You may hear them referred to as a sun deck or a tanning ledge. No matter what you choose to call this trendy pool feature that’s being incorporated into more and more pool designs, one thing is for certain – you’re going to love the benefits it provides!

In all of our years of building custom gunite swimming pools, we have never come across two clients who use their pool in the exact same way. Even within a single family there will be many types of swimmers and sunbathers who value different aspects of their pool design. What sun decks and tanning ledges provide is versatility. So whether you like to be active in your pool, jumping and splashing around, or you prefer a calm and relaxing atmosphere to read and soak up the sun, you’ll be interested to learn that the sun deck will quickly become a fan favorite for swimmers of all ages and energy levels. Here’s why.

Feel refreshed without having to dive in.

Sometimes you want to feel quickly refreshed without having to commit to going “all in.” With a sun deck, you have the best of both worlds because you can wade in about one foot of water and instantly feel refreshed, while still staying mostly dry. It also creates a nice space to gather with friends, feet dangling in water. Since sun decks are usually in a curved shape, it creates a comfortable conversation nook.

Stationary sun bathing.

Laying on a raft in your pool, drink in hand and blue skies above sounds like most people’s definition of a day in paradise. But if we’re being honest, rafts can get a little awkward to get on and off of. It can also be uneasy not knowing where you’re floating off to, if you doze off. The solution? The sun deck. With just the right amount of water to keep your lower half cool, while still getting to soak up the sun, you can fully relax without a care in the world.

The perfect depth for your younger swimmers.

Let’s not forget the kids! Keeping kids safe in the water is our highest priority, and the sun deck gives us just one more way to do so. With water just about as deep as a kiddie pool, but with much more room to play, the sun deck allows tiny swimmers to splash around and play in a comfortable depth of water. Of course swim vests are still required since the deeper parts of the pool are accessible from the sun deck.

Cool down with both shade and water.

We saved the best feature for last, and that’s because it becomes just about everyone’s favorite place to be on the hottest summer days. We build sun decks with the capability to hold a patio umbrella. This creates a space that has both shade and water for the ultimate cool down. Take a seat and take a load off!

If your pool had a sun deck or tanning ledge, which one of these benefits do you think you’d enjoy the most?

Leave a comment below to let us know if this pool feature will make it to your wish list!