Swimming lessons should not be the activity you cut back on... Many coworkers, friends, and others…read morerecommended Jewell's but it was not in my budget at the time. Well, I finally decided to make it a priority. There are about 30 kids per session. Kids are grouped by their level of swimming; babies, beginners, advanced, etc. There are about 10 teachers. Everything is organized; no drama, nothing ghetto. Now I see why Mrs. Jewell is booked up year after year!

Many kids on the Westbank have learned to swim at Jewell's Pool- and for good reason. Jewell and…read moreher daughter Jessica run their small company out of a large pool in the backyard of a house on Alcide Drive- which is set up specifically to handle swim lessons. (so it's not like going to someone's house, really- it feels more like a country club pool or somesuch- lots of chairs for the parents, a shaded area to sit in, a restroom in case the kids suddenly remember they need to go just before or in the middle of a lesson) Classes are divided up into age and skill level- each group has one instructor teaching somewhere between 3-7 kids in small groups all around the pool. There are usually multiple sessions throughout the summer and each session is 8 classes. They do classes in the mornings and afternoons. If you miss one, they're really flexible about making it up at one of their other scheduled classes. My son- age 4- joined the absolute beginner little kids group, which Jessica teaches, and he absolutely loves his swimming class. They learn to do a basic dog paddle, hold their breath and blow bubbles underwater, pick up rings from the bottom of the pool at the shallow end, lie on their backs in the water, open their eyes underwater to wave at another kid they're paired with, jump off the side of the pool and swim to the instructor and even jump off the diving board to the instructor. (At least one other parent mentioned that some other swim schools don't insist on the child putting their entire head in the water or opening eyes underwater- I really like that they do insist on those things here.) The instructors really know what they're talking about, too- some of the little kids were crying or freaked out the first day and Jessica told everyone "give them 3 days and they'll be fine"- by the third day every single kid (including the one who was crawling under her mom's chair to hide on the first day) was doing great and the tears were all gone. Parents are allowed to stick around during the lesson- so you can take pictures of your little one swimming or jumping off the diving board. The place isn't too hard to find- it's just off Barataria on Alcide. There are two areas to park- one in a lot/field next to the pool entrance (where there is also a set of swings and slide/playset over in the corner that some of the kids, including mine, insist on going on before we leave after our lesson) and another parking area just after the turn-in on Alcide in a separate grassy area. Another small thing to note- because they handle all of the lessons and arrange the classes as well, it can be difficult to get in touch with them to enroll during the summer when classes have already begun. Just keep calling- 12 or 12:30 seems to be the best time to get an answer so you can schedule a lesson. All in all, I thoroughly recommend Jewell's Pool for anyone on the Westbank looking to enroll their child in swim classes.

The number one obstacle in learning to swim is FEAR. So when Nicole said "all they do is teach…read moreyoung kids not to fear the water" she doesn't understand that THAT IS A GOOD thing! You can't learn to swim without doing this first. Fear turns on the amygdala, which tells the body to fight, flight or flee. One can't think to learn in this state. (I'm officially reviewing my dad's business because of Nicole's G.'s unfair review to this LONG STANDING 50+ year old company.) Nicole's second complaint is that "they don't teach strokes." She's not right about that either. If you buy 20 lessons or more you will be guaranteed to learn freestyle and elementary backstroke. (It's on the page with the guarantees... visit the website!) I suppose she only bought a 10 lesson course, which doesn't come with any guarantees.

We had tried lessons at the YMCA, but they kept canceling due to weather. A friend recommended Mr…read more Fish. His prices are very reasonable and you can take lessons on whichever days you choose. Great for kids afraid of the water. He teaches water safety, not all the different swim strokes, which is just what we were looking for. If your kid is afraid of the water, I recommend the 15 lessons.

Great classes, not many Boot Camp/cross fit in the area. The people are very friendly, enthusiastic…read moreand work encourage you as much as possible. Watching the people around you can tell that they all become like a family which is always great when you're working out

The staff at Harry's is super helpful. I am new to their shop, but they treated me with the same…read morefriendly and welcoming attitude I get from my home dive shop. The shop is clean and well stocked with gear. They also have a large heated indoor pool that is used for training. Very impressive shop!

