Walter Baker Sports Centre

Fantastic experience: Amazing team of life guards for swimming lesson

Positive experience: Haven't really used the pools mostly there for hockey but staff are very nice, well maintained dressing rooms, extra pucks if you need it. only thing I will say though is that they need more options for their cafe.

Positive experience: Good swimming coaches

Fantastic experience: Zamboni

Positive experience: Good facilities but parking lot is always a pain

Positive experience: I have only used the pools at the sports center. The change room has ample locker space and the showers offer lots of hot water. The facility is pretty clean considering the challenges related to wet floors and dirty footwear. Today there were a lot of people using the pools. There was hair and a bandaid circulating in the shallow pool. The water didn't burn my eyes but hopefully there is enough chlorine to deal with bacteria. Someone kept blowing a whistle but I could not tell what for. Despite the larger number of users there is still a comfortable amount of space for bleachers and benches where parents and non-swimmers can sit and relax. Lots of parking and vending machines are near the front door.

Positive experience: Great pools, but the universal change room could use some upgrades. There's nowhere near enough space and the lockers aren't sized for a family's belongings. I need it because I have a boy with special needs who needs help and it was not a very accommodating space. We couldn't even snag a locker, so we had to bring our gear out with us.

Positive experience: Good facility, well maintained and easy to navigate. The dressing rooms need attention from the cleaners.

Negative experience: This location has some scams going on. My friend who rent their studio told me it is 20/hr. However, I got a price of 70/hr from the customer service. I have many rental experiences with Ottawa studio locations, it is between 20-25/hr. 70 per hour is honestly a SCAM. Also, the customer service lady has a rude attitude…. When I went in to ask about rent, she left the office for her meeting without looking at me. Peace out:)

Negative experience: Man...this place is dirty and really badly trained staff.

Positive experience: I used the swimming pool to swim lanes while traveling for business. It's not busy during lunch time, which is a plus. I was told the busiest time is late afternoon and evening. The admission fee is low. The only downside for me is that the water is too warm for training.

Fantastic experience: Great pool....helpful & friendly staff

Positive experience: My dd plays water polo and has regular practices there.

Positive experience: My son had his first day in swim class last week! Shockingly, he cried when he had to get into the water without my wife and I. Our child’s instructor, Angus was very good at getting him comfortable in the water. So much so, he did not want to leave at the end of his lesson, and looks forward to returning the following weeks. I know this review does not reflect the entire facility but I am just extremely excited to share my sons experience in swim lessons at Walter Baker. I was personally shocked to see they had removed the water slide recently. I had memories on this thing when I was a young boy. Overall I will be returning for all my lessons to this facility.

Fantastic experience: Great place for a family skate.

Fantastic experience: Great facility, well organized a little older but well maintained!

Fantastic experience: Love this city complex! Very safe place for families and offers so much activities. Public pool, ice rinks, library, etc! Open spaces to relax.

Fantastic experience: Great place for kids, families, sport lovers with various services. Love this place.

Positive experience: Great place but no staff No evening classes at all Very disappointing over the last few years

Fantastic experience: Nice place lots of pools and activities for kids to do as well as camp programs.

Fantastic experience: Nice arena. Decent amount of parking

Positive experience: Cant read the TV that tells you the dressing room #s for hockey from a distance and thrres always some clowns standing in the way. Make the #s bigger or go back to the whiteboard

Fantastic experience: Went for the public skate. Small area to get skates on, but it's setup relatively nicely with some chairs and mats to walk on... Ice surface is in good shape and it's free! Will be going again!

Negative experience: I tried to use the steam room four times, which is the only activity I interested in Walter Baker, each time I went, it was scheduled to be open, but every single time it was closed for one reason or another. Last time I called to make sure it was open, They didn't answer the phone, when I left a massage they did not return my call, and when I went it was closed as usual ( changed the schedule ). This facility is not free, you have to pay hefty price for the activity. At least have a reasonable Customer Service.

