Update: Iryna, the owner spoke with me and explained what was going on. She went out of her way to…read moremeet with me personally at my child's class and made sure the instructor was made aware of her my child's situation. She also personally evaluated my child and even gave some pointers to my child. My daughter was able to advance to the next level and is happy with her instructors. I appreciate the owner's interest in my issue and her willingness to immediately take steps to mediate the situation. Thanks.

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.

This review is not for Big Blue but for a specific teacher. Gloria is a real life magical mermaid…read more She is an incredible teacher, advocate, and role model. I'm truly in awe of her ability to maintain enthusiasm, warmth, insight, and intention through lesson after lesson. She is working on another level. She packs so much into a 30 minute lesson - challenging her students to build skill, creating a sense of community, encouraging them to support each other. We've had a few teachers at Big Blue, all clearly well trained, and our child demonstrates more growth in one session with Gloria than a month with his other teachers. I've worked in schools and observed educators in various settings for many years. Gloria has the passion and charisma that I recognize from the best teachers I've known. Even when my child was not in her class, Gloria advocated for his learning experience, working with the staff to make sure he was in the right level for both his age and skill. Whatever you are paying her, quadruple it. We are lucky to have Gloria in our community. Generally our experiences with big blue staff have been positive. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Gloria, again, stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The worst of the experiences in this swimming school Big Blue Swim School is the worst they are not…read moreserious with their classes, they give a class to my daughter and the teacher all she did was just talk and nothing that gave the practices to my daughter, they gave me a recovery class and when I came with my daughter it turns out that the class was fake, it did not appear on the list, I had to go back to my house with my daughter because the class is only 30 minutes and the reception girl took 15 minutes just looking for my name on the list, they are the worst they do not have good organization and the attention at reception is horrible, I do not recommend this swimming school at all for their children, time is gold and here they waste a lot of people's time, do not come to this school it is a very bad school.

I've been lucky to have my 4 year old son working with Mary. Within just a few lessons, we went…read morefrom a kid who clung to me terrified to comfortable getting in and out of the pool and using kickboards to swim on his front and back! It's been amazing progress already, my son loves the play-oriented practice, and I'm looking forward to continuing to work with her and AquaMobile. Also, it's hard to beat the convenience of having the instructor come to your pool!

My swimming techniques have definitely improved since I started working with a coach. And, I found…read moreher through AquaMobile. Definitely recommend AquaMobile to anyone.

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!

Mixed Feelings :Great Start in Adult Group Level 1, But Disappointed in Level 2…read more I was genuinely excited to enroll in Level 2 swim lessons this year after having such a positive experience in Level 1. My coach in Level 1 was amazing,patient, encouraging, and I truly felt like I was learning and growing as a swimmer. Unfortunately, my Level 2 experience didn't live up to those expectations. On the first day, I was assigned to a coach , and it quickly became clear that he didn't have a structured plan in place. There were only two of us in the session, yet I felt like the other swimmer received the bulk of the attention. As someone who's still very much a beginner and working through things like fear of the deep end, I felt unseen and uncomfortable. Building trust and rapport in a learning environment like this is essential,and I didn't feel like that was prioritized. That said, I did appreciate that he introduced side swimming, which was a new and useful skill for me. So there were some moments of learning! During the second lesson, there was a new coach . Once again, I had to re-explain my swimming background. He was kind and acknowledged that he hadn't been given any info about the students beforehand, which explained some of the confusion. He reassured me that I belonged in Level 2, but I still felt mostly overlooked during the session as the more advanced swimmers got the majority of his attention. Because of these experiences, I ended up missing the final two classes;one due to travel, and the other because I just didn't feel comfortable returning. I didn't see the value in making up the missed session given how things had gone. While I'm grateful for the strong foundation I got in Level 1, my experience in Level 2 left me frustrated and disappointed. I'm sharing this review in hopes that the program improves communication as I emailed them my experience 07/06/2025 and haven't received any response yet and support for all swimmers, especially those still building confidence in the water.

