I drive 30+ minutes here to take aerial silk classes rather than at one of the studios in the South Bay, and here's why: the instructors here are extremely knowledgeable specifically on silks and will personalize their advice based on how your body is and how you're feeling that day. At the other places I've been (not naming names, as I'm sure they're fine at what they specialize in), the instructors will show you how to do a move and then shrug if you can't do it. Here, they'll show adjustments or a previous progression and help you figure out how to do a move with patience and encouragement, and they won't leave you adrift feeling like you can't do something and not know why. I can't recommend Ascend highly enough! read more

I went for some sessions last year and found myself scared of heights. The instructor was good. The instructor was glad that I am not a huge overweight person. It made it simpler for the instructor to coach me. It is a good activity. I am glad I attempted and it was worth my effort to do it. read more

Great time doing the silks class for my bday with friends! Our instructor was super friendly and helpful and made sure we all had a great, memorable experience! Would eagerly go again! read more

If you are on the fence about trying silks classes... hop that fence and just do it!! This was such a fun experience. I have actually wanted to do aerial silks for a very long time but just never made a move. Finally, I found a friend who was also down to try and we booked that class right away! I will say that it's $35 for one 90 minute beginner class which I do feel is a bit on the expensive side, but the class ended up being worth it! They teach you the basics and only have you do beginner's moves so it is not intimidating. The instructors were helpful in teaching you moves and especially for someone who has never used silks before I definitely appreciated that they would show the moves multiple times before allowing us to try. Great experience! I wouldn't say it's a great work out (I prefer something that gets my heart rate pumping a little more), but definitely a fun time! read more

I'm so glad they've reopened for silks conditioning! Tammy has done a great job ensuring we have a safe environment to practice. This includes temperature checks, mandatory masks, health check waivers, one person / silk, and ample airflow from opening the front and back gates. I can't thank her and the instructors enough for all the work they've done to ensure everyone's safety! Always a great time with wonderful folks! read more

UPDATE: I just wanted to make a Covid-19 based update because I am so impressed with how well Tammy and her team are enforcing distancing, masks, and hygiene. I've had to leave other gyms because I didn't feel safe but here at Ascend they are putting health first. I feel like I am in good hands. Thank you!!! I've taken aerial classes at Impact over the last year or so. Classes are very professionally run with an emphasis on technique and safety. Instructors are very knowledgeable and accessible. The culture is extremely empowering and friendly. I was hooked after the first class! I love the changes I've seen in my body and mind. read more

Absolutely love this place and the community that I have become a part of. It is my home away from home.

To say that I enjoy my aerial silks classes is an understatement. This class an intense workout and extremely fun. I feel accomplished every single time I leave and the teachers really put time and effort into helping all of their students improve and motivate us to keep trying. I would 100% recommend this class for anyone. read more

Ascend Aerial Arts - With the help of these wonderful ladies at Ascend I'm now able to climb to the top! - Aerial Fitness Near Me - San Carlos, California

My daughter did two private lesson while we were in town. The teacher was incredible! Knowledgeable, fun, safety & technique first. It was exactly what we were looking for, if we lived closer we would go every week. Also amid COVID they took all precautions and kept us safe. Thank you! read more

Ascend Aerial Arts - Aerial Fitness Near Me - San Carlos, California

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I've been coming here for a couple of weeks now and I love it! I found my new hobby :D It was by chance that I found an aerial silks class offered in a kick boxing studio but lucky I did because they are one of the most affordable classes in the bay area and it's closer to southbay area and that's where I'm from. $120 gets you 10 sessions which seemed expensive but really it's pretty reasonable because I haven't found another class that's around that same price. The place is not that big and most of the gym is occupied with all the kickboxing equipment but there's still more than enough space for the aerial silks class. They have 3 silks at a time usually for class. I admit that at first, I thought how is 3 silks going to be enough for a class of 11? But I found out that sharing the silks was a good thing because it gave me a much needed break in between all the climbing and posing you do. It really tires you out! My instructor, Elizabeth, has been awesome with helping us go our own pace in learning the material. She usually has to divvy up her time between all the beginners, intermediate, and advanced people and she does a great job giving enough attention to all the groups in our class. I feel like the staff in this place are generally friendly and helpful so that's great! I'm looking forward to trying out some of the other classes and continuing the aerial silk series. From what I know, drop-ins are generally harder to do for the aerial silks class because you have double check with instructor if there is space or not. I also recommend wearing shirts with sleeves and tights, pants, capris, etc.. as opposed to shorts because then you won't have to suffer through rope burn.The only downside to this place is the parking situation. It's located right off the ramp for brittan avenue if you're coming from the north so it's risky to make that right turn into the parking lot if you're just coming off the ramp but there's is parking just around the corner, you just have to walk a little. read more

