and it’s more accurate than Google Maps, which sometimes shows outdated or incorrect amenity information. Besides this, the LA Fitness app shows the amenity list for any club under “My Club” or “Find a Club.”
LA Fitness Pool Hours: When Does the Pool Close?
Pools close earlier than the rest of the gym, 30 to 60 minutes before the main club closing time.
A club that stays open until 11:00 p.m. on weekdays generally closes its pool between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m, and weekend pool closings track with the shorter weekend gym hours, meaning a Saturday pool may close as early as 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. at clubs that close the main floor at 8:00 p.m.
This is because pool staff, chemical maintenance, and lane cleaning all require wind-down time before the facility closes.
Pool hours also shrink on holidays, on days when LA Fitness runs reduced hours (Christmas Eve, July 4th, New Year’s Eve), the pool often closes a full hour before the main club rather than the standard 30 to 60 minutes.
What Blocks Lane Access even During Open Hours
Two scheduled activities regularly reduce available lap lanes at LA Fitness pools, and neither one appears prominently in the general club hours.
British Swim School
This is the most common third-party swim lesson provider at LA Fitness locations.
Many clubs host British Swim School sessions multiple times per week, targeting infants and children up to young teens, and during these lesson times, one or more lanes are roped off and unavailable for lap swimming.
Sessions run in the morning and early afternoon, with some evening time slots, the schedule is not listed on the main LA Fitness website, so you can check at front desk or have a phone calling.
Aqua Fit classes run throughout the day at most pool-equipped clubs
These are 50-minute water fitness sessions included in standard membership, held in the pool during scheduled class times.
During an Aqua Fit session, the entire pool or big portion of it is in use for the class, leaving lap swimmers with limited or no lane access.
Aqua Fit sessions run in the morning and early afternoon, with occasional evening slots depending on the club. You can check the group fitness class schedule before planning a lap swim session.
Pool Temperature and Water Treatment
Water temperature at LA Fitness pools stays in the 80 to 85°F range, the official Aqua Fit class description on the LA Fitness website references “79 to 85 degree water,” and member reports across Reddit and Google reviews are consistent with that range.
Some clubs whose pools host frequent aqua fitness or swim lesson programs run slightly warmer, around 84 to 86°F, which benefits participants in those programs but can feel warm for intense lap swimming.
Water treatment varies by club
Most LA Fitness pools use standard chlorine systems, a smaller number of locations have saltwater systems, which use a salt chlorination process that produces lower concentrations of traditional chlorine.
Saltwater pools tend to feel softer on skin and eyes and leave less chlorine odor.
Staff at some clubs describe their water as “95% salt water, 5% chlorine,” which refers to how the saltwater chlorination system works rather than the salt concentration.
Pool Rules at LA Fitness
Rules are posted at the pool entrance and enforced by staff or lifeguards, while specifics vary slightly by location, the following apply at virtually every LA Fitness pool.
- Swimmers must shower before entering the pool
- Proper athletic swimwear is required (no cotton shorts, no gym clothes, no underwear worn as swimwear)
- No running on the pool deck
- No diving in the shallow end
- No glass containers near the pool
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Members should respect lane assignments and circle-swim etiquette when lanes are shared
- Kickboards and pull buoys are usually available at the pool deck; members can also bring their own
Caps are not required at LA Fitness pools, though some clubs ask that members with longer hair wear one, and goggles are also not required but recommended if you want to swim more than a few laps.
Lane-Sharing Etiquette for Lap Swimmers
- When pool attendance is high, most pools shift to circle swimming: all swimmers in a lane travel counterclockwise, keeping to the right side of the black line at the bottom.
- Before entering an occupied lane, make eye contact with the existing swimmer and tap the wall to signal that you are joining.
- Pausing at the end of a lane and waiting for the swimmer to notice is the standard way to communicate without disrupting the session.
- During slower periods with two swimmers per lane, side-by-side swimming works: each person takes half the lane rather than circling.
- Three or more people in a lane almost always requires circle swimming, if your pace differs from the other swimmers in a lane, check whether another lane is running at a more compatible speed before joining a crowded fast lane.
Playa Vista and Ballard LA Fitness Pools
Playa Vista (Los Angeles, CA) is one of the more popular LA Fitness locations in the greater LA area, serving a dense residential and tech-adjacent neighborhood.
The pool there is the standard indoor 25-yard format with 3 lanes.
British Swim School operates lessons at this location, so morning lane availability can be reduced during lesson windows, members report the pool as generally well-maintained.
Ballard (Seattle, WA) is the LA Fitness location serving the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle’s northwest.
It has an indoor pool and is one of the most-used clubs in the Seattle footprint, members should check directly with the club on lane availability since the Ballard area has a strong lap swimming community and the pool sees consistent use.
For any specific club, including these two, you can call ahead, because it is more reliable than checking online sources.
What’s Available at Poolside
Most LA Fitness pool decks have the following available for member use at no extra charge:
- Kickboards for leg-focused drills
- Pull buoys for upper-body isolation
- Water aerobics dumbbells (used for Aqua Fit, available to members during open swim)
- Lane ropes and dividers (managed by staff)
Towels are not provided at the pool, members bring their own, but some Signature Club locations offer towel service as part of the premium amenity experience, but standard clubs do not.
Pool Access for Guests and Membership Tiers
Standard LA Fitness membership includes pool access at pool-equipped clubs, multi-Club members can use any LA Fitness pool in the network when visiting other locations.
Single Club members are restricted to their designated home club, which matters for members whose home club has a pool but who travel to other markets.
LA Fitness Guest pass holders get pool access during their visit, subject to the same pool hours as members, and the pool does not require a separate guest fee on top of the general day pass or la fitness free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use the pool at LA Fitness without a membership?
A free 3-day trial pass includes pool access at the selected club, subject to pool hours and lane availability.
Day passes ($15 to $25 depending on the club) also grant pool access for that visit, first-time visitors using the free trial complete the standard orientation before any gym or pool use.
How does swimming work at LA Fitness?
Show up during pool hours, shower before entering, choose an available lane, and start swimming, no reservation is needed for standard lap swim.
If the pool is running an Aqua Fit class or British Swim School lessons, wait for the session to end or ask the front desk if a partial lane is available.
Is the LA Fitness pool heated?
Yes, all indoor LA Fitness pools are heated year-round, maintaining a temperature range of roughly 80 to 85°F.
Some clubs run slightly warmer, particularly those with active aqua fitness programs.
Temperatures are not individually published per club, so calling ahead or asking the front desk is the way to get the specific number at your location.
How many yards is the LA Fitness pool?
25 yards (75 feet) at the vast majority of locations, some older or differently configured clubs may vary, and a small number of locations have pools closer to 25 meters.
Staff answers on this question are often unreliable, so if you are a member who need a precise measurement for training purposes should bring a tape measure.
Abraham is a fitness and consumer finance writer with a passion for helping people make smarter decisions before signing gym contracts. After spending years researching gym membership costs, hidden fees and cancellation policies across major gym chains, he created GymMembershipPricing to give people the honest information they need before signing up. Every guide on this site is independently researched and verified.
