The Ritz Barkelton Pools

Two pools, and someone
in the water with them.

A heated indoor pool that runs every day of the year, and a seasonal outdoor pool on half an acre of fenced lawn. Both are supervised by two attendants standing in the water — never watching from a chair. Pool Time is a bookable session; Pool Therapy is something different, and it has its own page below.

The Indoor Pool The Outdoor Pool Pool Time & rates Pool Therapy How a session runs What your suite includes Water & safety
Choose a pool

They are two different swims.

The indoor pool is warmer, quieter and open in February. The outdoor pool is bigger, colder and only there for five months. Most dogs have a firm preference, and the Pawfile records it.

Open year round The glass-roofed indoor pool house

The Indoor Pool

Heated to 86°F under a glass roof, with a zero-entry ramp and an ankle-deep splash shelf for dogs meeting water for the first time. This is also the therapy pool, warmed further outside general pool hours.

86°F34 × 14 ft9:00am – 4:00pmOn PoolView
See the indoor pool →
May – September The outdoor pool and its fenced lawn

The Outdoor Pool

Solar-heated to 82°F, freeform, with a zero-entry beach at the shallow end and half an acre of fenced lawn, shade sails and loungers around it. Open in season, weather permitting.

82°F44 × 20 ft9:00am – 4:00pmSeasonal
See the outdoor pool →
The indoor pool at the Ritz Barkelton
Indoor pool · 86°F · every day of the year
A dog swimming a supervised length of the pool
The shallow splash shelf at the near end of the pool
Indoor · open every day

The Indoor Pool

A glass-roofed pool house with its own dehumidification plant, which is the unglamorous reason the room does not smell of chlorine and the floor is never slippery. The water sits at 86°F all year. It enters by a ramp rather than steps, and the first four feet are an ankle-deep splash shelf — the whole point of which is that a dog who has never swum can stand in water while deciding how it feels about the idea.

Water
86°F
Size
34 × 14 ft
Depth
12 in – 3 ft 6
Season
Year round
  • Zero-entry ramp and a 4 ft ankle-deep splash shelf
  • Two attendants in the water for every session, no exceptions
  • Warm-air drying stalls and towel service on the drying deck
  • Fitted flotation vests, sizes 6 to 120 lb, at no charge
  • PoolView cameras on the deck, the splash shelf and the drying deck
  • Doubles as the therapy pool, raised to 92°F outside pool hours
$22/ 30-minute session

Included daily from the Presidential tier up. Unlimited on the Penthouse.

Add Indoor Pool Time Watch it on PoolView
The outdoor pool and sun deck at the Ritz Barkelton
Outdoor pool · 82°F · May to September
A dog in the water on a warm afternoon
The shaded lawn and loungers beside the outdoor pool
Outdoor · seasonal

The Outdoor Pool

Nearly three times the surface area of the indoor pool, freeform rather than rectangular, solar-heated to 82°F and set in half an acre of six-foot fenced lawn with shade sails at both ends. The shallow end is a zero-entry beach that runs a long way out, so the dogs who want to paddle and the dogs who want to swim are not in each other's way.

Water
82°F
Size
44 × 20 ft
Depth
Zero entry – 4 ft
Season
May – Sept
  • Zero-entry beach and a long shallow shelf for paddlers
  • Half an acre of six-foot fenced lawn, shade sails, fresh water at both ends
  • Two attendants in the water, same as indoors
  • Closed at the first thunder and reopened thirty minutes after the last
  • Sessions move indoors at no charge when the weather turns
  • Not on camera — you get photographs from the deck instead
$22/ 30-minute session

Same rate as indoors, and the same session card covers both pools.

Add Outdoor Pool Time See all the rates
Pool Time

Add it to any stay or day visit.

Pool Time is recreational swimming in a small supervised group — four dogs at a time indoors, six outdoors, grouped by size and by how they behave in water. Every option below works in either pool.

