About
Duis Recreation Center, located at 211 E 23rd St, Sterling, IL, is a year-round facility operated by the Sterling Park District. It offers a comprehensive range of amenities including a fitness center, an indoor track, a gymnasium, and an aquatic center with multiple pools.
The aquatic center features a lap pool typically maintained between 82-84°F, a leisure pool kept at a warmer 88-90°F, and a whirlpool heated to 102-104°F.
What are people saying (AI review summary)? Reviews for the Duis Center and related facilities present a mixed picture. Many users praise the clean and well-kept facilities, friendly staff, and phenomenal, patient instructors for gymnastics and swimming, with some recommending it for birthday parties. However, several significant concerns are raised, including inconsistent registration lists for classes leading to lost time, the enforcement of unpublished policies (such as an age restriction for lap swimming for competitive swimmers), and staff overreacting to minor public displays of affection. There were also complaints about inappropriate music being played during toddler classes and questions regarding the consistency and logic of lifeguard policies.
Location
Gallery
Amenities
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Accepts Credit Cards
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Accessible Entrance
Reviews
Listing Reviews
June 21st, 2025Nevaeh Johnson
I’ve been consistently taking my daughter to tumbling classes since January and today was the fifth time I’m told that, “she’s not on the list” by a new instructor. I then went to ask the front desk what was going on and was told that the instructor may not have had an updated list, my concern is that if you do not have the right list how do you know people from previous classes aren’t getting in for free? Today was also the first day that they’ve played anything other than Disney songs, which they played Nicki Minaj, mind you this is a class for toddlers 18m-4y. They’ve easily taken up well over 20 minutes of my child’s playing time for poor communication with registering kids..
March 31st, 2025Dion Garcia
The staff is friendly and the pool is always clean. The gymnastics area is a fun place my daughter loves to go in and play. If you are looking for a great place to have a birthday party give this location a serious look.
August 10th, 2025Angel
When my girlfriend gave me a kiss on the cheek a lifeguard came over and freaked out. He threatened to kick us out because "this is a public pool". There is a list of rules and nowhere does it say that kissing is prohibited. It was just a kiss on the cheek and he came over acting like we were full on making out. We've never had a problem here but now I'd be hesitant to come back.
October 18th, 2024Olivia G
We love the facilities at the Duis center. Everything is always clean and well kept, and the instructors for gymnastics and swimming are phenomenal. Chloe, Hazel, Maggie, and Olivia are always so patient with my kids and I'm so thankful for that.
August 17th, 2024Matthew Carey
I brought my nine-year-old son, who is a competitive swimmer to the Duis center for lap swimming. My son swims all four strokes competitively and swims the 50 meter freestyle in about 45 seconds. I was going to swim next to him, and his mother was going to be watching from the pool deck. However, he was not allowed to swim during lap swim times, and we were told that anyone under 16 is not allowed to swim during lap swimming times at the Duis center. This was not published anywhere in the Sterling Park District's brochure. We were told that this policy is in force because there is no lifeguard on duty during lap swim time. This leads me to ask two questions: 1. Don't lap swimmers also need a lifeguard? What happens if they get in trouble? and 2. Aren't there also children in the community under 16 who would want to be able to comfortably lap swim during lap swim times rather than fighting the public for use of a lane during the open swim times (This is the only time that we were told that my son could use the pool.)? Is the lifeguard then supposed to tell these children who want to swim to be fit that they cannot lap swim during open swim times? Must a child under 16 (whose family has paid to join the pool) be made to join a swim team to be able to swim for fitness? Again, the Duis center and the park district need to seriously reconsider some of their UNBPUBLISHED policies and what the community and their customers' social and fitness needs are. Unfortunately, there are few alternatives in this community where one can go for swimming, and the weight lifting facilities at Westwood are world class. I would hope that the community oriented organization that is the Sterling Park District could also rise to the level of their facilities in the design and administration of their policies.
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Opening Hours
| Sunday | 12:00 – 6:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Monday | 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM |
| Thursday | 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM |
| Friday | 5:00 AM – 9:00 PM |
| Saturday | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM |
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