Coach Anna at Chicago Blue Dolphins is the best. It's a great accomplishment learning to swim in my…read moreseventies. Everyone there makes me feel at home. Please go there to learn to swim or improve your skills.

We started taking private classes with coach Abby few months ago. My 4 year old kid loves it and…read moreshe is so comfortable in the water now. In just 3 months she went from being scared of water to actually swimming !

If you're looking for an experienced, friendly, patient and genuinely caring swim coach, I can…read morehighly recommend Betty! As an adult beginner I wanted to work with someone who had experience teaching all different types of learners. I also wanted to work with someone who would not only teach me, but also explain why we were doing each move, technique etc (I learn better when I understand why). Betty was flexible with lessons when schedules needed to be adjusted, or offering me earlier slots if a session became available at short notice. I'm delighted to say that within 2 months of lessons, I can swim confidently and now am focused on improving my technique. It actually took less time to learn how to swim with Betty, but I wanted to spend more time on technique once I'd grasped the fundamentals. I highly recommend Betty!

I've wanted to learn freestyle swimming for a long time, and I'm so glad I found Betty to help me…read moreachieve that goal. Her teaching style is clear, encouraging, and effective. She made the entire learning process enjoyable, and I was able to pick up freestyle with ease thanks to her expert guidance. Betty was also amazing with my 2-year-old daughter, who was initially scared to get her head underwater. With Betty's patience, creativity, and encouragement, my daughter overcame her fear and, by the second class, was confidently swimming underwater! Betty's ability to connect with toddlers through fun games and a supportive approach is truly impressive. My daughter loves her time in the water, and I couldn't be more grateful. Betty's reputation as a swim instructor has spread throughout our building, and many of my neighbors are using her as their swim coach! If you're looking for an instructor who is fantastic with both adults and children, Betty is an amazing choice. Her skill, patience, and passion for teaching really shine through in every lesson. Thank you Betty!

We attended Big Blue for parent child classes for about 2 sessions. Every week we had a different…read moreinstructor, and 1 week no instructor showed up. Which, that happens, I get it, but it was the staff response to that situation that completely turned me off from Big Blue altogether. No one on staff seemed to notice we were instructor-less and we were left awkwardly waiting by ourselves. When we asked what happened, why they failed to notice, and what they were going do to rectify the situation... the answer was incredibly underwhelming. No responsibility or apology was given. I quote, the front desk staff person said "well we have a lot going on, what do you expect us to do?" That response made me see red, because there are plenty of staff standing around the pool deck messing around on iPads. I ended up talking to a supervisor, who refused to give a refund but offered a class credit... which we never used.... So thanks I guess? The whole exchange left a bad taste in my mouth so we stopped going and just forfeited our money for the rest of the session since my daughter never really seemed to have a good time going to swim lessons anyways due to the high instructor turn over and the fact that they really pushed her to go underwater without a parent holding her... so not sure what toddler would be comfortable with that, so it just shows that the instructors aren't really familiar with tailoring swimming lessons with children's developmental levels. I sent a complaint to corporate via email, and called and left a message but no one got back to me. Ironically, I'm getting non stop marketing emails and texts despite unsubscribing multiple times... so that seems appropriate...This issue happened about a year ago at this point, and I still feel weird about it. If they were too busy to notice an instructor didn't show up to teach class, I'd hate for them to be too busy to notice if a kid is struggling in the pool or a kid needs help for any reason. This strikes me as a corporate facility designed to get as many kids in and out of the pool asap. Don't expect to have any customer service issues made right by this location, they just want your money.

We first attended the free trial when my son was 1 year old, I think it was a great option to offer…read moreto parents who are shopping around for swim lessons. The infant/1yr old trial calls for a parent/guardian to be in the water with their baby which is a sweet way to bond. We ended up holding off on enrolling him for no specific reason but once he turned three we knew we shouldn't put it off any longer. We returned for weekly lessons and it's been really great to have something for him to do during the winter and we especially love how warm they keep the water & the entire pool area. The teachers have all been really enthusiastic and patient with our rambunctious 3 year old. There are benches in close proximity to the pool so parents can be nearby, but there are windows surrounding the pool and plenty of seating for parents to sit outside the pool area (which can get pretty warm). The facilities have spacious changing rooms, showers and hair dryers which is a nice touch! I would definitely recommend this place for any kiddos in need of lessons .

Great coaching staff! Great team! I know several families who have been involved with this…read moreprogram and absolutely love it!!

Coach Stephens and his group are committed to the kids. My daughter has been with the team for 3…read moreyears now and loves it. They work hard and it shows in the results. They train in the UIC pool making it an ideal central location in the city. For those kids who are not ready for the team but want to learn to swim, they offer a lesson program for all ages. Check them out, class sizes are small and they fill up fast.

Strongly recommend, particularly for a first time swimmer, if you have access to a pool…read more Had an amazing experience with Coach Michael. We were able to get access to a pool for the summer through our HOA. Within just a few lessons, our 1.5 year old is way more comfortable. He used to hate any water over his face or ears, and now he can go underwater for 3-4 seconds no problem! Michael's patient but persistent approach ensures we make steady progress without pushing our son too far. Looking at prices for group lessons at Goldfish, these 1:1 lessons at our desired location are only 2x more, which feels like a deal.

First swim class is amazing! They were able to work with me to do private lessons for my 18 month…read moreold and 4 year old. Coach Luie is the best. My son did not like being in the water at first and cried for the first several lessons. Coach Luie was so patient with him and made sure that he built trust. My daughter loves him and looks forward to every lesson. She progressed fast thanks to Coach Luie. They make class fun by singing songs, playing games, and learning techniques in a way that kids can understand "scooping icecream" with your hands. The class makes sure they learn safety in the water. I would highly recommend them.

