Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre

Positive experience: Well-maintained facilities, friendly and helpful staff at the front desk. Special thanks to Jordy who was patient and helpful with my query about the breakdown of membership suspension charges.

Negative experience: Had a really bad experience here. Management are terrible and don’t take safety complaints seriously.

Negative experience: Teachers won’t let me grade up, I have to be in each class for a week even though I’m Clearly ready. Classes are mostly repetitive and don’t add new stuff. GLASS IN CHANGEROOMS

Fantastic experience: The jets here are amazing. Really strong, a great mini massage. Other councils take, please take note. Big 50m outdoors. Clean and open change rooms. Favourite place!

Negative experience: This place might have a few lifeguards keeping an eye out, but it’s still a right midden. The floors, toilets, and showers are filthy, and I never saw a soul clearing up the tumbleweeds of hair rolling about the place. They've got rotas outside the changing rooms claiming there's hourly inspections, but I reckon the cleaner is either invisible or on an extended tea break. More than half the lockers are busted, so folk have to leave their bags lying around and just hope some wee chancer doesn’t pinch them. If you’re looking to accessorise your feet with a lovely mix of old plasters, hair, and mysterious grime, then this is the place for you!

Fantastic experience: Spent ~ a month in Hawthorn with a membership. Great facilities, super kind staff. The gym gets busy during some of the classes and they take up a lot of room/equipment, so I would flag that. Classes were fine - typical rec centre classes. One of the best public gyms I have ever been to. Lots of squat racks, turf, etc. Pools are good, sauna is great. Would recommend and will be back!

Fantastic experience: I really like this place, the atmosphere , the staff everything.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic place to go, I go there weekly with a client and they are always nice and the place is very clean and spacious, highly recommend keep up the good work guys

Fantastic experience: Gym, warm water pool, variety of classes including swimming and cycling. Family friendly.

Fantastic experience: my gym for a few years now, equipment and floorspace are enough for most recreational enthusiasts, no bodybuiders or muscleheads, which is nice. having the pool is great too.

Fantastic experience: This pool has amazing hot chips. An important feature at a swimming pool. Parking is usually ok. Paid parking in the main car park. Free on Sunday. Or free on the street. Check signs. Super close to train and tram. Check the website for pool events as it can get busy at those time. Eg. Water polo or school swimming. The pool has a good indoor 25m with an entry ramp. Bit too warm for my liking but the kids like it. Outdoor is the best. A 50m pool that should be celebrated in Oz. Check your kids are competent swimmers for this one. Good changing facilities with a few family rooms. Heaps of shade and a decent cafe. I enjoy visiting here. Often wander to Glenferrie rd for a coffee as it’s a great location.

Fantastic experience: Nice outdoor pool and sunbathing area

Fantastic experience: Daypass about 15$ for the day pass incl. Sauna.

Fantastic experience: Staff are always professional and welcoming… the pool is always clean and a great vibe in Hawthorn as well

Positive experience: Good facilities Nice staff A bit busy. You need to wait to move to your next workout

Negative experience: These people hate there volunteers. I gave then a gift 2 tickets to the spark s concert 31 Oct they sent them back express mail I received them.back 31oct 3 pm the concert was at 9pm all my friends have died. I sent the tickets to them 3 weeks prior. These people do not represent HIV people they do not care for there volunteers thier funding remooved. Don't trust these people.

Fantastic experience: Great facility and friendly staff. However, the website manager doesn’t update the timetable and there is great confusion with the wet area when school teams come in to both pools. I wish they would keep patrons updated as class times change all the time.!

Fantastic experience: Awesome gym and cardio facilities, options for many different class types (spin, pilates, boxing, HIIT). Outdoor and indoor pool & new sauna are other options available.

Fantastic experience: Love to come hear and go for a swim & sauna for $12.

Fantastic experience: Get your abs here!

Negative experience: very bad organization swimming lessons for kids. doesn’t start at time. service is terrible.‍♀️

Fantastic experience: Great sports complex, lots of classes and fantastic pool.