Positive experience: Great place for my children to swim and play. But there is no slide to use. However the best part is the hot tub there is nice!

Positive experience: The facility is nice but a bit run need in need of an upgrade. The pools are a bit gross with hair everywhere, especially in the change room. But the lessons are really good, my special needs son just took a sea-foam 8 with Angus as our instructor and he really helped him, and give him good individual attention despite my son being far below the rest of the class. Assuming all the instructors are just like Angus this facility is great for swim lessons. Unlike at minto all the classes were spaced apart from each other giving them enough room to function. I will definitely be returning with my other 3 kids!

Positive experience: Great steam room/sauna ! Don't miss it if you are nostalgic to what you can find in the northern EU and other similar cultures. The water temperature for lane swim is also warmer than most other facilities. Oh! They have a diving board if you are a fan of.

Fantastic experience: I had the opportunity of bringing my granddaughter to her swimming lesson today and I was very impressed with the facility but even more so with the helpful, friendly staff. Well done….

Positive experience: Used the hall to feed vets and cadets on November 11. Great building.

Positive experience: Apart from a minor set of incidents with a camp counselor 10 years ago, this place is fine, I miss the water slide tho

Positive experience: Place is good the only one has steam room but open times are limited for public swimming

Fantastic experience: We have been using Walter Baker facilities for over 30 years! Our children used it and now our grandchildren are using it!! Well organized and in great shape! Nice staff.

Fantastic experience: I saw my friends hockey game here and he won so its 5 stars. Also my brother works here at the front desk he’s a little annoying but he’s also chill. If you go right now (oct 18) they have a jar to guess the amount of candies to win them

Positive experience: I go there once a week, and the facility is so nice, and the employees are friendly and welcoming.

Fantastic experience: Great programming for our kids

Fantastic experience: Been wanting to write this review for a while. Amazing swimming instructors at this facility. My preschooler did two levels here after doing one at a different City of Ottawa facility. I can say the swimming instructors at the WBSC are AMAZING and really take the lessons seriously and do their best to make sure the little ones are comfortable and learning as well as having fun! We’ve had Kate, Sara and Autumn and all three of them were Wonderful! Keep up the good work :)

Positive experience: First time in the building so I had trouble finding my way around. It's a very busy place and there's lots of Happy families coming and going. I was there to volunteer at a health fair upstairs in the food court. Very clean and well kept location. Very large parking lots seem to be always full so you may need to park far from the door.

Fantastic experience: One of the best Recreational Centres in Ottawa. Their swimming pool timings for public is more convenient for working people. Clean and well maintained hot-tube and sauna are added bonus at this centre when compared to other centres.

Positive experience: Great facility with big pool facility, ideal for people of all ages. Lifeguards are friendly and willing to help. Only thing is that pool change rooms need a bit of an upgrade.

Positive experience: This place was nice I was very early so I helped with putting the lanes across in the deep end and after during lane swim I was practicing my whip kick in my back which took along time but there was a head life guard that’s was very rude to my sibling aunts and cousins

Positive experience: I enjoy the pool on a regular basis however the ladies shower rooms could use a good scrubbing/cleaning especially the individual stalls .

Fantastic experience: My son loves the gym. Pool is great for free swim times

Positive experience: Nice place. Courteous staff. We attended a community event. Had a nice time.

Negative experience: Extremely bad experience for swim. It was parent day at the centre. Came with my 1 year old who was running and i had to chase him n be with him. The so called supervisor comes up and tells me we cannot go in the water n for us to stand in one corner. Mind u we didnt even step foot in the water. These pool supervisors come n ruin experience for parents. N they should be mindful of how they behave.

Fantastic experience: Better than most of the facilities, the staff is friendly, hard to find a spot.

Negative experience: Need more indoor pools in this city, rather than rinks. Overfilled and out of control.

