I just swam in an endless pool for the first time today. It seemed very nice and I totally want one now, although I'm not a strong or experienced swimmer. I think the cheaper models top out at current speeds of 1:08 /100y or something similar, so if you need to go substantially faster than that it's going to cost you. I've heard the top-of-the-line "Elite" model, which reaches 0:51 according to their website, is in the $65,000 neighborhood.

Purchased an endless pool in January and couldn't be happier. We had it shipped to our house and my wife and I put it together. Was surprised how much I improved after going out to the lake for an open water swim for the first time since owning it. We went with the performance model and have it setup in our garage. Used their Wells Fargo card purchase with 0% interest.

Hey there,
We purchased one this spring and we love it.
We live in Canada and have always kicked tires on a hot tub or an inground pool. Our swim spa gives us both.
We purchased it through Jacuzzi and everything was included. Electrical, crane, set up etc. We just had to pour a cement pad out back for it to sit on.
I was convinced to just go ahead and by the pro model but once I swam in it I decided on the expert. I am not a fast swimmer by any means but I usually race open water at around 1:40/100 metres.
On our swim spa that is a 6 out of 10. The pro version only went to 4 so very happy I went for that test swim.
It's great for training. It is a little rough if you get to close to the end but if you stay further back from the jets it's smoother. And being in Canada I can use it all year. No more going to the Y and fighting for a lane at 5:30 am.
Price wise we were $35,000 CDN all in. Sticker price was $52,000. We got a screaming deal though as they lost our order twice. Not sure where $65,000 came from in another reply but they're like mattresses, they're always "on sale". They just bump up the price and say they're 50% off to entice you. I know the top of the line Michael Phelps ones, we were looking at around $54,000. But that one had a separate area for the hot tub section and it had Michaels name on it so the price immediately goes up.
Also, if chlorine is an issue, from what I can recall there is only 1 or 2 companies that make salt water endless pools and the one in Canada is Arctic Spas. I have not heard good things about salt water spas as the salt eats away at the anodes and it happens quite frequently from the reviews I have read.
All in all, I would highly recommend. My daughter absolutely loves it. It's basically a wave pool for her when she's playing in it. I can use it for my training, and my wife and I can chill in it as a hot tub at night. It can be used 12 months of the year, and no more gym membership, not that I would be going back anytime soon anyways. If you have any more questions shoot me a PM. Good Luck!

Quinner

It was the most expensive model from a different company. SwimSpa and Endless Pool are not the same thing. I didn't say that's the typical/average price or that all models from all companies cost that much. $65,000 is what the person who runs the service told us it cost. I think he probably knows better than you how much it was.

You're still going to need chlorine to keep the water sanitary. However, public pools typically are very aggressive with the amount of chlorine because of the swimmer load. With your own swim spa, you can manage the chlorine level at a more reasonable level.

If you haven't already, test out an Endless Pool. If you call them, they can put you in touch with a local owner who will let you try theirs out.

That's a great setup! Do you have a way to keep water from splashing out? I think I see tracks above the pool but I can't quite make it out.

Well just shop around and don't pay that much or else you're getting ripped off lol.

Sorry if it a dumb question, but if you wanted to use it as a hot tub, wouldn't that make the water temp way too high to swim train in??

We used to have a Arctic Spa brand hot tub, and kept it around 97, which is a bit low by normal standards, but I can't imagine swim training in it!!

You just adjust the heat for whatever you want to use it for. During the summer right now we have it set around 80-84. Can swim comfortably in it and our daughter can cool off. If we want a night in the hot tub then we turn it up. It will heat up to 104 and typically it rises 4-5 degrees an hour so you do have to plan ahead a little in the summer. It is also connected to our WiFi so we have an app and can turn it up from anywhere. So say we are out at friends house for dinner and we want to soak in the hot tub around 10 or 11 we can make that decision and use the app to turn up the heat. Haven't had a winter with it yet but it will probably be kept around 90 ish for swimming and that way it will only take 2 hours to become a hot tub. So I can swim in the morning before work turn it up to 100 and its a hot tub at night. I also find that because of the jets and the water constantly moving around you it's not a true temp while swimming. It does feel a little cooler while using the swim trainer portion of it.

We paid just over $30,000 for our Endless Pool and its the Performance model, which had everything we needed. It has a phone or ipad app to set time and pace and you can create workouts without having to stop and adjust the settings - it will do it automatically for you. We have a clear shower curtain hanging to prevent splashing (my wife is smooth and I'm a splasher), we keep it heated 82-84 and the only maintenance is to add a cup of Bleach each night. Water is crystal clear, we also have an outdoor pool so we are well versed on maintenance and this is simple. We got the mirrors for the bottom and added the skirting and the cover which is a must whether its indoors or out, indoors it keeps the humidity down and of course the heat. Endless pools was great to work with, my wife must have spoken to them a dozen times during the process as she was trying to decide on options and customizing it. I swim at a 1:50 per 100m pace in the pool and open water on average and have the Endless pool set at 2:00 per 100m and its perfect for me for long swims. I think you do feel more resistance at the higher pace vs. lower speed. We tried several different, spa type pools including the MP version and for us the Endless pool current was the smoothest and seemed the most controlled. The jets in the spa version seemed more erratic since its multiple jets vs. one current. Definitely recommend trying them out as someone said, get a hold of Endless Pools and they will refer you to someone to try it out. The spa versions are available in most areas and we actually went into 3 different places and took test swims while people that were shopping were watching. Many places that sell hot tubs have them and usually one on the floor demonstrate.

The tracks are actually for the garage door, we just hung a clear shower curtain up and it works great keeping the water from my flailing around and splashing and keeps the treadmills from getting wet. My wife wants me to get some plexi-glass to line the edge, but that's another project for another time. It's a 3 car extended garage and we placed it that way so we could open the door in the summer for better lighting and air.

How does it "feel" to swim in. Like, does it feel natural.

I bought a Vasa Erg, which I think has been helpful to preserve some swim fitness, but it's definitely not a replacement for actual swimming IMO.

It feels natural and could definitely feel the benefit after open water swimming last weekend. Was interested to see how it would feel and there is definitely some benefits to not doing flip turns and just putting the head down and swimming. I will add that for me, there is definitely a sweet spot, where you can just fall into a groove and go and where too much resistance feels like you are swimming against a slight current. If you've swam in a river for a tri you will know what I'm talking about, up stream vs. downstream.

That's good to know.

I too, am concerned about the feel or if it would change my technique. Swim form is so important!

Like running on a treadmill too much can affect your running form, I wouldn't want the same thing to happen in one of these.

I'm going to look into it though. Thanks!