Cherokee Recreation Center

Free. Nothing else I say after this point probably matters, but feel free to keep reading.
This place brings new meaning to the term «hidden gem». I have been looking for a swimming pool for three years and never found this place. Either that makes me a f**king moron, or else this place suuuuuucks at marketing. Cherokee Park Pool is NOT in Cherokee Park, as I discovered this morning. It is in BENTON Park, right off Jefferson. Is there a sign here? Noooooo. Marketing rule number one: Signs are helpful.
It was difficult to find hours on their actual website, but I chanced it. Lap swim is Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, which is perfect if you are 80 or unemployed.
I am not a fan of their pool, and I’ve swam in some real shitholes. The lifeguard told me their pool is 25 meters, but it is actually 20 yards. This can be a huge confidence boost for you if you actually think the pool is 25 meters, because fuck, you will be fast in this pool. The deep end is about 18 feet long, and after that your knuckles start scraping the bottom. Not kidding. The majority of this pool is so shallow it is almost impossible to swim laps in. 2 feet deep at the shallow end. Only attempt a flip turn if you’ve always wondered what a concussion would feel like. My other major lap-​swimming complaint was that this pool was warm. Like, WAY too warm. I am serious. Felt like a hot tub. Not exaggerating. I’ve never been in such a warm pool, except for maybe at the Shady Pines Arthritic Therapy Whirpool. If you are a lap swimmer, you know how hard it is to swim in warm water. I just turned to goo and it was not fun. It was, however, free. So if you need a free place, any place, to swim some laps, and you have absolutely nothing going on in your life, check this place out. There are not many alternatives in the St. Louis area. I think.
Oh, also, the pool did not have any lane lines in. Awkward.
The rest of the place was kind of cool. They have a huge gym for basketball and summer camps. Upstairs there is actually a boxing gym. Pretty cool. This place was actually staffed well, and the staff were really helpful. There is a trainer there who will teach you how to box. FOR FREE.
The parking lot was pretty tight, but you could find street parking near there.
I have mixed feelings about this run-​down, small, hidden gem of a rec center. Love that it is free and accessible to the community, but I think they could do more to promote it. A few tweaks and this could be an awesome place to work out. Tweak number one: Stop boiling the pool water.