West Hollywood Swimming Club Near Me: WH2O Masters on a Rooftop Pool

West Hollywood Aquatics started in 1982 with a handful of swimmers getting ready for the first Gay Games, and the club has stayed in the water ever since. Today WH2O counts more than 300 members and trains on the roof of the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center at 8750 El Tovar Place, where a ten-lane lap pool looks out over the Hollywood Hills. If your search for a swimming club near me calls for coached workouts and a crowd that welcomes everyone, your first practice here costs nothing.

The club's founding story is printed right on its homepage. A small group trained together for the first Gay Games, helped found IGLA, the international LGBTQ+ aquatics association, and landed on the cover of Frontiers, the Los Angeles gay magazine, in January 1983. WH2O is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose stated mission is to advance the opportunity, visibility, respect and success of LGBTQIA+ athletes and their allies in aquatic sports.

The lanes today hold swimmers in their twenties and in their eighties: former Olympians, people coming back after twenty years away from the pool and triathletes who just need the yardage. The club describes itself as proudly LGBTQ+ since 1982 and open to every gender, race, orientation and background. Every October it marks its founding with an Anniversary Party and Awards Banquet, so the fall is a good time to join.

The Aquatic and Recreation Center officially opened in 2022 and replaced the aging park pool, according to Secret Los Angeles. The four-level, 75,000-square-foot building puts both pools on the roof: a 6,000-square-foot, ten-lane lap pool and a 1,500-square-foot recreation pool. Swimming laps with the hills in view is the reason many members drive across town for a 6 AM set.

Getting to the water takes a minute the first time. Park in the city structure that shares an address with the West Hollywood Library, 625 N San Vicente Boulevard, and ride the elevator to the fifth floor, then ask about parking validation at the front desk. The club also tells newcomers to leave extra time for parking and check-in before that first workout.

Start with the free U.S. Masters Swimming Trial Membership, since WH2O swimmers need an active USMS or USA Water Polo membership. Then pick a time and pool on the club schedule. You do not need to register online for the trial. Just tell the coach on deck you are there for a trial practice. At the front desk, say you are with Masters Swimming and show a photo ID, and you will get a key fob.

You also need a free City of West Hollywood account to get through the building. Swimmers must be 18 or older and comfortable with 5x100 on a 2:00 interval while knowing all four strokes. If that set is still out of reach, WH2O coaches offer private lessons to get you ready for the group.

After the trial, a single swim practice costs $15. The New to WH2O bundle charges $40 for the year's club fee plus one practice, and the regular $50 annual club fee renews each January. Swim Unlimited is $110 a month, and the same price buys Swim plus Polo Unlimited. Water Polo Unlimited with one swim a week is $65 a month.

Monthly plans have no contract and no end date, and the treasurer offers confidential payment plans for members who need them. Visiting USMS swimmers from other clubs can buy a $15 practice with no club fee. U.S. Masters Swimming registration is a separate cost, listed at $75 a year on the club's older site.

The club moved from its old SportsEngine site to wh2o.org this year. Members buy a practice first and then book it on the schedule, either online through Mindbody or in the WH2O app on the App Store and Google Play. Most swim workouts happen at the rooftop pool, but some practices run at Westwood, Echo Deep, Santa Monica and Expo Park pools, so read the location on each session before you leave home.

The old team site explains one quirk of the calendar: a listing such as 6 to 8:30 AM is really two back-to-back practices that switch at 7:15 AM. Pick the one that fits your speed and schedule rather than booking the full block.

WH2O is more than a swim team. Its water polo side plays recreational and competitive masters polo at Hollywood Pool, 1122 Cole Avenue, which has free parking next to it. A first polo practice is free too, and later sessions cost $15.

In summer the club runs WH2Ocean, Saturday morning ocean swims off Manhattan Beach from late May to late September. Sessions cost $20, and swimmers should hold 1:45 per 100 for 5x100. The 2026 open water season has ended, and the club plans to start again in late May. Meet plans this season include the SPMS short course meters championships in Long Beach on December 4 to 6.

If you just want laps, the city runs public lap swim at the same rooftop pool. Secret Los Angeles listed the May 2026 rates as $3 for residents and $7.50 for non-residents, with a 10-visit Splash Pass at $22.50 for residents and $37.50 for everyone else, and free entry for resident seniors. Reservations are free on the city's ACTIVE page in 55-minute slots, with the fee paid at entry.

Each booking lists how many lanes are open, which ranges from two to eight depending on the hour. A reservation is cancelled if you arrive more than ten minutes late, so the parking routine matters here as well.

The club does not list a phone number of its own. After practice, walk next door to the West Hollywood Library at 625 N San Vicente Boulevard, open Monday to Thursday from 11 AM to 7 PM, where Visit West Hollywood points to coffee and a bite in the downstairs cafe. Instagram updates come from @wh2oaquatics.