In St. Petersburg and across Pinellas County, no two backyards — or pool owners — are exactly alike. Some homeowners want a quiet, tropical hideaway. Others want a party-ready pool where everyone gathers on the weekends. And more and more St. Pete residents are looking for pools that support health and wellness as much as relaxation.
At WinWay Pools, a swimming pool is treated as a reflection of your lifestyle, not a one-size-fits-all add-on. Our team designs and builds fully custom pools and spas, using 3D renderings and a wide range of shapes, features, and technologies to match each client’s goals and backyard.
Here are three ways our custom pool builders tailor designs around three very different ways of living outdoors in St. Petersburg.
1. For the Escape Artist: Private, Lagoon-Style Retreats
If your ideal day ends with a quiet soak and the sound of water instead of traffic, a lagoon-style or freeform pool might be your best match. WinWay’s design team often recommends organic shapes for homeowners who want their pool to feel like a private resort tucked into lush landscaping. We can also work with our sister company, WinWay Homes, to make sure your pool design seamlessly transitions with your home design.
Here are just a few examples of how we can personalize your lagoon-style retreat.
Freeform Shells That Flow With Your Yard
Instead of sharp angles, lagoon-style pools use soft curves and varied depths to work with your yard’s existing contours and planting beds. WinWay frequently designs freeform pools for tropical landscaping, natural stone decking, and irregular lots, which are common in older St. Pete neighborhoods.
Soothing Water Features and Soundscapes
Slim sheer descents, spillover spas, and “bubbler” fountains add gentle motion and sound that help mask neighborhood noise. Did you know that even a single water feature, tuned to the right flow rate and paired with LED lighting, can transform a backyard into a spa-like retreat? Our pool design professionals frequently use these and other techniques to create tranquil retreats in urban locations throughout St. Pete and Pinellas County.
Integrated Spas and Warm Soak Zones
Instead of treating the spa as an afterthought, WinWay can weave a hot tub or raised spa into the footprint of your pool, often with a spillway into the main water. This creates a natural focal point and gives you a warm, sheltered place to soak on cooler evenings — without expanding the overall footprint. This approach to pool and spa designs is becoming increasingly popular with our homeowners who live in urban locations.
Lighting and Landscaping for Privacy
Low-glare LED lighting, privacy walls, and layered tropical plantings help you feel enclosed and relaxed, even in tighter neighborhood lots. National design outlets like Architectural Digest highlight this mix of water, planting, and subtle lighting as a hallmark of high-end resort pools.
Pro design tip: If your Pinterest board is full of rock grottos, palm trees, and curved edges, WinWay can use 3D design tools to show how a lagoon-style pool will look and feel in your exact yard before construction begins.
2. For the Host: Pools That Extend Your Entertaining Space
Maybe you’re less of an “escape into solitude” person and more of an “everyone’s at our house on Saturdays” social butterfly. In that case, your pool needs to function like your family’s outdoor living room — just with water in the middle and ample areas for entertaining family and friends.
Here are just a few ways a custom pool builder like WinWay can transform your St. Petersburg pool into a true entertainment hub with the right layout and features.
Built-in Seating and Conversation Benches
Continuous bench seating along a wall or inside corner invites guests to linger comfortably in the water while keeping a clear swim lane open. Paired with a corner spa or tanning ledge, you get multiple “stay-a-while” zones in the same footprint: one for lounging, one for chatting, one for actual swimming.
Tanning Ledges and Shallow Play Zones
Baja shelves (tanning ledges) are perfect for in-water loungers, little kids, and anyone who wants to stay cool without fully swimming. WinWay often combines these shelves with umbrella sleeves, bubblers, or spillover edges to create resort-style lounging right off your main deck.
Swim-Up Bars and Perimeter Seating
For homeowners who love to host, WinWay can integrate in-pool stools at a raised bar edge or align the pool closely with an outdoor kitchen or serving counter. This blurs the line between the pool and the rest of your entertaining space, so conversations don’t fragment.