Fantastic experience: Great variety of activities particularly for children.

Negative experience: Every time I call the hot tub or sauna isn't working and the change rooms are discussing dirty hair all over the floors

Positive experience: Beautiful pool, super disappointed that the kids pool isn't open any time during the day Monday to Friday, only evenings when kids are going to bed or weekends when it's super busy. Would greatly appreciate consideration of having a family swim time in the morning or some time during the week Monday to Friday.

Fantastic experience: This Centre is great. It has everything you need in terms of recreation. There is a gym/weight room, pool, skating and lounge spaces to sit an chat. Definitely a great place to have in the community especially with the library right next door.

Positive experience: Nice sports complex. Nothing fancy or updated but it has a nice library, pool, rinks, cafeteria, fields

Fantastic experience: Sure do enjoy Marsha’s Aquafit classes, her energy is always high, she is so much fun I want to come back.

Fantastic experience: Pool is excellent for little toddlers. Nice and warm for them.

Fantastic experience: so far the staff there are wonderful. Every experience we've had, has been phenomenal. And we continue to go on regular.

Positive experience: The facilities from the old City of Nepean are great as compared to the old stuff in the City of Ottawa.

Fantastic experience: I've sat in both rink A & B. Comfortable to watch the little guys practice hockey. Love that the Ottawa Public Library is located in the facility.

Positive experience: Good indoor skating facility. But need upgrade of washroom in locker's area

Positive experience: went to experience an Aquafit class. Love the class in the manager of the pool. Was incredibly nice towards myself and my friend. We both are wheelchair users but they were very accommodating. The prices were a little strange. We had to pay if we were using different areas of the rec center. For instance, we signed up for the Aquafit which was $10 and then if we wanted to use the gym it was an additional $10. That's a lot of money for somebody who is disabled so just stuck with the aquifit and it was great and I will go back.

Positive experience: Big pool. Good lane swimming. A bit shallow. Water temperature is warm compared to other pools, which is nice if you are puttering around, but gets uncomfortable if you're swimming over a mile. Hot tub is fantastic; hot, spacious, strong water jets. Showers are OK but not private, which might bother some folks. Change rooms are spacious and lockers are good too.

Negative experience: Dirtiest swimming pool I've been to in Ottawa.

Positive experience: Great place for the family to swim. My only complaint is some of the female lifeguards wear thong bottoms or at least ones that ride very far up making it disturbing to be around. If they were required to wear normal bikini or Bathing suit bottoms it would much better. Kids pool is nice and warm, hot tub and sauna are a favourite. The teens love the rock climbing wall and diving boards

Fantastic experience: Excellent facility with really clean pools and it’s well maintained.The changing rooms and wash rooms are very well maintained!They have a lot of parking too.staffs are also very nice!

Fantastic experience: Superb facilities with indoor swimming pools and friendly staff. The kids swimming area with water splash kids love the place.

Fantastic experience: Superb facilities with indoor swimming pools and friendly staff. The kids swimming area with water splash kids love the place.

Fantastic experience: Nmha hockey here for the little ones. Always a good time!

Fantastic experience: The staff are friendly, I checked the facilities they have and the types of enrollment. the good thing they have both time base and per visit base. definitely I will subscribe for coming winter to play racket ball and swimming, me and my friends are looking forward for winter indoor activities

Fantastic experience: Always loved going here. Arenas are nice, benches are on the small side and the boards are pretty high to jump over. Good viewing area through glass at back on second floor overlooking the arena. It's in the large hallway/commerce area and it's a great spot to watch from

Fantastic experience: Good and clean pool very good temperature the lifeguards where very friendly and nice I was a good

Fantastic experience: Warmest water in the city, so my favorite pool. :-) Super conveniently located next to a public library. Clean facilities and friendly staff. Thanks for a great experience.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful pool, great for swimming laps and the temperature is always just right. Highly recommend this pool!

