Fairmont Aquatic Center
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Fairmont Aquatic Center is largely praised for being a great, cheap, year-round indoor swimming option with comfortably warm water, diverse pool areas for all ages, and vigilant lifeguards. It's a popular venue for swim teams and lessons. However, recent experiences highlight significant concerns regarding staff rudeness, limited open swim availability during holidays, and some locker room maintenance issues.
Key Highlights
- ✓Open plunge pool features ample shallows for 'wee tots' to safely explore, allowing parents to sit comfortably with them.
- ✓Open plunge pool also has plenty of deeper water for serious swimming.
- ✓A strong current pool is available, great for walking/swimming against to build strength or for leisurely floating.
- ✓Lifeguards are commended for frequent chair rotation, staying alert, and taking their jobs seriously.
- ✓Water is consistently comfortably warm.
- ✓Showers are generally clean.
- ✓Excellent, well-run venue for swim meets.
- ✓Features a fun play area.
- ✓Described as a 'great, cheap option' for indoor swimming all year round.
Standout Features
- ⭐Varied-depth open plunge pool catering to both toddlers and serious swimmers.
- ⭐Strong current pool for diverse aquatic activities.
- ⭐Comfortably warm water, ideal for year-round use.
- ⭐Vigilant and professional lifeguards.
- ⭐Clean showers.
- ⭐Dedicated facilities supporting well-run swim meets.
- ⭐An indoor play area (specifics not detailed).
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Verify open swim schedules in advance, especially around holidays like Labor Day, as availability can be unexpected or non-existent.
- →Be aware that locker rooms, particularly the men's, may have rusty lockers; plan accordingly for valuables.
- →If limited lane availability or potential rudeness from staff is a concern, consider visiting during off-peak hours or having a contingency plan.
- →If encountering unhelpful or rude pool employees, consider escalating concerns to the front desk staff, who were noted as being pleasant.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Lockers, specifically in the men's locker room, are rusty and could use an upgrade/paint.
- ⚠Open swim availability can be severely limited or non-existent on holidays (e.g., closed on Labor Day, disappointing for families).
- ⚠Customer service can be extremely poor; specific instances of lifeguards, water testing employees, and water aerobics instructors being 'unnecessarily rude' were reported.
- ⚠Can experience overcrowding with limited lane access, especially when swim teams or water aerobics classes are concurrently using the pool, leaving little space for general public use.
Price & Value
Described as a 'great, cheap option' for indoor swimming all year round, indicating high value for its facilities and warmth. Kids' passes are available, though their usability might be restricted on holidays, potentially impacting value during peak family times. No specific dollar amounts were provided.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations were mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •No specific food and drink rules were mentioned in the reviews.
🚗Parking Info
- •No specific parking information was mentioned in the reviews.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Can be very full during specific times, with only three lanes open and concurrent water aerobics classes occupying large sections of the pool, leading to limited space for general swimming.
- •Swim meets are well-run, implying a managed crowd level during these events.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Lifeguards are highly vigilant, rotating chairs frequently to ensure alertness and taking their jobs seriously.
- •Open plunge pool design includes 'ample shallows' for the safe exploration of 'wee tots'.
⏰When to Avoid
- • Visiting on major holidays (e.g., Labor Day) if your primary goal is open family swim, as the center might be closed or have no open swim.
- • If you are highly sensitive to potential negative staff interactions or expect guaranteed open lane availability during busy times.
- • Expecting pristine, updated locker rooms, especially in the men's section.
Pricing/Package/Events
Pricing & Packages
Lane Rental
$20Duration: per hour
Rental of a swimming lane.
Events & Schedule
🛡️Safety Policy
- • All individuals must shower with soap before entering the pool.
- • Do not swim with diarrhea to prevent spreading germs.
- • Wash hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.
- • Avoid swallowing pool water.
- • Take children on regular bathroom breaks and check diapers frequently.
- • Change diapers in a bathroom or designated changing area, not poolside.
- • Thoroughly wash children (especially their rear end) with soap and water before they enter or re-enter the pool.
📅Booking Policy
- • Registration for programs/classes can be done in person at the front desk or online.
- • Online registration is recommended for swim lessons due to high demand.
- • Groups of 20 or more require at least five (5) business days' notice for adequate lifeguard staffing.
What People Say
What's Great
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Olga Isupov
2 months agoThis is my favorite community pool in all of Salt Lake County. The open plunge pool has ample shallows for the wee tots to safely explore the water and for their parents to sit comfortably with them, but it also has lots of deeper water to swim in. The current is strong and great for walking and swimming against to build strength or just to float down leisurely. I appreciate that the lifeguards rotate chairs so frequently to keep them alert and sharp. They may be young teens but they take their jobs seriously, and I commend them for that. The water is comfortably warm, the lockers/showers are clean, and it’s a great, cheap option for indoor swimming all year round!
Abby Holdaway
a month agoOur kids have swim meets here several times a year. They are always well run. The play area is fun too!
Mike Roylance
2 months agoI come here 3 times a week for a swim team. Great place. The lockers could use an upgrade, but that's minor.
Chris Anthony
8 months agoI was disappointed that there was no open swim available for Labor Day weekend. The best time for families to enjoy swimming to then be unavailable and even closed on Labor Day, when kids are out of school and could have used their kids pass. The men's locker room has rusty lockers. It wasn't a good idea to put metal lockers in an aquatics center. New lockers and some paint would help improve the quality of the locker room.
Kristen McAllister
a year agoMy kids grew up going to this pool. They had swimming lessons here every year until they were 6 years old and then were chosen for their swim team. so ever since we moved out of state, every year when we go back to SLC to visit family, they want to visit the pool that made them swimmers and forged their love for swimming. This week they went to swim and were treated so horribly from just about every single pool employee they encountered (except the front desk). They were literally treated like second class citizens the entire time they were there and it was so disheartening. There were only three lanes open and they were very full and there was a water aerobics class going on but a large part of that side of the pool was empty. As my kids couldn’t get into a lane they went to the lifeguard on duty and asked if they could use that part of the pool that wasn’t being used. He was so rude to them (and me when I simply asked him where the stairs were). Unnecessarily rude. The other employees that were testing the water ph levels of the pools were also very rude to them as was the water aerobics instructor (as the lifeguard told them to ask her about using the other side of the pool). I hate having to craft a post like this about an institution that gave my kids so much when they were little but suffice to say we will not be going back to there childhood pool ever again. Yes it was that bad.