Edinburgh Council has put out work to tender to refit the Victorian pool in Portobello, at an estimated cost of £7.5million.
The building dates from 1898, and features two swimming pools and a gym, along with Turkish baths which opened in 1901. The Turkish baths are the only facility of its kind in Edinburgh, and one of only 11 still operational in the UK, and three in Scotland.
According to the tender, the works will include moving the gym from the ground floor to the first floor, overlooking both swimming pools.
The new gym will replace the fitness studios which currently use the space on the second floor.
A new studio space will be established in a central location in the swim centre.
More poolside cubicles will be created, and “circulation routes” will be reviewed.
Power, lighting, and other building services will also be upgraded as part of the works.
In the Turkish Baths there are three rooms with increasing levels of heat in each, and visitors have an hour and 45 minutes to work their way through them.
The baths have long been used to provide rest and relaxation to visitors.
A range of other pools were opened across the capital in the Victorian era, with a number still run by the charity, Edinburgh Leisure, including those in Leith, Dalry and Marchmont.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
