Am I Desperate Enough for Swimply.com?

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Ever since I moved to Texas 18 years ago, I have done one thing consistently every summer: outdoor swimming. Even before I had kids, I took advantage of my apartment complex’s pool after work. Summers mean 100 degree temperatures for weeks on end, but spending time in a pool can make those days bearable and even enjoyable.

When my husband and I were house hunting, one of our must-haves was a neighborhood pool. After I quit my corporate job, my kids and I spent several days a week at the pool. It’s what you do when you live in Texas.

But, this pandemic summer is proving to be difficult when it comes to swimming. My city hasn’t yet opened its pools and doesn’t know if the pools will open at all this summer. My neighborhood pools that are usually open by mid-April are still closed indefinitely. By the end of this week, my kids will be out of school. Then what? I can’t imagine a summer without a swimming pool.

I’ve suggested getting a pool dug at our house before, but my husband has always been against it for various reasons. And, where we live it would cost around $75k. Yikes! But even my husband is starting to feel desperate and suggested we look into getting our own pool. Unfortunately, the wait to get a pool installed is over 6 months (everyone has the same idea), and our neighborhood doesn’t allow above-ground pools. But, I learned there is another option.

What is Swimply.com?

A friend mentioned Swimply.com on my Facebook feed, and I had to check it out. It’s like the Airbnb of swimming pools. People rent out their backyard pools for a day or a few hours to people like me who are desperate to go swimming. Each listing has details on maximum number of guests, pool depth and visibility to neighbors.

There’s no need to rent a whole house through Airbnb for an overnight stay. With Swimply, we would simply find a pool relatively close to our home and make it an afternoon excursion.

According to this article on CNN, the founder of Swimply.com is a 23-year-old who appeared on Shark Tank. I think it’s a smart idea, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes off this summer because of all the closed public pools due to Covid-19.

I found some pools relatively close to our house that ranged from $30-$75 per hour. The biggest thing holding me back is that they don’t all guarantee a bathroom. Some of them may have a bathroom available when the owner is home, and others say they don’t allow guests to use the bathroom at all. With kids, it’s a big risk to spend a few hours at a pool without the guaranteed use of a bathroom.

So…am I Desperate Enough?

I’m not quite there yet. The temperatures haven’t hit 100 yet, and the kids and I haven’t reached our peak boredom yet. But, never say never.

I’ve looked into using my IHG free night certs at a local hotel just to use the pool. Unfortunately, several nearby hotels are closed and/or their pool areas are closed.

We do have a short Airbnb getaway in July that has a nice pool. But, if my city and neighborhood pools are closed the rest of the summer, I may just give Swimply a try.

Would you try it? Why or why not?

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