Hansen Dam Aquatic Center — Attraction in Los Angeles

First of all, I apologize for the rant, but this was the worst nightmare of a swimming pool I have ever been to. It all started when my wife promised our 6-year-old twins a trip to the Hansen Dam Aquatic Center on a Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, I couldn't go initially because of work, so my wife took the kids without me.

Fifteen minutes later, she called to say they couldn't get in because of safety rules: kids under 7 must be accompanied by an adult in a 1-to-1 ratio, meaning we needed two adults for our twins. Not wanting to disappoint my kids, I quickly changed and went to join them.

Once we got in, we found a spot under the trees, and my wife took the kids to the pool, about 30 feet away. They were stopped by a lifeguard who reiterated the 1-to-1 safety rule, so I had to be present as well. I wasn’t planning to swim, so I just stood at the edge with my ankles in the water while my wife and kids played.

Then the lifeguard came again, saying my kids were too far from me. They were only 10 feet away in a pool that was less than 3 feet deep! The lifeguard insisted that my kids had to be within my reach. We tried to comply by having one child stay close to me while my wife took the other to swim farther away, switching every 10 minutes.

Looking around, I saw summer camp kids with their teachers, clearly out of ratio, with about 10 kids per teacher. How was this following their safety rules?

Then, the lifeguard approached again. This time, I was told I couldn’t wear a cotton T-shirt. I was already upset and asked why, since I wasn’t even in the water, just standing ankle-deep. The lifeguard said it was the rule.

I felt like a prisoner under constant watch by these lifeguards, making sure we didn't break any rules. It was the worst experience ever. Avoid this place if you want to have a fun and relaxing time...

NEVER AGAIN. For 3 years we have lived 5 minutes from here and drove past it every day. It had been at the top of my “when we have a free day list” the entire time. Last year year we attempted to go during the first week of September when it was in the high 90s, NOPE closed for the season. Are you kidding me?!! Is this SoCal or the North east? We read the signs, checked the prices ($15 for a Cabana) and planned to come back this season.

So fast forward to today and my girlfriend and I were finally able to take a vacation day together, a total rarity. We packed up a lunch, drinks and our iPads so we could relax in a cabana still get some work done and go for the occasional swim while we spent a chill relaxing day at our community “pool”. Of course it was not that simple.

First: The swim suit police got me. Yeah that’s right they have SWIN SUIT POLICE. Apparently my knee high gym shorts were not acceptable. No explanation given. Right there I should have said screw this place, but we went home and I changed to come back.

Second: We return to find out this wasteland decided to DOUBLE their cabana rates from last season. Mind you this is a beautiful Wednesday afternoon and not ONE cabana had been rented by noon, clearly your price gouging increase was a brilliant decision.

Never again. I wouldn’t piss in this pool if you let me in for free.

Thanks for the relaxing day by the water. Guess I should have just drove to the real beach that’s open YEAR ROUND like the rest of SoCal.

AVOID THIS PLACE...

Horrible!!!! Get there and they tell you any kids under 6 has to have 1 person over 18 assigned to them in order for them to go in. So in our case it's me my girl and our 3 boys, a new born a 3 and 4 year old. We took em thinking we were going to have a blast, kids exited. Then we can't get in because one kid would not make somebody watching him! So we ask some nice people in the parking lot if they would do us a solid and go in with us so we can take our kids in, luckily they agreed and we were all set to go in. But when we get to the front they ask if we have swimming trunks or bathing suit. You can't go in with a kid if your not going to go in the water. My girl wasn't going in so I was planning to chill with both my kids while she watched our new born. So they said that we couldn't get in because she wasn't getting in and did not have a bathing suit. Then I couldn't get in because I didn't have actual swimming trunks, I had some basketball shorts and still couldn't get in. They made a lady buy one of their bathing suits or they would not let her in with her group! Bad experience a lot of families got turned away on a super hot day!!! It'll be nice if they had the rules and regulations posted or if they would have been nice enough to give me that info when I called over the phone to ask what was needed to get in and I called like 10 times just to make sure we could get in. Get there just to get turned away! Rude staff at the entrance...