Trefethen Aquatic Center

THIS IS NOT A SALT WATER POOL (I asked the staff). HOWEVER, it is a great pool with few guests during opening hours. I arrived at about 6:45am on a Tuesday and had the shallow end all to myself. In the deep end, advanced swimmers placidly lapped, each in their own lane. There were maybe ten of us total. The comfortably mild water was perfect for Oakland's typical overcast 60° summer morning. I'll be getting a summer pass.

Wonderful staff, great pool and jacuzzi. Have been swimming here for years. The hours are more limited since Northeastern takeover but appreciative that they still kept the pool open to the public. Lap swim most weekday mornings until 1p.m., kids and family swim as well as lap on the weekends, too. So appreciative of this pool!

Our first time here was okay but not as good because when my kids were having fun they wanted to try the hot tub and when they got in only for a couple of seconds then they came and said get out of the hot tub and their staff need to be nicer, after I told my kids to stay in the small kids area and I went to the hot Tub then when I was just going they told me I couldn't go in the hot tub and I said why not and they said that I have to watch my kids but I told them my kids can take care of them selfs and I even told my kids to stay in the small kids are but they still told me to watch them and they also said my kids were disturbing my others in the pool how rude in my opinion I do not recommend this place.

The pool itself is nice, but it's extremely difficult to find time to swim here. The pool is usually open to the public from 8am-1pm on weekdays. So if you have a job, good luck. They also very poorly communicate changes to this schedule. They neglect to update the physical schedule they have posted outside the pool, so it's often inaccurate. And even online, they frequently don't update when necessary. I've lost count of the amount of times I've gone to the pool during a time where by all accounts it should be open, and it's not.

i have been swimming in a pool at Mills College for over 30 years. The current pool is pristine and a joy to swim in. When built, there was an agreement with the community that it would be available to the community and it was well used and enjoyed. However, the current administration of the pool under Northeastern University considers the use of the pool as " a privilege " and has made it very difficult to utilize. Lap swim now has very limited hours, inconsistent staffing and on weekends, with many people waiting to enter, the swim time is cancelled after the pool is scheduled to open, due to lack of staff. Often this cancellation is known only by checking the website when pool doesn't open. The woman in charge of the pool cannot gracefully respond to the frustration of many of us who dare to question and challenge this current situation. Many of us have swim cards that have been prepaid that we eagerly wish to use. Swimming is beneficial for overall health and well being and our community in not well served with the current situation. Hopefully, there will be effort by Northeastern University to address the lack of pool access.

Not-so-common Sense Etiquette:
-when entering a lane with a swimmer(s) already present,
do not jump in and begin swimming unbeknownst to the swimmer(s) already present. It is your job as the incoming swimmer to alert! This reduces the possibility of collision.
-to alert, simply ask! Or if they do not look up, enter the water and stay to the sides. The swimmer will see your legs upon swimming to the wall and will stop to greet you.
-do not sneak into the lane on the far edge of the pool and begin to swim like no one else is in the lane.
-do not wait until the swimmer is doing a flip turn and stick a kick board under their feet as to break their flip. This will just piss them off. Yes this happens.
-let's say you enter the lane, and you know you can't swim backstroke...do a different stroke you're better at so that you're not constantly crossing over to the other side.

Other recent observations:
-the lifeguards are detached, non chalant, and unaware. God forbid there be an emergency. A black thick water polo net pulled to the side obstructs the view of the guard in the main chair.
-signs say no diving and lifeguard used to talk to people who didn't know and would dive into the water. Now they just watch and remain silent.
-hot tub sign says no one under 18 allowed in the hot tub but children have been in it. Lifeguards say nothing.
-another yelper mentioned two lifeguards making out on the hot tub. Yup that's right, though I think they have since broken up.

Yeah, my new favorite pool! And so close to home! Been there three times within the last week and feel the need to pack my bag right now and schlepp over there for a refreshing swim in the morning. Considering how lazy I usually am, this is quite something.
So, about the pool: clear, clean, fresh, very little chemicals (I actually thought it was salt water when I first came, but the lady at the front desk told me that it's just a very subtle chemical which doesn't irritate your skin so much and is gentler to your hair). Enough room to swim without distrubance.

There seem to be a lot of regulars who established special "rules". So don't be clueless like me :-)
For example, if the place opens at noon after the morning break, people are already lining up outside. When they get in, they first leave their shoes or whatever at the lane they want to swim in and then go change. DON'T use these "pre-marked" lanes. They will hold your head under water until you give up! (no they won't, everybody is really nice and understanding with newbies).

Lockers inside the changing rooms can be rented, the outside lockers are free and you need to provide your own lock. Frankly, I leave everything remotely valuable at home and just bring the necessities and leave them on the grass or in the eating area. This crowd does not seem to be interested in my undies.

Love the spa after the swim. You can put the dial on the wall behind it on the number of minutes you want the jacuzzi to whirl. Better choose a low number, otherwise you get dizzy. 5-10 minutes is usually enough for my muscles to relax.

Price: $7 per visit seems a bit steep (especially since I pay $10 for the whole month at my gym), but if you buy a punch card for 10 visits, you only pay $5.60 for each visit. The parking pass for the summer is $25, which is quite reasonable. You can park in the commuter spots along the main campus road with it.

Great pool with well-maintained facilities and a friendly staff. I advise people to keep an eye on the schedule if you're looking for good times to go. I'm a lap swimmer, and there are times when the high school teams or water polo teams take up a lot of space, so there are fewer lanes available. The jacuzzi is a real plus!

In my experience, lap swimmers can be a cantankerous bunch--self-centered and antisocial. We've tried out all the pools in the Oakland area, and I would put Trefethen behind only Lion's Pool in terms of friendliness.

I take my boys, age 5 and 7, here for swim lessons. They are incredibly accommodating and have great customer service. In addition, my boys have improved more than I expected from taking lessons here. The teachers are great-- my younger son who can be fearful of water participates with no fear-- I attribute this to the gentle approach of the instructors.

Price is very reasonable and quality is superb.

I'm actually hesitant to leave such a positive review because I'm worried the lessons will fill ip before I can register in the future. Began our second session today with no regrets. Money well spent.

Better than average community pool. Nice swim lanes, great instructors for young swimmers. My twin sons are learning to swim here. They are 8. Very safe environment for learning to swim. My sons rave about their instructors and they have obviously taken to swimming because of them.

Administratively things are a little disorganized. I signed up for winter lessons but then they were cancelled. Also I asked for a parking pass several days in a row and am still waiting. Manager was apologetic but also said if I got a ticket she would handle it. She handled the situation well which is why I'm not deducting a star. Also, it's a community pool not a spa or some resort. It's amazing service here from staff for what I'm sure are not great wages.

A community pool doing what it is supposed to do. No need to complain as some have about the plastic chairs. This is not club med - it's a community college. The main thing is I've been here with several families all waiting for their kids to finish lessons, and there was always a chair available. Nice shade provided too. Doing everything right on a budget is nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to give fewer than 5 stars.

I come here when my daughter gets sick of the beach and wants to swim in a pool. It's a good place for a swim.

7 bucks per person even if your only going to watch your kid swim.. Cool whatever, but they also hold your ID until your done swimming... apparently some people take too long in the locker room at clothing time. I hate handing over my ID bc sometimes I forget things.

Overall not to crowded there's No swim test, and the lifeguards aren't at all overbearing. It's 5 minutes from my house and Mills College Campus where it's located is really pretty.