I've been bringing my son here since July. He's taught by Ryleigh, and she has done a fantastic job…read morehelping him improve his skills. I can see such a big difference and I'm so impressed. She's awesome and I'm glad we're here.

We scheduled a class while in town. We didn't have a rental car, so Ubered there. Show up 3 minutes…read morelate and Elizabeth Bobo not only said we couldn't do the class walking in 5 minutes late, but said we'd be charged the $20 no show fee. She had literally one person in the studio. Doesn't seem like it's doing that great. You probably can't afford to lose the few customers you have.

So after a Yelp Gets Physical and the ease of location, I decided City Surf Fitness was going to be…read morewhat got my "slingshots" (as my loving, eternal +1 calls my biceps) into some toned muscle and get back into living a more healthy lifestyle. My workout preference is one that doesn't feel like working out, i.e. volleyball, kayaking, dancing on pool tables. Those sort of things. So I'm not a yoga, pilates, "lets really think about this stretch" sort-of-exerciser. I'm also horrible at a gym membership 'cause no one is going to crack the whip on me to go there if it's not intentionally put on my schedule. I think City Surf is the perfect fit for me in this regard. I'm not an early bird, and they have classes that fit for my schedule at 8:30 am, and if I book, I'm committed to going. The two classes I really like are Beach Body Bootcamp* and City Surf*. IF you are a yoga type, or want to do more muscle-building, they have other courses and you can get a sneak peek of what they look like on their site if you want to set expectations. Each person in the class is assigned a surf board that is on top of three fitness balls. It's not as unbalanced as a real surfboard might be in the water but still takes a second to master some of the moves on top of the board. My balance was for shiz at first, but I can tell even from my last couple of classes, that it's improving. The classes are only 50 minutes long, and like their mantra says, it really is a no pressure environment. While you are in a class, it's really easy to focus on what you're doing and the instructor is there more so to guide you through the workout. There's no calling anyone out if you get winded (which I do), slow your pace, or need to adjust what you're doing. The music is great to workout to, and at the end you get a nice cooling towel placed on you face (I'm totally into it). You do need grippy socks (which they sell) for the boards, and I would suggest if you have sweaty palms (like this lady) maybe also get some grippy gloves so you can properly do the exercises. I like that I'm sore in places I never knew I could be sore, but not so sore that it's debilitating. If you think the classes are a little pricey they do have some great introductory rates, and they'll throw a deal out there every now and then. I am excited to work up to pea shooters from my current state of slingshots, and see where I can go from there! ;) Beach Body Bootcamp - Cardio based class designed to make you sweat and burn calories. City Surf - Their signature class featuring surf inspired movements utilizing surfer specific muscle groups.

Why should you choose the Abrie du Plooy Tennis Academy? The bottom line is...THEY TRAIN WINNERS…read more If you are serious about your children's tennis goals, this is hands down the best junior tennis academy in the area that trains high performance players and properly prepares them for tournament level play. All you have to do is look at the academy students to see they are highly ranked in both UTR and USTA and consistently win tournaments. 20% of the current top 8 players in the 14U, 16U, and 18U USTA divisions in the entire state of Louisiana are from Abrie du Plooy Tennis Academy...and that's pretty impressive. We've personally had experience with junior tennis programs in two different country clubs and a major health club. While they all have good intentions, they primarily cater to member satisfaction and not the long-term goals of junior tennis players. If you want your kids to just have fun or give them something to do, then the club scenario would be the best choice. But if you want your kids to train with the best, excel at tennis, and meet long-term college and beyond goals, they have to train with like-minded players that are serious and with coaches who know how to produce winners. ADP Tennis Academy trains junior tennis players to win and trains them hard. I can now definitely see the difference between a "club" player and an "ADP academy player" when on the court. The reason we joined Abrie du Plooy Tennis Academy is because there were a handful of players my boys just couldn't beat and these same players were always winning the local tournaments. Guess where every single one of them trained at? Abrie du Plooy Tennis Academy. Before joining ADP Tennis Academy, my boys tennis training and rankings were stagnant and despite spending a lot of time and money, they were not improving. Once we joined ADP Tennis Academy, everything changed. In just 4 months' time, my boys UTR rankings have increased from 2.91 to 4.27 and 2.38 to 3.46. Their USTA rankings have gone from #29 to #15 and #59 to #6 in the state. I have no doubt we made the right decision moving to Abrie and the ADP Tennis Academy and I can't wait to see how far they will go.

