Brussels outdoor pool Flow reopens on 1 July with new eco-friendly sauna

For the fourth summer in the row, Anderlecht outdoor pool Flow offers city residents a public swimming space, opening from 1 July until 18 September.

Since its launch in 2021, the community initiative has been evolving by introducing new features such as a kiosk and biological water treatment. For 2024, the recently-inaugurated sauna is expected to be a popular attraction when the weather is anything less than summery.

Otherwise, the pool maintains its group swimming sessions on weekday mornings, public sessions in the afternoon and swimming lessons at the weekend. There are also aquagym sessions on Wednesday evenings and early morning swimming twice a week with parallel yoga and Qi Gong classes.

The 17m x 7m pool, complete with sun decks, also serves as a seasonal cultural venue by staging music, movies and art performances with the help of local artistic partners.

The entire Flow site, from the water filters to the sauna (pictured), is powered by locally generated green electricity via energy platform Bolt. Its energy is generated by the Fabribeckers family hydropower plant in Gougnies, Wallonia. The new sauna was built in collaboration with university students.

Flow is also a campaigning organisation for more outdoor swimming spots in Brussels. It aims to serve as a prototype to prove the huge demand for residents for open-air swimming water, while paving the way for sustainable pools of the future.