I went swimming today at Youth Park swimming pool, so I figured I’d share my experience here for anyone else who finds this thread at some point.
I took bus 223 I think (you can also take nr 12) from Ximen to the pool, it stops next to the golf driving range, and the pool is just a short walk into the park from there. All the bus schedules were in Chinese, but Google came to the rescue, and when the bus turned up the text on the front alternated between Chinese and English, and it said Youth Park.
The pool is rather old and worn down, but fine for swimming laps. There was literally no information or signs in English anywhere in the pool, and I don’t think any of the staff knew a word of English either, but a nice life guard pointed me to the correct locker room, and to where the showers were. I think I was the only foreigner there. You need 2x10$ for the lockers, and you don’t get those back when you open it again. You leave your shoes outside, though I took mine with me as I they are nice expensive sneakers, and I didn’t want to have to go barefoot back to the hotel.
The lockers are small and don’t look very secure, but they’re enough to fit your clothes and even shoes in. There are stalls with curtains for getting changed in, though I don’t think everyone uses them. At least there was a naked older guy in the locker room getting dressed when I arrived.
The showers are the same, in stalls with curtains. You need to bring your own soap and shampoo, as there is none there. I took my towel with me to the pool, and I noticed there were lots of bags and towels on the benches around the pool, so I guess that’s what most people do.
The pool is a good size, 50m with 8 lanes, and it was relatively empty, which meant I had a lane to myself most of the time. About half the lines were marked up, while half was open. There were some signs on the lanes, but I have no idea what they said. Circle swimming seemed to be the rule. I choose the furtherst lane, and swam for around a mile. The water was kind of greenish and murky, so I could hardly see across the width of the pool, let alone the length of it. A sign on the wall said it was 28C an pH 7.2.
At one end of the pool there is a nice, but old looking, spa section, with faux rock formations above it and different kinds of massage water jets, plus a 40C tub you could relax in. This was actually very nice for my stiff neck.
As to swimwear, everyone was wearing a swim cap, also in the spa section. And most of the guys were wearing Speedos (either the small ones, or the squar shaped ones). I saw one guy wearing speedos that went down to just above his knees, I think they call them jammers, and one guy wearing loose fitting swim shorts. The swim guards didn’t seem to mind, but maybe they just go after foreigners. I was wearing Speedos, well Funky Trunks…but it’s the same thing just a different brand, and a swim cap, so the swim guards were both helpful and friendly.
Oh, and there was one guy there leaving the pool when I arrived, that was wearing the tiniest swimwear I’ve seen on anyone ever, and he wasn’t particularly small either so it looked extra tight. He was literally showing an inch and a half of his butt crack, and it was riding so low that it hung only just above his privates. I actually found this kind of funny, and not sexy at all. The pool is apparently somewhat of a cruising ground for gays, especially in the summertime when the outdoor area is open, though I didn’t see any any signs of it…short of that one guy baring a bit too much.