POOLS AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIFORNIA

Indoor Pool, Four Seasons

The Four Seasons in Westlake Village has two pools—the Serenity Pool in the spa area is for adults only. It’s in a garden, setting surrounded by high walls. Think: lush and quiet—with lots of small groups of women talking in hushed voices or couples lounging on side-by-side deck chairs. Guys in robes reading the newspaper. The resort provides sunscreen, snack service, and even cooling spritzes. Lots of guests stop here before or after a spa treatment so you’ll see plenty of those thick, terry robes, plastic cups of cucumber water, and relaxed or soon-to-be relaxed faces.  I imagine the most disruptive element here would be the occasional girls-weekenders speaking in tones a few octaves above the rest of the crowd.

The all-ages pool is indoors—which can be especially fun in the dead of winter. Imagine it’s winter break, the kids can’t play outside but you’d love an upscale getaway that’s fun for everyone. The indoor pool area is filled with skylights so it’s airy, with streaming sunbeams on a nice day, and not that dark, dank, indoor pool vibe you often find. There aren’t too many serious kid amenities, though kids are more than welcome and are frequently spotted here. The resort has a wellness theme so you’ll probably find plenty of lap swimmers and pool exercise enthusiasts as well.

It’s a nice, no-nonesense way to get in the water, no matter what the weather, and be spoiled to death at the Four Seasons while you’re there. The wellness center offers all kinds of medical services including body fat analysis (eek!), hypno-therapy, etc. There’s even a test kitchen offering classes in healthy cooking. Or you can just chill by the pool. No judgements.