Fantastic experience: Enjoy every moment here, great stuff, fantastic services..something is going for all ages to enjoy..doesnt matter, if this is for the baby or an adult. Love every bits in here, the hot pool is the best..

Negative experience: The sauna is too cold

Fantastic experience: Excellent 50 m outdoor pool along with another indoor pool for kids lessons. Beautiful in summer. Warm in winter

Negative experience: I filled out two forms to have PT sessions but unfortunately after two weeks the manager hasent called me yet. ! I went there twice to meet the manager and they said he is on meetings! Seems he is very busy !! (Bad customer service) Sent emails and follow up messages but no response yet! Worst experience among many clubs in hawthorn.

Positive experience: Great all year round outdoor pool

Fantastic experience: Great place with friendly helpful staff. Perfect for every age and what every health goal you're trying to tackle.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities w outdoor heated pool clean bathroom facilities

Positive experience: All is Good at this centre. Keep it up.

Fantastic experience: A big shout out and HUGE thank you to everyone at HALC who helped me to look for and find my pendant. Lost on Sunday 16th April (chain around my neck broke) and found this morning 20th April still in the pool (not through the vacuum system)! If not for the eagle eyes of Bea and the lovely man (fellow lap swimmer on Sunday) who helped me look for it, I would still be in tears. Again, thank you everyone so much x 1,000 - I can't believe it was found - I thought I'd never see it again.

Negative experience: Negative experience with the blue haired girl with dreadlocks who works in the pool, who treated me with hostility for having a water bottle that she believed was made out of glass when it was actually just plastic. When I corrected her she responded rudely, had a meltdown and gathered the entire staff on duty to stare me down while she verbally abused me. I have never seen more unprofessional behaviour at a gym/pool towards a paying member.

Positive experience: Nice facility but always a pain to get a park and too many people/squads taking up the limited lanes

Positive experience: Good place for a swim and chill out , great staff

Positive experience: Great place. So many great services for every age. From littlies till elderly, this place is full of recreational activities. Only not many good showers are there, as they get filled up very quickly

Fantastic experience: New member here, Aquatic only! The staff members are absolutely lovely, and the pool is nice, go between 12pm and 3pm if you want a full lane to yourself! Change Rooms are not as bad as other reviews state. Highly recommended :)

Fantastic experience: Love this pool! Great for a swim and chill. After work it’s not crowded and mostly about lap swimming ‍♂️. Clean and can’t beat the location near Coles, next to a park for a walk or snack and loads of restaurants. Car park next door is super handy too.

Negative experience: $85 for 2 people to use the gym and sauna is way to much. Other than that its a great spot.

Fantastic experience: Best gym around, very large space with great equipment. Pools & sauna are a bit better at Ashburton but still good here

Positive experience: Definitely recommended. It's the most professional gym in hawthorn. Good professional training and helpful body analysis can be booked which is included in your membership. It's a large gym that offers many classes and has an indoor, an outdoor swimming pool and a small sauna. It's a gym for everyone, and I would say that this gym can be recommended for older people as well. The gym is upstairs and can be accessed by stairs or by using the elevator. The facility is very clean and well-equipped. Lots of cardio machines and squat racks. However, it's missing some machines like the smith machine or a machine shoulder press which even tiny gyms like the Jetts around the corner have. And another downside is the limited access hours an gets horrible crowded in the evening, prepare to wait until your machines are free. For Swinburne students: With the Swinburne discount, the prices for this gym are around the same prices as the Jetts for example, but you may have to pay higher joining fees.

Fantastic experience: Great outdoor pool, a spacious gym which does get busy in the evenings, but it's ok. YMCA staff are nice and the facilities are generally quite good.

Positive experience: It looks like they offer loads of different services, outside the obvious of course, having attended one of them...

Fantastic experience: Great indoor and outdoor pool Spacious Chang rooms

Fantastic experience: Seems to be buzzing with lots of people who are either part of the swim squad or just a casual regular swimmer. I only attended because my son is training in the squad and for some reason one of the training schedule is at Hawthorn Aquatic centre. Parking can be a problem, as the nearby car park is quite full. When I was picking up my son in late afternoon around 6:30, the car park is still quite full. And I have to circle a few rounds before finding a spot.