Fantastic experience: Very nice place. I took my son to swim. The kid's pool was warm and not so deep. Very nice experience. Definitely will repeat it.

Positive experience: Went to vote early. Well organized there, but should have a closer place to Woodroffe. 20 minutes to drive there.

Positive experience: Nice pools that were a good temperature. Hot tub and sauna were a nice addition. There's plenty of toys and floatation devices for kids to play with. Just be sure to read the signs carefully for who and what can go into each section of each pool otherwise the lifeguards will call you out

Fantastic experience: Staff are polite and nice. That helps elders like me.

Negative experience: Not clear before coming that they are only open for public swimming sometimes

Fantastic experience: Nice place. Used the pool

Fantastic experience: Nice place to swimming with kids of all ages

Fantastic experience: Excellent, excited and clean, hopefully if they have free drinking water machine

Positive experience: Love it. Free Wi-Fi. Easy to find your way around.

Fantastic experience: Used the deep pool for scuba driving with Kanata Diving Supply, nice locker rooms.

Positive experience: This is not a brand new sports center, but it has a modest charm and comfort. It has a nice sitting area, where people can read, study, eat or simply sit down for a rest. There is an Ottawa Public Library inside the complex, which is a magnet to lots of readers, young and old alike. I really like it and enjoy this complex (more than Minto and/or Nepean Sports Complex).

Fantastic experience: Excellent service, hot tub, steam room

Fantastic experience: Lots of parking. Library is nice. Facility is a bit out dated but it is old. Pool has sauna and hot tub.

Positive experience: Nice rinks with good views of a hockey game. Dressing rooms are on the small side

Fantastic experience: Great centre for Gym, squash, swimming, hockey and more!

Fantastic experience: Great place to keep fit. Clean, great staff. Can't wait for it to reopen

Positive experience: Built in 1980 but in great shape.. Swimming pools are top notch.. Unfortunately no food court yet

Fantastic experience: A fantastic city rum facility including a pool area and ice rink. There is also a library next door.

Fantastic experience: Great pool, sauna and hot tub Plus many other great activities!

Fantastic experience: An excellent example of how well Nepean worked when it was a city. Pool, rinks and much more

Positive experience: Was going to public library to drop off books I had read for other people to enjoy.

Fantastic experience: Set up for kids swimming lessons was great. Lots of directional signage and great communication from the staff on site.

Negative experience: The Staff Don't Care. A few years ago I got my new bmx bike stolen there at the entrance where they have security cameras. I had a lock but it wasnt the best so the people who stole it cut it and stole my bike. When I went outside I realised my bike was stolen so I went to the front desk to tell them. They said they'll file a report and check the security cameras that day. So I gave them my phone number and went home expecting a phone call in the next few days. I waited and waited and never got a call back. I soon realised that the staff really couldn't care less and they never even checked the cameras or filed a report. If your that lazy that your can't even check a 10 minute security camera footage your making it no where in life with that work ethic. Absolutely dissapointed in this dumpster of a building.

Positive experience: I used to skateboard and watch fights here as a kid. Really cool place!

Positive experience: We actually went skating in the outdoor rink in the park across from Walter Baker. It was good. The ice was rough on the edges but to be expected for a community outdoor rink.

Fantastic experience: Well run. Spotlessly clean. Obseves all covid protcols. Very friendly staff.

Fantastic experience: The pool doesn't have the waterslide anymore but they still have that v a p o r w a v e / city pop mural in the pool. It's so rad.

Fantastic experience: Just great. Ottawa community facilities are awesome. This is safe clean cheap. Great for families

Fantastic experience: Perfect way to spend a few hours playing with your kids. They have an inflatable course over the pool, a climbing wall, toys for little kids and diving boards! Our family loves it :)

Fantastic experience: Clean pool, friendly staff! My little one started swimming lessons today, and her instructor Matt was very good with the babies & made it lots of fun!