First Swim Assessment

Fifteen minutes on the splash shelf with one attendant, before your dog joins any group. It tells us whether they swim, paddle or would rather not, and we record the answer on the Pawfile.

No charge · required once
Single Session

One 30-minute supervised swim, either pool, booked into a specific block. Towel service and the warm-air drying deck are part of it.

$22 · per session
Two-a-Day Pass

A morning and an afternoon session on the same day, which is what most of the water-loving retrievers end up on. Cheaper than two singles.

$34 · per day
Five-Session Card

Five sessions to use across a stay or across the year — the card does not expire and it covers both pools. Saves eleven dollars.

$99 · five sessions
Unlimited Stay Pass

Every session your dog wants for the length of the stay, indoor and outdoor. Included as standard on the Barkelton Penthouse.

$16 · per night
Private Pool Half-Hour

The pool closed to every other guest, with two attendants for your dog alone. For dogs who are reactive in groups, or simply large and enthusiastic.

$58 · per 30 min
Flotation Vest Fitting

Properly fitted buoyancy aid, sizes 6 to 120 lb, kept aside with your dog's name on it for the rest of the stay.

No charge
Extended Drying & Finish

A full hand-dry and brush-out on the drying deck after the last swim of the stay, so they go home dry rather than damp.

$18 · per finish

One session, one price, either pool. A session card bought for the indoor pool is valid outdoors in season and the other way round. Sessions unused at checkout stay on your account for twelve months rather than being forfeited, and if we cancel a session for weather or water testing it is not charged.

Groups of four indoors, six outdoors Grouped by size and water confidence Pool hours 9:00am – 4:00pm Assessment required before a first group session
Pool Therapy

This is not pool time.

Pool Therapy is one-on-one hydrotherapy with a certified canine hydrotherapist, in warmer water, outside general pool hours, for a clinical reason. Recovery from surgery, hip and elbow dysplasia, arthritis, weight management, and the older dogs whose joints have stopped enjoying the lawn.

How it differs from a swim

The indoor pool is raised from 86°F to 92°F for therapy blocks — warm water opens the joint and reduces the guarding
One dog, one hydrotherapist, in the water, hands on the whole session
Runs 7:00 – 8:45am and 4:45 – 6:15pm, when the pool is otherwise empty and quiet
Buoyancy jacket and a body harness rather than a recreational vest
Written session notes after every visit, sent to you and to your vet
Underwater treadmill available as an alternative for dogs who dislike open water

Veterinary clearance is required. We will not put a dog into a therapy session without written clearance from your practice — and for post-operative work, a referral. If you have a diagnosis but no clearance yet, book the assessment and we will request it from the practice named on your Pawfile.

One-on-one hydrotherapy in the warmed indoor pool
Therapy hours · water raised to 92°F
A hydrotherapist supporting a dog in the water
The warm-air drying stalls used after every therapy session
Pool Therapy rate card · certified canine hydrotherapist
Programme LengthPer visit RatePer session RequirementBefore booking
Hydrotherapy AssessmentGait, range of motion and a first short swim 45 min$65Vet clearance
Single Therapy SwimSupported swimming to a written plan 30 min$72Assessment first
Course of SixSix therapy swims, booked as a block — saves $42 6 × 30 min$390Assessment first
Underwater TreadmillControlled, weight-relieved walking in a glass tank 30 min$84Assessment first
Post-Operative ProgrammeEight sessions with vet-copied notes throughout 8 × 30 min$460Veterinary referral
Senior Joint MaintenanceOne warm-water session a week, ongoing, no course commitment 30 min$64Assessment first
Therapy blocks 7:00 – 8:45am and 4:45 – 6:15pm Water at 92°F for every therapy session Notes sent to you and your veterinary practice Therapy is charged separately from Pool Time
Book a Hydrotherapy Assessment Record the diagnosis on the Pawfile
How a session runs

Thirty minutes, start to dry.

The same four steps whichever pool your dog is in, and whether it is their first swim or their fortieth.