Fantastic experience: This is an excellent facility. Very well instructed with skilled exercise physiologists. Fantastic equipment. Thoroughly helps improve fitness and well being

Positive experience: Pools are lovely, change rooms are gross though

Negative experience: I would have rated HALC 5 stars, but due to something that happened yesterday in HALC, now I have to rate it 2. Also before the story starts, I am an Asian, with an obvious foreign accent. My partner is an Australia Caucasian male. My partner and I have been members of HALC for nearly 2 months. The facilities, variety of classes, multi-cultural vibes are superb. We quite enjoyed it. Usually, my partner walked to the reception desk, scanned both our cards, requested tickets, lockers, wrist bands. It was smooth and easy. Yesterday, it was my first time going to HALC alone. After I scanned the card, I requested a locker, the male receptionist asked for my membership card to exchange it for a locker key/ wrist band. I was confused since so far as I knew, they've never asked my partner for it. I asked him the reason, the male staff replied that they need my membership card as a security deposit. I handed my card in and told them that this kind of request had never happened to my partner. The inconsistent request confused me. A female staff member saw what was happening here, then told the male colleague that it's the rule, the staff should have asked all members to trade their cards as security. While standing there and commenting, she did not look at me during the interaction. I was not sure about her facial expression, but it felt like she was telling the male "Oh, mate, you got in trouble...I want to step out of this perceived racism..." The situation was quite embarrassing, I felt targeted and treated differently. The non-verbal language that was in the air, raised questions within me, what was that? Judgement? Racism? Discrimination based on intersectionality? When I finished my sesh, I walked to the reception desk, the male staff gave my card back with a nice smile. As if nothing had ever happened. ---- Anyway, that was my story at HALC yesterday. I would prefer to believe the male staff was only trying to do the right thing as part of his job according HALC rules. However, due to the inconsistent service, it made me have an unpleasant experience. I really do hope HALC could improve their services and train their staff properly, value their reputation, value their customers. :)

Fantastic experience: Amazing how a modern renovation can breathe life into an older centre. The new building has a modern gym and a beginners pool with warm water for the lessons. Great showers and innovative family change-area enclosures so you don't have to take the kids into the wrong change room. The open-air outside pool is also heated but is cooler for serious swimming. When we go, it's to take our granddaughters to swimming lessons which they really enjoy. The staff kindly let us watch and there is adequate seating on two sides of the pool for parents etc.

Negative experience: Good idea to have a cafe but bad idea to run it poorly. Have my order taken and immediately forgotten. 15 min for a coffee is pretty expensive On another visit, the staff spent 5 min chit chatting with a customer when others are waiting. No exaggeration. 5 min and that customer still have not ordered whilst others are waiting. Perfect example of not giving a shxt

Fantastic experience: Gives a 2 week free trial , swimming pools are well heated in winter , outdoor pool is abit more colder than indoor but is good , life guards always present and it is a comftable place to relax , the full member ship is expensive but all facilities are included like the gym and sauna. Swinburn students get free access to the pools .

Positive experience: I like this place coz it’s nearby and the outdoor pool is 50m and generally quiet during the day time 10.30am-2.30pm and after 6pm. The staff are generally friendly and helpful. I dislike that sometimes you get cigarette smoke waft in from the neighbouring car park. I think the ground floor change rooms could be cleaner.

Fantastic experience: Wife and I go to YMCA Glenferrie and 5-6 times a week. All staff are exceptional and kind. Great place to make friends and get fit!! Tell them Doug sent you. They'll charge you triple.

Positive experience: Didn't use the facilities although the building provided great shelter from heavy rain

Fantastic experience: Wonderful gym with indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, wide range of exercise equipment and friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Fantastic experience: Nice staff Clean Organised Good layout Everything you need is there

Fantastic experience: Really enjoyed ourselves, parking with ticket 1hr free... all good with great facilities! Wednesday not too busy & lovley to have outside pool with heating thanks

Negative experience: My child is in swiming program. There is quite few times and only one swiming teacher show up and look after 2 classes at the same time. ALL class number is totally 9 children. Don't need mention to teach the children how to swim. I didn't feel right as safety regulation and we also pay normal fee. I told front reception few times and they said only one time due to teacher shortage. But I found there had few times happen.

