Good Lord, it's hot, and there's no June Gloom in sight to ease the pain. You'll have to drown your sweaty sorrows in a pool and your own sense of superiority: Here are 20 of Los Angeles's best pools and swimmin' holes, rated on a five-point scale for difficulty of access (doormen, crowds, hikes, etc.), douchiness factor (Hollywood hotel pool party: high; public pool: low), and awesomeness levels. Have fun, stay cool, wear sunscreen.
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Mapping 20 of LA's Awesomest and Douchiest Swim Spots
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1. Hansen Dam Aquatic Center
11798 Foothill Boulevard
Sylmar, CA 91342
Sylmar, CA 91342
Difficulty level: 1 Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 5. It's like an inland, lined beach. Plus: waterslides!
2. Eastern Columbia Lofts
849 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Difficulty level: 4, unless you're down with a resident. Douchiness level: 3 Awesomeness level: 5
3. W Hollywood
6250 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
Hollywood, CA 90028
Difficulty level: 4. Hotel guests are supposedly allowed in, but everyone else has to deal with covers, doormen, and/or reservations.Douchiness level: 5Awesomeness level: 3. Fun setting, but it depends on how you feel about bad LA stereotypes. [Image via Renee Render-Kaplan]
4. Covina Castle pirate pool
20224 East Lorencita Drive
Covina, CA 91724
Covina, CA 91724
Difficulty level: 4. This is a private house, but we're sure someone knows someone whose cousin can get you into a pool party. Douchiness level: 5. It's 80,000 gallons. There's a drought on. Come on.Awesomeness level: 4.
5. Hermit Falls
North Santa Anita Avenue
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Difficulty level: 4. You'll have to drive to Sierra Madre and hike a couple miles. Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 5. Cliff jumping!
6. Mondrian Hotel
8440 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Difficulty level: 3 Douchiness level: 5 back in its heyday, now more like a 4 Awesomeness level: 3. Great views.
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7. Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Palisades Beach Rd
Santa Monica, CA 90402
Santa Monica, CA 90402
Difficulty level: 4. Reservations are open to everyone but can be hard to come by in the summer (and you still have to get there by 11 am). Douchiness level: 2. Westside parents getting cutthroat. Awesomeness level: 4. It was once part of the estate that William Randolph Hearst shared with his mistress Marion Davies and it got a great reno a few years ago with new buildings but original tiles.
8. Stahl House
1635 Woods Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Difficulty level: 6. You can tour the house for a fee, but unless you're an actor or model on a shoot, good luck getting in the pool. Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 5. It may not appear in the iconic Julius Shulman photo, but it's still one of the best-sited pools in the city. [Image via Michael Locke/Curbed LA flickr pool]
9. Malibu Creek State Park Rock Pool
1925 Las Virgenes Road
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Difficulty level: 3. It's a short and easy hike away. Douchiness level: 2 Awesomeness level: 5. The rock is volcanic; the original Planet of the Apes filmed here.
10. Culver City Plunge
4175 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230
Culver City, CA 90230
Difficulty level: 2 Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 2. There's a diving board, but really this is the place to get some serious swimming done.
11. 1100 Wilshire
1100 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Difficulty level: 3 Douchiness level: 4. Home of the red cup. Awesomeness level: 4
12. Château Marmont
8221 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Difficulty level: 3 Douchiness level: 3 Awesomeness level: 4. Crazy setting above the Sunset Strip and oh if those lounge chairs could talk.
13. Millennium Biltmore Hotel
506 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Difficulty level: 2 Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 4. Loses points for being indoors, gains a ton for being all tiled and twenties-fabulous.
14. Bridge to Nowhere - Angeles National Forest
Difficulty level: 5. You're going to have to hike about nine miles there and back. Douchiness level: 2Awesomeness level: 3
15. Los Angeles Athletic Club
431 W 7th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Difficulty level: 3. You have to be a member. Douchiness level: 2 Awesomeness level: 3. It's indoors, but the club has been in the building for 100 years and is packed with history.
16. The Standard, Downtown LA
550 S Flower St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Difficulty level: 4 Douchiness level: 4 Awesomeness level: 3. Killer views and super fun (although possibly germ-ridden) waterbed cabanas.
17. Los Angeles Swim Stadium
3980 Bill Robertson Lane
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Difficulty level: 2Douchiness level: 1 Awesomeness level: 3. It was built for the 1932 Olympics but left to rot through the eighties and nineties before getting an overhaul in the early aughts.
18. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Difficulty level: 4. Some days they like to only let in reality stars.Douchiness level: 5. See above. Awesomeness level: 4
19. Hollywood YMCA
1553 Schrader Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 467-4161
Difficulty level: 2Douchiness level: 2. It has celebrity devotees, but only pretty low-key ones. Awesomeness level: 4. The whole campus is on the National Register, and the two pools are tiled.
20. Rose Bowl Aquatic Center
360 N Arroyo Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91103
Pasadena, CA 91103
Difficulty level: 2. Some people complain about the price and the crowding.Douchiness level: 3Awesomeness level: 3
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