  1. 1

    Collected and toileted

    An attendant collects your dog from the suite, gives them a chance to relieve themselves, and rinses them before they go anywhere near the water.

  2. 2

    Vest and entry

    Their own fitted vest goes on. First-timers go onto the splash shelf or the beach and stay there for as long as they want to.

  3. 3

    Twenty minutes in

    Swimming, fetching, or standing in the shallows watching everyone else — all three are a successful session. Nobody is put in the water who does not want to be.

  4. 4

    Rinsed and dried

    Fresh-water rinse, ears dried, then a warm-air stall and towels on the drying deck. They go back to the suite dry, not damp.

Nobody gets thrown in. If your dog decides at the water's edge that today is not the day, the attendant sits on the shelf with them for the rest of the block and the session is not charged. That happens more often than you would think, and it is usually only the first time.

Included with your suite

Some of it is already paid for.

Pool access is part of the suite tier from the Presidential up. Below is exactly what comes with each, and what the same thing costs if you are adding it.

Pool access by suite tier
Pool access The Terrace Suite$79 / night The Presidential Suite$128 / night The Barkelton Penthouse$196 / night
Pool time included None — add onOne session dailyUnlimited
Additional 30-min sessions $22 each$22 eachIncluded
Unlimited stay pass $16 / night$16 / nightIncluded
Outdoor pool, in season Same ratesSame allowanceUnlimited
Private pool half-hour $58$58$58
First swim assessment No chargeNo chargeNo charge
Pool Therapy swim $72$72$72
PoolView camera access IncludedIncludedIncluded

Pool Therapy is never included in a suite tier. It is a clinical service booked against an assessment and a veterinary clearance, so it is charged the same on every tier — including the Penthouse, where recreational swimming is unlimited. Compare the three suites in full.

Water & safety

The boring part is the important part.

Two pools full of warm water and enthusiastic dogs is a thing that goes wrong quietly if nobody is careful. This is what we do about it, in more detail than most people want — which is rather the point.

Two trained attendants standing in the water for every session, indoors and out — never supervising from the side
Water tested four times a day and logged; the log is on the wall by the drying deck and you may read it
UV and ozone filtration with low residual chlorine, which is gentler on eyes, ears and coat than a domestic pool
Ears dried and checked after every swim — the single most common problem after a day of swimming
Brachycephalic, cardiac, epileptic and post-operative dogs swim one-on-one only, never in a group
Current rabies, DHPP and Bordetella required of every dog on the deck, without exception
The pool plant room and water testing station
Water tested and logged four times daily
Poolside

What comes with the water.

None of the following is an add-on. It is simply what happens around a swim at the Ritz Barkelton.

Two In The Water

Trained attendants in the pool with your dog for the whole session.

The Drying Deck

Warm-air stalls, towel service and ear drying after every swim.

Fitted Vests

Buoyancy aids from 6 to 120 lb, fitted and reserved, at no charge.

Shaded Lawn

Half an acre of fenced grass, shade sails and fresh water outdoors.

PoolView

Included with every stay

Three cameras on the indoor pool — the deck, the splash shelf and the drying deck — refreshing every thirty seconds through pool hours. The outdoor pool is not on camera; you get photographs from the deck instead.

Watch pool time →

Suites & Boarding

From $79 / night

Three tiers. Pool time is included daily from the Presidential Suite up, and unlimited on the Barkelton Penthouse, which is where the heaviest swimmers usually end up.

Compare the suites →

Grooming & Spa

From $58

Book a bath or a full groom for the last morning of the stay and your dog goes home finished rather than pool-damp. Ten percent off when it is added to a boarding reservation.

See the packages →
Book the Pools

Start with the assessment. It costs nothing.

Fifteen minutes on the splash shelf tells us whether your dog is a swimmer, a paddler or a spectator — and we keep the answer on the Pawfile so every session after this one starts in the right place. Pool Time and Pool Therapy can both be added to an existing reservation.

Add the Pools to a Stay