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I started taking aerial silks here a year ago, and it quickly has become my second home. The classes are very reasonably priced and the location is really easy to get to since it's right off the freeway. There are four silks that you share with your classmates. I think the biggest class I've been in has 10 students, so normally 2-3 people per silk. Personally, I like sharing because having rest time between moves is important. It also helps review the information when you work in partnerships. I didn't know anyone when I started, and now it feels like I know everyone! One thing I hear from most people is that they aren't strong enough. It will come. The students are all ages, shapes and sizes. I'm in my forties and never thought I'd be able to dance in the sky, let alone do a pull up. As you build strength , you would be surprised how much you can do in the mean time. The teachers and fellow students are very supportive. I'm currently in classes with both Colleen and Danny. I've learned so much from both of them. I love that they are very focused on safety and conditioning to create good habits. There isn't any pressure to try moves that you aren't comfortable with. They are good at giving modifications to work on instead. I've also taken workshops with Janelle and Connie, who are also fantastic. These are great because they have a narrow focus to work on specific skills. They have added occasional student showcases. It's great to have something to work towards and to have the opportunity to perform in a safe and supportive space for friends and family. Communication is also a strength (thank you, Tammy!) Classes are posted to the website, and are also posted to Facebook, and sent by email. If you have any problems with registration or questions, Tammy, the GM, takes care of you personally. She's been my hero on more than one occasion! Love this place. Can you tell? read more

Ascend Aerial Arts - Scandinavian splits! - Aerial Fitness Near Me - San Carlos, California

Love this studio & the community around it. The instructors and fellow students are all very supportive, the instructors are knowledgable and classes are small. I started coming here about a year ago and have taken a mix of silks and straps classes here and all of them have been great. Tammy, the manager, is also very responsive to class scheduling requests and questions. read more

I signed up for the Aerials 8 classes per week session and cost me $200 dollars. Sad to say I had the worst experience and do not plan ever to come back! I only took two classes, and during my second class, I had one of the worst experience of my life being a student for over 20 + years, in dance classes, aerials, and more I never had to deal with a dreadful experience like this. I've taken Aerials before in other studios and decided to try this place out due to the price being cheaper than others (you get what you pay for). The concept and level of the Aerial class have been a different experience for me since I've taken classes in other studios, climbing techniques are different and felt we were not stretched out completely, I noticed the instructor had flexibility issues, and that's why we were not. You are not allowed to wear zippers while on the fabric. I was unaware that wearing zippers were not allowed! Apparently, according to their policy, it may damage their fabrics! You get this ONE email from the gym with a long list of policies. Unfortunately, I didn't see the email prior to going to class and wore a half zipper Nike running top that was super thin (and it was freezing in the gym) I only had a cami and biking bra inside. I felt extremely embarrassed that I was requested to take off my top in front of the entire class by the instructor! After mentioning to the instructor a few reasons why I would not feel comfortable taking off my top, she still insisted and even said, "she did not care." WOW! It seemed incredibly harsh that I didn't understand why I had to take my top off immediately before going on the silk. Thankfully the manager overheard and suggested that my zipper can be taped up and explained the reasons why. Apparently, she stated it was due to my safety and knew that other studio's do not have this policy but because they care and that other studios do not! According to their email, it was the safety of the fabric NOT the students! Despite feeling uncomfortable in class, I sucked it up and completed the longest hour of my life. I emailed the manager and requested a refund stating the reasons why, and how I almost felt sexually assaulted to take my top off without willing to do so. I was ready to walk out of the gym if I really had to take my top off. The manager and instructor apologized and asked if I could give them another chance or take a different day. The offer was ok, but due to the lack and incompatibility with their schedule, I requested that a refund would be best. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like they believe in the VALUE of customer satisfactions, and do not respect their student's feelings! Sucks to say I just lost a huge depreciation of respect and $150 dollars! I will be happy to remove this post when I get my refund. Regardless, if the printed writing stated no refund. I know that there is always a way. Being close friends with other gym owners, I know there is always flexibility in their policies. If I'm not getting my refund I understand that customer satisfaction is not a guaranteed in their gym which is awful! read more

--The instructors are very knowledgeable and many of them have been aerialists for 5+ years! --The fellow students are super friendly and supportive! --There is a yearly showcase where you get the chance to perform as a soloist. (At Circus Center and Aerial Artique, it's a lot more intimidating and you need to audition in order to get a chance for a solo in the shows.) --Enrolling in sessions (of 8-10 weeks) is painless if things come up. At Circus Center, you only get one makeup class per session. Here, as long as there's room in the makeup class you want to take and as long as you fill out the form and let Tammy the general manager know ahead of time, you don't end up losing classes! read more