Fantastic experience: Clean and safe place for fitness and swim! Also kids/babies friendly, they have good swim classes for kids. Highly recommended

Negative experience: Non existent customer service. Poorly organized. Rude staff that makes everything a lot harder than it needs to be. We booked for an assessment, arrive in time. After a 20 minute wait we finally got it done. Then comes the fun part. They gave us a time which we agree. After filling up all the forms. I was informed due to a system error the date is no longer available. There is another one in 10 days but they don’t take bookings over 7 days so I have to call again in 3 days. I asked seeing it’s not our fault that we missed out can they book us in. Got a blunt No and was told it was not her fault it’s the system. I mean is it their system or what? Then I said let’s move on the kids are freezing standing here as system error has wasted 20 mins. Seeing there isn’t suitable time for the 2nd child we left. I turn back and ask for our personal details including my banking seeing it’s no longer needed. Instead she scrub it up and threw it in the bin. I demand the form back and explained they are supposed to shred peoples personal information not just put it in the bin. I was told it’s none of my business and told to leave. If their booking system, customer service and disregard of privacy law is anything to go by. Hard to imagine what corners they cut in safety and other important stuff. Do not go unless you want punishment l.

Negative experience: On a Sunday they have a water polo match? A 32 degree day? How could they??? I hate you guys. Get a life. Trash pool.

Fantastic experience: An excellent, clean facility.

Fantastic experience: A clean and safe facility where customer service exceeds expectations. If this beggar could be a chooser, then a Steam Room is an absolute no brainer to accompany the new Sauna. Parking is perfect also at this facility!

Positive experience: Not described as a fitness freak by a long way, I dipped my toe in the water so to speak with the closest pool to my location, which happened to be these guys. I have to say that I am more impressed than I thought I would be, the facilities are immaculate and the layout safe, professional and the ambiance is very pleasant. The staff are excellent and provide advice and assistance whenever and wherever needed, my only surprise was the cost which was about 25% higher than what I had budgeted for, but there are different plans / options available and for the sake of a few dollars isn't worth concerning myself too much with, however if you are on a very tight budget, you may want to shop around. Overall, very happy though

Fantastic experience: Nice pool. Just need to check the lane availability before you come as it can get quite crowded

Negative experience: Was my Melb oasis in summer to lay at the end of the pool in the sun & swim....now you have installed those terrible metal poles and pool covers at the wrong end of the pool.....taken away the area where other locals would love for past few years to sun-bake and relax. Bad design choice for what was a great outdoor pool environment.

Positive experience: I am going there for my swimming lessons and i am satisfied with my trainer and overall services.

Positive experience: Have been coming here for a while now. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is ok

Fantastic experience: Beautiful pools, lovely experience and great lounging beds and shade available. Very relaxing experience!

Fantastic experience: I really enjoy the centre! The staff are always lovely and the facilities are great. The facility is however very family oriented so the kids can be annoying

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff and great swimming trainers.

Fantastic experience: Very nice and clean aquatic center. There are also course for kid to learn how to swim. My daughter lives it. A place to visit...

Fantastic experience: Nice staff, very clean, great swim teachers...we love the place.

Fantastic experience: Great pool to train in or just some gentle exercise. Love that its open late. Clean and well maintained, temperature of the pool is not too steamy. Friendly environment.

Positive experience: Big busy centre but friendly. I tried the easy level water exercise and class was large, almost all well over 65 yrs old and very well run. Cafe afterwards fine too.

Fantastic experience: Great pool and gym. Group cycle class was great

Fantastic experience: R you sick of those overly heated pools? Same! Well Hawthorn has nailed the temperature game. Always a lovely swim and cool lighting in the evening. Opened until late which is great.

