Sure, there are a few fanatics out there willing to leap into the icy sea for a mid-winter dip. But for the rest of us, Vladivostok still offers a warmer way to take a February swim — in one of its six indoor swimming pools.
To get into several of the swimming pools you will have to submit a photo and a doctor’s certificate of good health. On top of that, you must wear a swimming cap and footwear (some places rent caps).
Swimmers can take the plunge in the following pools:
- Olympiets Sports Complex, 2 Batareinaya St., telephone 25-49-66. For those interested in swimming laps, the pool is equipped with eight 50-meter lanes. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Swimming groups change every hour. There is a one-time fee of 30 rubles for adults and 15 for children of between the ages of 8 and 16 (all fees are listed in new denominations). A monthly membership for two visits a week costs 160 rubles, or 100 for children.
Swimming lessons are offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m., and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. The cost is 160 rubles per month.
- Spartak Sports Palace, 8 Batareynaya St., 25-83-26. The complex has six 25-meter lanes and a shallow pool for beginners. It’s open from 6:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. A visit costs 18 rubles and 15 rubles (for children of between 7 and 15). A monthly subscription, allowing two visits a week, is 140 rubles. Swim lessons are available.
- Voskhod Sports Complex, 74A Russkaya St., 32-48-73. The pool has six 25-meter lanes. It’s the only pool where no membership is available. Open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Adults pay 13 rubles and children 11 per visit (children are allowed only before 5 p.m.). A doctor issues access certificates right on the spot for as little as 8 rubles. Cap rental is 2 rubles; purchase is 20.
- Yunost Children and Youth’s Sports Club, 43 Okeansky Avenue, 25-95-65. There are six 25-meter lanes plus a shallow tub. Don’t expect to go plunging into the water without throrough docummentation that you aren’t suffering from some icky disease. You must present a collection of certificates — from a general practioner and a venereal diseases doctor (for men) or a gynecologist (for women).
The pool is open every day from 6:15 to 7 p.m., 7:10 to 7:55 p.m. and 8 to 8:45 p.m. Monthly membership is 120 rubles for three visits a week, 90 for two visits and 60 for one. A non-member swim costs 20 rubles, or 15 for students and 10 for children under 12. Swim cap rental is 1 ruble. Swimming lessons, held on Saturdays, cost 80 rubles a month.
- Portovik Sports Club (Gavan Hotel), 3 Krygina St., 49-73-22. The pool is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a lunch break between 1 and 2 p.m. The club issues monthly memberships with one, two or three visits a week. Visits are not scheduled so you can come any time but will depend on whether there are vacant lanes. A once-a-week membership is 63.7 rubles for adults, and 32.2 for children under 16 (children are may swim only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The costs multiplies according to the number of visits per week.
- Hyundai Hotel, 29 Semyonovskaya St., 40-72-50. This pool, which has four 20-meter lanes, is the most up-scale, and it is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A visit costs $12 (guests enjoy a 50 percent discount). Monthly membership is $180, or $90 for children. With a membership you have every day access. A swimming cap is a must, but no doctor’s permission is required.