Perhaps you love circus sports; perhaps you love heights; perhaps you want a fun way of becoming stronger or more flexible; perhaps you just want to show off some cool tricks to your friends. Whatever be the reason, aerial fabrics is for you! I am surprised the art is not yet popular. Many people think that it takes a lot of strength to climb. That's actually not true. It is actually pretty easy to climb up, invert yourself and start doing tricks. Technique is more important than strength. If you can lift half of your weight in pounds, then that's more than enough to start climbing and do tricks. You will have learnt how to climb and do inversions by the 3rd hour of the class. Within 8 hours, you will have learnt enough tricks to be able to do a simple performance in the air. People who don't know the tricks have no way of knowing it's very simple. They will be awed by your performance when you go high up in the air and hold poses. I have already completed for two level 2 classes with Rachelle. She is an amazing instructor. She always comes up with new tricks to learn. The studio just got an extra silk, so there are now 3 silks for 9 people! That's 3 people per silk, more than enough since you need enough breaks to rest your arms in between moves. read more

We were on vacation and my daughter wanted a silks studio to work out with to maintain her tone and skills. She is college aged, does advanced level skills, and has worked with studios in Denver,Tampa, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. This studio would not let her work out at all, even when she offered to go down to an intermediate level. We have never encountered a studio more inhospitable to aerialists who only want to do a class or two. I can understand their position of not fitting in with a class if dealing with beginners, but not someone in their 20s with a high skill level. Very disappointed that she wasn't given a chance and basically was told not to come. Guaranteed that we won't! read more

Fabulous aerial silks program with extremely talented instructors. I've taken classes with two different aerial instructors at Impact and both were experts at breaking down moves to make them accessible to beginners. Great care in teaching classes where one skill builds on the next with a emphasis on safety and making sure that no student gets left behind even if they are still building their strength and flexibility. They have taken me from basic moves all the way to professional level drops and routines. read more

Ascend Aerial Arts - Taken at Ascend Aerial Silks student performance in March 2014 - Aerial Fitness Near Me - San Carlos, California

Fantastic! I'm so happy that Impact has started offering aerial fabrics classes. Kristen is an awesome teacher who is great with beginning and intermediate students. I started aerial with a weak upper body and core and these classes have made a huge difference in my body composition. The skill and strength challenges of these classes really allow me to see the progress I've made. I love getting up in the air and doing something new! read more

I absolutely loved going to my aerial silks class every week for around 6 months. Unfortunately I broke my leg and had to stop, but I hope to be back soon! Connie and Svetlina were my instructors for the beginner class, and they were super helpful and were great teachers. (Connie was even on American Ninja Warrior!) A previous reviewer seemed to have a lot to complain about, but I never had any problems going to do Aerial here. If you are unable to make it to a class, you can call them beforehand and reschedule to a different one. Tammy the owner is super nice and considerate and helps out in the beginner classes sometimes. Aerial is, by nature, a bit dangerous, but Ascend does a great job of making sure that everything is very safe. They teach you proper technique and make sure that nothing sharp causes tears in the silks. They also check the silks every few weeks or so for tears to make sure everything is entirely safe. My two teachers had two different styles (Svetlina would work us really hard!) but they got along well with each other and with the students. They have performances every once in a while, and there are all levels of students here. One thing I would recommend for beginners is that you should work out outside of class in order to get the most out of your sessions. Think of aerial as a dance class - you should still be doing conditioning outside of class, and especially work on your abs and your shoulders. All in all, I absolutely loved going here, and I would highly recommend it! read more

We recently had an aerial silks party for my 12-year-old daughter and her friends here, and it was probably the best birthday party we have ever done! The instructors and owner were very professional, and super thoughtful and careful about the safety precautions. The instructors walked the girls through the steps of aerial silks. They caught on quickly, and were moving through the motions and poses beautifully! As soon as they mastered a pose, they kept teaching them more. The girls all had dance and gymnastics backgrounds, so it was a perfect fit for them. However, my husband and I tried it, too - it was really fun for us, too! We all had a blast! And I would definitely recommend this company to anyone. Thank you, Tammy, Elizabeth and Danny! We hope to see you sometime soon! read more

I've been taking aerial silks here for nearly a year now. I came for a 4 week intro class and I'm hooked. I had no prior experience with aerial but saw my friend's videos and was curious. The location is a little tricky to find the first time, especially coming from the southbound 101. You have to turn immediately getting off the freeway, but once you know where it is, it's convenient and easy to get to. The entrance is a bit intimidating b/c it's not immediately clear where to go in. I was kind of wondering if I was wandering into some random warehouse the first time. They have classes in series (usu 8 weeks) and different clinics and workshops. There's 4 silks and usu 2-3 people share during class. I've taken classes with Colleen mostly but all the instructors are great. You feel awkward and silly at first because it's challenging to learn, but both instructors and other class members are encouraging and friendly. If you keeps working at it, you get strong in upper body. Tammy the manager is really nice and responsive with questions, concerns, scheduling. read more