Dear Academy Management,…read more I am writing to formally express my deep concerns regarding the tennis training program that my daughter and I participated in at the Abrie Duplooy Tennis Academy from March 2024 through March 2025. At the outset, we entered into a verbal agreement that included the following services each week: * One weekly lesson with Coach Abrie Duplooy * One weekly lesson with Coach Marshall * Two weekly hitting sessions with college-level athletes Unfortunately, the actual experience fell far short of these expectations. After only nine lessons, Coach Abrie abruptly stopped communicating and ceased attending our sessions as of September 2024. Despite repeated inquiries, we received no explanation--other than Coach Li vaguely referencing an undisclosed personal health issue. Given that I paid $13,790 for the program, I believe I was entitled to timely, transparent communication and a proper explanation of his permanent departure from our training plan. Also when I enrolled in the program, I was assured that the academy would be flexible with scheduling to accommodate our frequent travel needs. In addition, we encountered persistent issues with coaching quality and consistency. Many lessons were conducted by individuals who appeared to lack proper coaching credentials. Several were student players, not professional coaches. In particular, I recall sessions with Coach Harold, Kike, and Isaac. If these individuals are indeed qualified, I would appreciate it if you could provide documentation of their coaching certifications. The inconsistency in instruction made it difficult for my daughter to progress and significantly diminished the value of the program. We also experienced challenges regarding equipment. Despite repeated requests, my daughter was not provided with green-dot balls, which are developmentally appropriate for her level. Instead, standard yellow balls were used, which caused frustration and unnecessary stress for her during training. Our concerns escalated when, after expressing the need to replace a particular student coach and reiterating the request for the proper training balls, we were unexpectedly disinvited from the Florida summer camp. Compounding this, I had raised concerns about your original plan to house arrangement to house teenage boys and girls together during the Florida camp, which I found inappropriate and troubling. Rather than initiating a constructive dialogue, we were simply told that my daughter was "not ready" for the trip. When we attempted to schedule lessons last week, the response we received was: "Hi Arlene. Thank you for the feedback. Appreciate it. Based on all the above mentioned, we think Solara is not ready for the Florida trip this year. We are happy to have you and Solara next year when she is more ready. Please provide a method of payment, so I can give you the full refund for this trip. We wish you and your family have a wonderful summer break." The tone of "Have a wonderful summer break," paired with the decision to exclude us from the trip, felt dismissive--especially since you were aware of our relocation in May. I am formally requesting that a member of the academy's leadership reach out to us to arrange an in-person meeting so that we may resolve this matter constructively. Additionally, I am requesting a written explanation and a formal apology for the academy's failure to uphold the agreed-upon terms of our program. We trusted the academy to support our daughter's development in a respectful, structured environment. Unfortunately, our experience fell short of that standard. I hope the academy takes this feedback seriously and takes steps to ensure future students and families are treated with the professionalism, fairness, and respect they deserve. Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Arlene Chung

Based on my tour of the daycare/preschool, this is a good school! The campus is extremely spacious,…read moreas it also hosts the elementary and middle schools. Each baby and toddler age had their own playground and classrooms. They seem to have extensive programming for PreK3 and up (music, art, STEM, swimming). Only one point off for price (about double what the area preschools are charging) and goes till 3:30 with additional payments for aftercare till 5:30.

A staff member did something pretty horrible to one of my family members today. My heart is broken…read morethat a teacher can be that mean. Breaking a child's spirit is NOT OK. I have no other way to vent. I hope it will be addressed by school administration. I certainly would have expected better from any school, but especially this one. This was during the 2021/2022 school year. I did not hit the post review button at the time by mistake.

I have learned so much about swimming with Riptide. Great coaches, wonderful way to exercise…read more Love the camaraderie of the group.