Negative experience: Worst website I’ve ever used only thing worse is their telephone service!! Understaffed, garbled out going message, you call the main number re pool, then on hold 5-6 minutes only to go to the message bank for MEMBERSHIPS & don’t get to talk to anyone, nor is there current COVID info (17/2/21) & how it’s impacting lane bookings, op hours etc info can’t get the basic right it’s infuriating

Fantastic experience: I only use the outside pool but the team have been fantastic over the last few months. Booking has been smooth and efficient online, and the center has maintained as safe environment for people to train. Well done all involved, appreciate all your hard work.

Fantastic experience: Go there 3 times a week for gentle water exercise. I use the warm water pool. It is always super clean and the staff are always so lovely. This place is so well run. A really enjoyable.

Fantastic experience: Great local facility. Right settings and friendly professional staffs. Close to Glenferrie train station. Ample parking.

Positive experience: Good place but they close too early

Fantastic experience: Good gym. Friendly staff

Positive experience: hard to get a car park .not happy

Fantastic experience: Great swimming pools (warm indoor kids and Olympic outdoor) for a very small fee provided by the local council. Always friendly and clean facilities.

Fantastic experience: Regular here form sports training can't recommend enough

Positive experience: My favorite gym good vibe and facilities

Fantastic experience: Great place, friendly staff. Though sometimes the indoor pool gets really busy by the swimming classes, it is a good place if you are there in the right time! Be careful! if you are intending to park less than an hour, you don’t need to pay! just press the ticket!

Fantastic experience: One of the best place to train for swimming, open all year, good concession and free for swinburne students. Has 20m indoor pool and a outdoor olympic size 50m pool‍♂️‍♂️.

Positive experience: Big pools, complete gym facilities with decent cardio equipments. The changing room is always clean. However, staff can be a bit more friendly.

Fantastic experience: Very refreshing, clean - I really enjoyed the layout.

Fantastic experience: This gym makes me happy. Love their facilities and childcare.

Positive experience: Great group exercise instructors and great group program rooms! If you are a swimmer though, you might find the indoor pool wanting. (It's on the small side) A gym to join especially if you are on a concession card, otherwise it does cost a pretty penny. My complaint is also that none of the staff ever seems to know who is teaching which group class/ or if the class is even still running, if there is a change. Attendees often have to chase up the issue themselves with individual instructors.

Negative experience: If you are a young body builder It is ok

Positive experience: A female life guard isn't friendly. In the morning it always aged people are having classes then kids come at about 4pm. It's a small swimming pool.

Negative experience: Unpleasant experience. Very rude life guard and insulting supervisor. Will do complaint letter to the center. I took my 9 year old son to 1 meter sallow swimming pool, as outside deeper pool closed during winter or raining weather day. The lifeguard was so rude. I could understand it is the parents duty to look after the kid, and I asked my son to come closer to me to sit on the edge of the pool next to me, while I had to continue to finish my online quiz on the phone for the last 5 mins! She determined to expel us out to the swimming pool aggressively after I explained my situation. I’m very disappointed after I asked to talk to the supervisor, she was even as young as the life guard and she talked to me like a 5 year old, accusing me sitting on the steps where the spa runs, rather than out of the water (it’s winter!). There is no sign of no phone using in the pool. It is literally offensive for their requirements. It is ashamed the swimming Centre in such a good location, but the staff have no knowledge of customer service, they don’t understand caring and they are not kids friendly. My son actually said he doesn’t want go back ever again.

Negative experience: Good location, good facilities and equipment, staff ok, but overpriced unless you're planning to constantly go to the gym and pool... $55.75 per fortnight (after a $99 joining fee), without the convenience of 24/7 access!

Positive experience: Good facilty, parking can be a bit hectic. Great 50M heated pool

Positive experience: This place is pretty nice on a hot day. Has a pool obviously, and a gym. They have some shop where you can buy something to eat if you need to. There’s a gym upstairs but I think it’s way overpriced if you aren’t a member.

Fantastic experience: The kids learn to swim while you ncstch up on GOT if you decided you were totally anti popular culture and are desperate to involve yourself in water cooler conversations regarding what happens next with Bran. Ooops spoiler alert.

Fantastic experience: Great facilities, helpful staff, great location with lots of available parking spots and also close to trams/trains. Can't really ask for much more!