By Rachel Levin, Sunset senior editor

Anyone read Amy Wolf’s post last week about the West’s best places to swim—and then, like me, immediately need to find the closest spot for a quick dunk? Amy and I are usually on the same wavelength (no pun intended), and this summer we’ve both been obsessed with pools and swimming. Could be the fact that the U.S. Olympic swim team is training for Beijing mere minutes from Sunset over at Stanford University’s state-of-the-art aquatic center. Or, could just be the warm summer weather and that carefree, invigorating feeling that only comes from a nice, cold (but not too cold) dip.

On a hot, sunny day, I’ll usually jump in anywhere: from swimming holes and lazy rivers to community pools and the chilly Pacific. When it comes to swimming laps, though, I concur with Amy that not just any pool will do. “There’s nothing worse than a pool too short for real swimming,” she wrote. 

Agreed. And so, I feel compelled to tack one more pool on to her well-curated list: the 130-foot-long pool at Solage Resort & Spa in Calistoga, California.
 

It’s geothermally heated to an oh-so-pleasant 82 degrees and surrounded by comfy chaise longues which—combined with canvas umbrellas, private cabanas, attentive wait service, and a healthy pool menu—make it easy to lounge around all day.

Huachuca

Which I did—diving into the pool every half-hour or so to swim as many marathon-length laps as I could, before dragging my body back to the chair, only to warm up again and jump back in.

The pool is open to resort guests only, unfortunately. But if you’re as obsessed with pools as I am these days, Solage’s starting room rate of $350 is well worth it.