Impivaara Swimming Centre is an attractive sports centre with a variety of facilities for water sports and exercise. Finland’s largest swimming centre is open for swimmers and gym heads almost all year round. Its capable personnel make sure that everything runs smoothly.
There are three familiar faces who have been at Impivaara Swimming Centre for a long time: Susanna Vuori, leading water sports instructor; Samuli Hovi, sports instructor; and Hanna Jokinen, customer service secretary.
Samuli has worked for Turku for 13 years. Hanna has been at the city for 25 years, three of which she’s spent at Impivaara. And Susanna is already celebrating her 30-year career in sports. All three have enjoyed their jobs for a good while – no wonder, the swimming centre is just that interesting.
Impivaara Swimming Centre features eight pools for a variety of water sports. Water exercise sessions, swimming school and guided exercise are also a regular feature there.
tel 02 262 3588
Impivaara Swimming Centre
Customer encounters – the spice of work
The swimming seasons come with busy days and moments of hurry. Despite the influx of customers, people like to come to Impivaara.
– We hope that the customers feel welcome, says Hanna.
Customer feedback is commonplace, and they remember to thank the staff as well.
– The customers are lovely – some have event sent me thank-you cards or chocolate, says Hanna.
– Encounters with customers are always happy moments and I love to talk to them. We might be their only social contact that day, after all, says Susanna.
– Meeting different customers every day, that’s the spice of this work. The work reasonably varied, as we instruct and guide customers from toddlers to the elderly, adds Samuli.
Daily maintenance becomes routine
The workday at the centre begins early – lifeguards arrive before 6 in the morning to prepare the facilities. A workday at the centre includes supervision, guidance, and cleaning.
– Facility workers vacuum the pools from the bottom, take water samples and inspect the equipment, describes Samuli.
– The lifeguards also carry out maintenance tasks, such as inspecting the springboards.
What the customers see is just a small part of their work.
– We schedule and plan exercise classes, service the equipment and solve technical problems, lists Susanna.
Their work also includes the handling of lost property. There's a lot of lost property at swimming centres, which the customers can ask for at the cashier. Swim toys are taken to the children’s pool as loaners after three weeks in storage.
– The people at Impivaara are a good bunch – everyone’s cracking jokes every day, says Hanna.
Small gestures, like making coffee, are how they show their consideration. During shift changes, the people who are leaving explain the most important things of the day to the people coming in.
Everything revolves around safety
It is the swimming centre personnel that create a safe environment. When the customers know what rules to follow, it’s safe for everyone to swim.
– There's always at least two lifeguards with an eye on the pools, says Susanna.
The personnel receive regular training. They also prepare to provide first aid, as they may need to rescue someone at a moment's notice.
– Even adults overestimate their swimming abilities, which can lead to a dangerous situation, says Susanna.
She hopes that adults also keep their swimming ability up to date. In addition to sports services, swimming clubs and associations hold swimming school sessions for adults.
Impivaara is a safe and attractive environment, which gets water sports enthusiasts and people who want to keep active coming back.
– This is a place to meet people, move your body, and enjoy yourself, says Samuli.
– It is our job to make sure that the customers can focus on exercise and well-being, adds Hanna.
TEXT: ANN-MARIE UNKURI
IMAGES: HEIKKI RÄISÄNEN
The article has been published in Finnish in Turkuposti 2, 2025.