Yay or Nay: Natural Swimming Pools

After growing up in Ontario, where getting to the lake is THE summer ritual,

I'm always shocked at how many people don't like to swim in lake water.

(although I won't go into the ocean, at least not past my knees - blame Jaws :)

And that has me wondering how many of you would venture into one of these:

a natural swimming pool, or swimming pond.

The whole bonus here is that your water will not be chemically treated, 

nor will your pool require cleaning (and if you've ever had a pool, you know that's a BIG bonus!)

but a carefully selected complement of plants will clean the water, 

creating a self-sustaining swimming pool.

I have a preference for more formal, classic pools,

and so really like this one -

a chlorine to natural pool conversion.

source 1 2

Although natural pools are relatively new here,

they're quite popular in Europe already.

Have to admit, when I first heard about them, 

images of overgrown, lilypad-filled ponds surrounded by copious amounts of boulders sprung to mind....

and some are!

But they can also be quite sleek and unobtrusive.

 If you're wondering what the cost of these pools is...

Toronto locals Ponds in the City say a 20' x 25' swimming pond starts around $25,000,

which is comparable to a regular pool of the same size.

What do you think?

A yay or a nay in your books?