Want a private pool this weekend? There’s an app that lets you rent backyard pools by the hour — and Denver is on the map

You don’t have a pool, but your neighbor might — and thanks to a “Shark Tank” reject turned multimillion-dollar platform, you can rent it by the hour.

Swimply, a mobile app often described as the Airbnb of swimming pools, lets users browse and book private backyard pools, hot tubs, and outdoor spaces in more than 150 cities — and Denver is among them. Listings across the metro area range from about $40 an hour for a hot tub in a secluded backyard to $150 an hour for a full resort-style pool-and-patio setup. Options extend from central Denver into Aurora, Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Wheat Ridge and beyond. Bookings are made through the app, with guests and hosts communicating directly to coordinate access, parking and house rules.

The platform was founded by Bunim Laskin, who got the idea as a teenager in suburban New Jersey after noticing his neighbor’s pool sat unused most of the summer. He asked if he could swim in it, she said yes, and eventually she was making money from half a dozen neighborhood families paying a share of her maintenance costs. Laskin used his Bar Mitzvah money to launch a small business called PoolForU, signing up 30 pools and 150 customers before the concept caught the attention of MSNBC. He later pitched the idea on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” asking for $300,000 for 5% equity. Every shark passed — Barbara Corcoran called the idea “nuts” — but the rejection didn’t slow him down. Swimply now lists roughly 15,000 pools across the U.S., Canada and Australia and has logged more than 4 million guests and 600,000 bookings, according to the company.

For Denver-area homeowners, the app offers a way to offset the cost of maintaining a pool in a state where the swim season is relatively short. Hosts set their own rates and availability, choose what types of bookings they accept, and keep 70% to 85% of each reservation after Swimply’s service fee. The company says most hosts earn about $1,000 a month listing a few days a week, with top earners pulling in significantly more during the summer. Swimply covers hosts with $10,000 in property protection and a $1 million host guarantee.

For guests, the pitch is simple: skip the crowded public pool, avoid the rec-center parking lot, and spend a couple of hours at a private backyard oasis instead. Swimply also rolled out a 2026 Summer Pass earlier this year that eliminates service fees on bookings up to $300, offers access to member-only pools and costs $67 for the season. Listings in Denver can be searched at swimply.com or through the app on iOS and Android.