Indoor–Outdoor Coordination
In many St. Pete homes, the best entertaining pools are designed as part of a larger indoor–outdoor home construction plan, with covered lanais, fully equipped outdoor kitchens, and large sliding door openings. And as we noted earlier, our WinWay Pools team can work with our sister company, WinWay Homes, to coordinate pool placement, decking, and enclosures so the space feels like one big room when the party is in full swing.
Nighttime Lighting Scenes
Layered LED lighting, such as step markers, in-pool fixtures, and landscape accents, keeps the atmosphere safe and festive after dark. WinWay Pools can even design multi-color LEDs and app-controlled “scenes” that are now popular in higher-end entertaining pools across coastal Florida.
Pool design idea: If your dream is to host football-watch parties in the fall and late-night summer hangs under the stars, WinWay can program every square foot with steps, benches, shelves, and decking to support the way you actually entertain.
3. For the Wellness-Focused: Lap Lanes, Therapy Spas, and Compact Fitness Pools
More homeowners are treating their backyards as wellness hubs, and the pool is often the centerpiece. Industry trend reports show growing demand for lap pools, plunge pools, and integrated spas and zones that support daily movement, hydrotherapy, and recovery routines.
At WinWay Pools, we lean into this trend by designing wellness-first layouts for clients who value health and self-care as much as aesthetics. Below are just a few examples of what a wellness-oriented design can look like.
True Lap Lanes in a Geometric Shell
For serious swimmers or daily exercisers, WinWay can design long, rectangular pools with clear lane space and minimal obstructions. Geometric pools maximize usable length and are often more cost-efficient to build and maintain than highly sculpted shells.
Compact Pools & Swim Jets
If you’re tight on space, smaller fitness-focused pools can still deliver a serious workout. WinWay recommends combining compact geometric pools with swim jets that create a current, allowing you to swim in place without needing a full-length lane.
Hydrotherapy Spa Zones
Many of WinWay’s custom, spa-forward designs feature benches at varying depths with targeted jets for massaging the calves and back, and at least one cool-down seat — all key elements for post-workout recovery or simply unwinding after a long day. Our design focus is on comfort and ergonomics, so you actually enjoy your hydrotherapy time.
Year-Round Usability With Efficient Heating & Cooling
For wellness routines to stick, the water needs to be inviting more than a few months a year. Heat pumps are an energy-efficient way to keep both the pool and spa in a comfortable range in cooler months. There are also new combination heater/chiller pumps that keep your pool at a refreshing temperature year-round.
Whether your priority is training, stretching, pain relief, or simply creating a calm place to move and breathe, WinWay can equip your pool with the right combination of equipment and smart controls for soothing the body and mind.
How WinWay Pools Personalizes Every Water Oasis
No matter which lifestyle lane you’re in, WinWay’s process stays centered on you for your unique pool design. As experienced pool builders in St. Petersburg, we:
- Start with an on-site consultation to review your lot, sun patterns, privacy needs, and how you want to live outdoors.
- Use cutting-edge 3D design software so you can visualize different shapes, depths, and features in your actual space before you commit.
- Offer a full spectrum of styles — from clean-lined geometric pools to lush freeform or lagoon designs — plus spas, spillovers, tanning ledges, water features, and custom enclosures.
- Incorporate energy-efficient equipment and smart controls to support easier maintenance and lower long-term operating costs.
With more than 20 years of experience designing and building luxury custom pools in St. Petersburg and across Pinellas County, WinWay Pools has the local knowledge to tailor each project to the area’s sun, salt, and coastal lifestyle.
Let WinWay Pools design a pool that fits your life. Got ideas? We’re ready to listen. Connect with WinWay Pools at (727) 304-4188 for a free consultation. Feel free to explore our Gallery, learn more about our Services, or get in touch through our Contact page.
