Don Rodenbaugh Natatorium

We came here for a swimming birthday party. The front receptionists weren’t really helpful and it seemed like they didn’t know what was going on.
The party room was not ready at the time that was promised and they really didn’t seem to care that we would be rushed to set it up.
On a different note the pool was clean and the life guards were very attentive. My son loved the lazy river. The water was a bit cooler than my son would like it to have been. When he got out his lips were blue and his teeth were chattering.
Despite all that it ended up being a fun birthday for the birthday boy.

My kiddos loved this place! And truth be told, so did I! A lazy river that moved you along in a somewhat fast pace. Splash zones, water slides and a pool to swim in. Not to mention a hot tub that feels so good that you forget that kids are laughing and splashing all around.
They even have little party rooms and a full gym for the adults, a rock climbing wall, and locker rooms.

For me, the Natatorium was a place where I worked out over the summer, with the occasional swim. This may sound rather backwards, as the swimming area is huge and the fitness center is rather small, but that’s how it was.
The fitness center, while small, had everything I needed to work out, including the machines, free weights, bench press, squat rack, and mirror (gotta check yourself out of course) so no complaints there.
The pool includes lanes, diving board, lazy river, and kids area with a water slide and playground. The pool itself is great, whether you’re trying to swim rigorously in the lanes or relax in the lazy river. There’s also a rock climbing wall near the entrance.
My biggest complaint is probably the pool hours, as they often open late and close early because of swimming lessons, but it was never a big problem for me because I mainly used the fitness center, which was open as long as the building was open. Overall, it’s a nice facility and getting a membership is pretty cheap.

Overcrowded overrated swimming pool. The parents are supposed to watch after their children, but they don’t do that. Lifeguards are children aged 14??? They are scared to say something to unbehaved people and children.
Something was very wrong with the water. I went there with my family and we all had pain in the eyes after swimming there. Not clean enough?
Oh and most of the visitors were wearing normal clothes (shorts and shirts) while swimming and no bathing suits. Disgusting!
Never ever. Way too expensive for what you get!
Opening hours on Unilocal are also not good. Swimming was only till 6 pm. After 6 pm there are swimming lessons till 9 pm.

I have had memberships at several of the local places. While Rodenbaugh’s, was less expensive, it doesn’t really offer all the amenities as advertised.
I wanted a place with a pool! So every time I go there, the swim lanes are nearly always occupied by the Allen Swim Team. The other pool, has SO much chlorine in it, to counter act the Kiddy Piss and Diaper Droppings, that you could go in with a severe cold and come out sterilized. Ya, read other reviews! Poop in the pool! Poop is easy to see, the pee isn’t. Like swimming in someones toilet!
The weight room is adequate and upstairs overlooking the kiddy poop pool.

Great for kids’ birthday parties all year round and at a great price. Perfect for a climate controlled experience in a smaller pool environment — one slide/​play apparatus for little kids (and the life guards are great about shooing the big ones off it!), and big slide for the big kids/​adults, a lazy river that encloses a bench pool and an Olympic size practice pool with diving board and lap lanes on a separated (sometimes enclosed) side. Good locker rooms, decent parking, and the best option for McKinney folks who are now beyond Old Settler’s (great for the under 5 set) but still too little/​timid for the water parks. Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon for the whole family.

The gym here is great for the cost everyone here is very nice I payed 130 $ for the entire year! Great place to workout for high school kids and adults. This place also has a pool so BONUS!!!

It’s a good affordable place to work out with a diverse group of fitness folks. My husband and I like the upstairs weight room and cardio equipment on days we don’t make it to our regular fitness place. They’ve got bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills that look over the pool area. There are also row machines, weight machines, and free weights. Can’t attest to the group classes as not our deal.
And the indoor heated pool is always a draw. We head over to the showers then hit the lazy river and hot pool after really hard workouts.
We don’t have a little one but the kids’ swimming lessons look super cute– especially the tiny ones. The lifeguards are friendly. We are happy we joined as members for the year. Just looking forward to the big slide being in operation.

Nice little place that has an area just for kids. Went to the Natatorium on Saturday for a few hours. The kiddo really liked this place he was running around. My wife is a member and I am not so I had to pay $ 5 to use the pool which isn’t bad for the service they provide. They have slides and little playgrounds for the little ones and life guards are on point.

The facilities are nice, but we had a bad experience when my son and grandkids were visiting last week. First of all the chlorine smell is overwhelming. All of us had to go outside to get a breath of fresh air. Our eyes burned the rest of the day and my husband said that his lungs hurt. I understand the need for chlorine, but there needs to be better ventilation in the pool area. Also, some kid pooped in the pool and there was a panic to get everyone out and the pool was closed for about 40 minutes. The staff refused to give us our money back since they said the pool was going to reopen. We left and the kids were dissapointed. We bought a years’ membership, but now my husband says he’s not going back due to the chlorine fumes. Again, there needs to be better ventilation.

I have worked there for 4 years, but I’ll do my best to be as unbiased as possible. The indoor, heated pool is obviously the big draw but most my experience is with the non-​pool areas so I’ll focus on that first. There is a small but well equiped gym upstairs. Includes 8 treadmills, 8 ellipticals, 8 bikes and 3 stair machines plus a separate free weight area. The cardio equipment overlooks the kids pool. Everything is about 3 years old and kept in clean working order. The main downside to the gym is that group fitness classes are not included in the membership. Membership ranges between $ 11 and $ 25 a month depending on your age (seniors get discounts) and if you are a resident of Allen. Membership includes unlimted access to other facilities including Joe Farmer rec center (basketball & racquetball & indoor walking track) and the ford public pool They are up front with their prices. My favorite part is their are no salesmen to deal with. Downstairs, they have a rock climbing wall, lockers (bring your own lock) and showers.
Most people that visit the Natatorium go for a kids birthday party. Apparently that’s a good deal. You rent a room for a few hours and swim around. If you are just going to take the kids to swim, MAKE SURE you call about the hours of the kids/​leisure pool. The hours change during summer and they are different than the facility hours. There is a lap pool, kid/​leisure area and lazy river. Everything stays heated. Sometimes the swim team will be using the lap pool so you’ll want to time your swims around that.
Overall, I recommend the Natatorium for the indoor pool, birthday parties and if you want a basic gym at a low price.

This is the place for a kids party. Hell… I may have MY next birthday there. Too bad you can’t take in an innertube cooler full of beer. I’d be all over that one. Huge swimming area including a sprinkler playscape, lazy river with spiny circular area, swimming pool and thee story circular slide. AND there’s a slightly elevated hot tub so parents can chill and still see the kiddos.
Add to this the rock climbing area out front, party rooms for rent, competition pool, diving pool, and work out equipment upstairs and you’ve got the makings for a great natatorium.
If I lived in Allen I’d be tempted to become a member. But you do not have to be a member to load up the youngin’s and come swimming. $ 5 for adults and $ 4 for most kids. And get this, there’s a machine in the locker room that dries your towel and swimsuit.
I’d add a star if they had a swim up bar!