London swimming pools you can visit without membership

The one with a laconium: The Porchester Spa

Not sure what a laconium is? You won't be alone. It's actually a kind of Turkish bath, of which London’s oldest spa has three – a warm one, a hot one and an even hotter one. If you’re a Goldilocks when it comes to temperatures, you should be able to find one that's just right.

Before you start chilling out (or warming up), you can work out in a 30m swimming pool, beneath huge skylights that make the room feel bright on even the gloomiest day. Non-members can enter the leisure centre for a very reasonable £30.75, while members pay £21.50 and local residents can take a dip for just £21.55.

The pool of champions: London Aquatics Centre

Fancy yourself as the next Michael Phelps or Rebecca Adlington? Head to the Olympic Park for a swim in the pool (or pools) of champions – the London Aquatics Centre has three to choose from, one of which is often split in two by state-of-the-art technology.

Designed by the late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the Aquatics Centre is a regal sight; but it’s managed by the social enterprise Better, meaning a visit won’t break the bank. A one-off swim for adults costs just £5.35, while membership starts from £32.50 a month. If you’ve got little ones in tow, they can join you for a dip for £3, or stay in the crèche for £3.50 an hour.

The sky-high one: Peak Health Club at Jumeirah Carlton Tower

If swimming in the sky sounds like your idea of fun, the ninth floor of the Jumeirah Hotel at Carlton Tower features the appropriately named Peak Health Club. Here, you can take advantage of a 20m pool and neighbouring Jacuzzi, then sweat it out further in the sauna or steam room.

You can get full access to all this by buying any treatment, prices for which start at £25. The exotic potted plants surrounding the pool will make it feel as though you’re getting a tropical holiday, while the club room’s café, with views of London’s skyline, will make you fall in love with home again.

The pool at Jumeirah Carlton Tower is currently closed for refurbishment and is due to re-open in early summer.

The one with the view: Pools on the Park

Fancy swimming in a park without worrying about rogue wildfowl? In green and pleasant Richmond you can do just that, at Pools on the Park. The indoor pool is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, which overlook the outdoor pool. Beyond that, the lawns and leaves of Richmond’s Old Deer Park are the perfect balm for any busy Londoner.

It’s £5.50 for a swim at peak times (or £5 if you have a Richmond Card), and £33 for a month’s membership.

The art deco one: Marshall Street Leisure Centre

Behind a pleasingly patterned 1930s façade on Marshall Street lie recently refurbished, spacious facilities. The swimming pool is the leisure centre’s pièce de résistance – all marble-lined 30m of it.

Pay-as-you-go access to the pool at Marshall Street costs £7.10 – for which you get access to the centre’s sauna and steam rooms, too. For only £29.99, you can swim for a month.

​The one with the cool ceiling: Balham Leisure Centre

You won’t be able to stop staring at the high, vaulted ceiling above Balham Leisure Centre’s 25m pool – so if you need to perfect your backstroke, now’s the time.

Membership is £32 for a month of swims, or you can pay-as-you-go for £10 a session. For that price, you’ll have access to the centre’s SWIMTAG technology, which allows you to track your swim and compete against your personal best – or other swimmers, if you’re that way inclined.

​The one with the heated lido: Oasis Sports Centre

If you're a regular lido swimmer in the summer months, the colder weather can feel like a serious affront to your routine. Fortunately, the West End's Oasis Sports Centre is a heavenly heated lido, so even in the depths of winter you can go Scandi – getting your swim and fresh air in one dose.

This 27.5m outdoor pool neighbours a 25m indoor pool for the days when you can’t brave the great outdoors. A single swim will set you back £6.15, but like the Aquatics Centre, Oasis is managed by Better, meaning you can get a month’s membership for £35. This will give you access to over 20 pools across London, including London Fields Lido, a heated outdoor swimming pool in Hackney.