I fell in love with the warm water the second I submerged myself in the balmy depths of the therapy pool at The Wave, the new aquatic and fitness center in Whitefish.

My youngest daughter and I decided to dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of fitness when the center opened in February, and set out on a quest to find an exercise regimen we could commit to.

Like Goldilocks, I tried a little of everything. The weight machines were too tough, the big swimming pool was too cold … but the warm pool was just right. And it's big enough to swim laps.

We quickly settled into a routine. Four mornings a week around 6 a.m., we head to The Wave where my daughter sometimes swims with me but most of the time works out on exercise machines.

"Doesn't this warm water feel good?" I asked her one morning.

"Yeah, but my friends call this the old-lady pool," she replied.

"Whaaaat?" I sputtered. "But you use this pool. What does that make you?"

"A user of the old-lady pool," she smirked.

I'll admit there are plenty of older women who use the warm pool (as it's lovingly called on the official schedule), but there are also plenty of young and aging athletes who use it to work out injured or stiff joints and "regular" people like myself - I'm not ready to call myself old just yet - who simply prefer to swim in water that doesn't feel like you've jumped off the Titanic.

We warm-pool users take the teasing in stride. Every once in awhile the pool attendant asks, "How's the bath water today, ladies?"

After nearly two months of regular swimming, I'm almost ready to tackle the myriad machines that stand ready to turn flab into firmness.

There's a certain camaraderie I'll miss, though, when I switch routines. I like the old ladies.

Maybe it's the warm water or the relaxation that comes of it. Maybe it's my capacity to listen, but I'm learning all kinds of juicy tidbits in the "old-lady" pool.

Some women feel compelled to tell me their entire life stories, sordid details included. I've learned about fertility problems, midlife crises, wayward children and problems with pets.

They call this the therapy pool, but it's clear there's more than physical strengthening going on here. There's a little mental conditioning, too, in between laps and massaging muscles.

When one woman found out I worked for a newspaper, she was horrified she'd confided such personal information.

It's OK, I told her. What goes on in the "old-lady" pool stays in the "old-lady" pool.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com