It's a good place to learn how to swim for the little ones .! I seen my kid improve a lot, in a…read morelittle time .! A lot of coaches too in this facility.! Great staff . I give 4 stars just because sometimes they spend time fixing googles , it can take them ( 5 minutes by doing that , looking at the time ( clock wise) too I se them a lot .! In every minute count for me .! Instead of checking the clock they should focus more on starting the class.

Not a great place unless you don't have other options. Both Gold Fish and Big Blue are designed to…read morekeep you in the program and paying money by having your kids make very slow improvements, but not really to teach them how to swim as quickly as possible. They get hung up on micro movements and use it as an excuse to stall progression. It's rediculous. Off the two we did like Gold Fish better. This issues is was particularly pronounced when we brought our daughter to swim lessons in another country. The approach was night and day. She learned more in two lessons there than she did in 20 lessons at Gold Fish. The teacher even pointed out that our daughter hadn't made much progress in one year since he had seen her last. Gold Fish is a racket. They will teach your kids to swim.... eventually. But you are much better off putting your kiddo in a different swim school or in another activity they enjoy. Note: we did share this concern directly with management last year. It resulted in our daughter magically being passed to the next level... which her instructors had stated she was ready for weeks prior, but the "tester" refused to pass her. We again spoke with the "tester" this time and expect to hear back from management, but like last time it won't change their business model or practices of keeping you in the program vs. teaching kids to swim efficiently.

My kids tried two other popular swim school establishments before coming here…read more Needless to say, they (ages from 9-13) liked this place the best..the staff is very nice and truly focus on teaching swimming skills. Ive noticed significant improvement in their swimming abilities in 2 months that they've been coming here than in 1 yr they were at the other place.

Blue gems is so nice! I was curious how the dressing rooms would work with myself and little one,…read morebut there were a lot of individual dressing rooms each with baby changing tables. There was even a large family changing room with baby changing table + showers. The instructor was so great and very informative. Super clean spot, 10/10 will continue to bring my son here!

Updating my review because I need to give some love to our amazing teacher Crystal!! We took the…read morefall & winter season off from lessons since we would be out of town quite a bit and end up missing classes anyways. We started up with lessons again in the spring and needless to say we regressed quite a bit. Luckily for us, our new teacher has been so supportive and encouraging to our 2 year old. Our first lesson back was pretty rough with lots of tears, but Crystal encouraged us to keep at it and not give up. Over the last four weeks, our son has become so much more comfortable in the water. Crystal has cheered him on the whole time and always moved at a pace he is comfortable with, while slowly encouraging him to try new things. She has been so patient and encouraging, and he has grown to love swim again!! Thanks you Crystal for getting us comfortable in the water again!

They swim only like 5 yards for little kids, don't challenge them…read more They made the biggest progress when I took them for swim myself. Money wasting experience.

Gina B. is an excellent swim instructor! She is warm, patient, kind, and made our infant feel…read morecomfortable during her very first swim lessons. She was always punctual and came prepared with toys and equipment that made each lesson engaging and fun. Her sweet personality and calm energy immediately put both baby and parents at ease. You can truly tell she loves working with children, and we're so grateful for such a positive first swimming experience. Highly recommend!

Gina was amazing with the kids. She spoke in their language, made it fun, got them to swim and look…read moreforward to their lessons from day 1! It was awesome to have the kids learn in our pool too as this made it super convenient to have the lessons- 12 lessons, 3 a week over one month and both my kids are safe swimmers now- my 6 yo can do all strokes independently and my 4 yo who was terrified- is now comfortable swimming independently in floaties, floating on her back, putting her face in and blowing bubbles, and practicing it all with little assistance.

I'll save some parents out there some money. The water temperatures are variable and the…read morerestrooms/changing are not equipped for infants/toddlers. If this is the only swim school that you can access try your luck but I recommend pushing for a free trail class that all the others I have researched offer (Big Blue Swim School, Bear Paddle swim school, Goldfish swim school). My biggest frustration was communication with the office staff. When I brought up my concerns on the temperature they initially dismissed them saying "no other parent complained". When I proved the temperature was not as promised by having the staff check the temperature, they were unapologetic and simply stated that the temperature is out of their control at all their locations with the exception of Skokie. The final result was that the company: 1. terminated my contract without communication or request 2. left me unable to use the 10 classes I had accumulated or the credits on the account 3. updated the website to remove the temperature ranges (great for future parents) and claimed they were never on there when I mentioned them. Simply for integrity reasons I would not trust this school with my credit card information or my child

I am so sick of this place. We have been going here for close to 3 years ( I should have quit eons…read moreago) and I have finally called it quits. I have sent my child to multiple places for other classes and no place has made it as difficult as BSS. 1. Earlier, we could use all our make up sessions even if not enrolled but now they have changed it. 2. When I tried to cancel the day they charged they refuse to reverse it- how hard can this be? Plenty of other places simply reverse the charge if you want to cancel instead they made it a "credit". A credit I obviously cant use unless I am enrolled 3. THE CONSTANT instructor changes- literally have gone through a gazillion changes in instructors. I cant even keep up. Finally, with the latest change in instructor I tried to cancel for March and nope- wont reverse the changes. 4. Even though I am part of the gym they operate from they constantly send out notices saying my child cant be changed in the gym locker room? Because other patrons complain about children being changed in the locker room- what is this even! I am 100% done with this place and will make sure to let anyone who asks me about BSS that they are actually BS.