The star rating is specifically for the portion of class I was able to attend. The class itself was…read moregreat, but the hassle and difficulty of getting/parking around here would make this otherwise a one star rating, as you can read below. I've been wanting to get my baby into swim lessons since about the time she was six months old, but just didn't get to it until now. They do offer infant lessons, so I signed up. I don't know that we'll be at the pool a lot, but I also recently started bathing her in the tub, and I want her to be safe there as well and decided it was time. Lakeside may be the closest swim option to us since it's maybe 10 minutes from my home and I've heard good things. I was really pleased that I was able to get in so easily--my friend is taking her son to swim lessons at another, more well-known brand of swim school, and it took her several weeks on the wait list to get in. The price is the best I've seen, and it's easy to register--I have been able to register just a few days before the class I wanted to attend, and for the baby lessons I didn't have to sign up for a month in advance or specific number of classes, which is a huge bonus. The instructor, Josie, was nice. I enjoyed our class a lot; it was small and the instructor was able to give us attention. The baby wasn't sure about being in the water, and got upset a bit (especially just as we were getting in), but she calmed as the lesson continued. The teacher sang some songs so we could bounce and sway and twirl. She showed me some techniques for getting the baby acclimated to the water and to entering the pool, and getting the baby's legs kicking (though she wasn't real keen on kicking at that point). I actually wanted to take adult swim lessons here too since they offer them. Unfortunately, as great as it was, I just can't continue paying $25-30 per class when out of the two we've signed up for, I've only been to half of one of them. Because of the parking (see further down), we weren't here until about halfway through the lesson, and the second class I signed up for we missed altogether though I left 20+ minutes early. By the time we got there, got her swim ready, and started heading toward the pool it just wouldn't be possible for me to get in with her in my arms for the last 10 minutes of class. And maybe it's still the pregnancy hormones but I was fighting back tears. So even though the class is easy to get into and the class size is great, I don't think that Lakeside works for me because I don't generally have time in the morning to leave an hour before class to make sure we can find parking. If I was in walking distance, this would hands down be my choice. Logistically, the address listed for the swim school is the Edgewater Athletic Club address, which for some reason is the Granville side. But don't let that fool you because the entrance is about halfway down the block on the Kenmore side of the building. The Edgewater Athletic Club has no access on the Granville side of the building. There's some parking across the street, though the lot is tiny and can be really hard to get parked into (it's a little narrow). The lot has 14 spaces, of which one is a disabled spot, shared with several businesses. But the lot is terrible. It's too small to have cars parked in straight, as it's currently designed, though I know they do it because it allows for more cars than diagonal parking does. But the parking lot isn't even wide nights three cars would fit if parked bumper to bumper, so getting in and out is not for the faint of heart (and if you don't like parallel parking this would probably stress you out). I waited for another car to leave so that I could pull out more easily since they came out a couple minutes after we got into the car. In theory, there's lots of street parking, which one may think would easier when Loyola is out since the dorms are only a couple blocks away but you'd be wrong. I've never seen apartment buildings with driveways in Chicago the way they are in this area; along Kenmore almost all of them have them, so what you think may be a spot is actually the driveway for apartment parking. I can't help but wonder if some of the cars belong to students who don't move them often. And if the parking is that bad in the morning, I think it would be worse in the evening so I think I need to continue looking for adult lessons, too.

C.I.T.Y. Club Gymnastics Academy is a great program, especially for the youth living in the inner…read morecity of Chicago who are interested in pursuing sports that differ from those typically made available to them. The coaching staff appear to be competent, passionate, and skilled at teaching the principles of gymnastics to young talent. C.I.T.Y.s (2) facilities are conveniently located for most families work/school schedules to manage timely arrival and participation. Also, depending on your prospective gymnast age, both locations have adequate space to accommodate the various activities and lessons.

During these Corvid times, it is hard to find a safe practicing facility for kid activities' such…read moreas gymnastics especially when the activities are so physically demanding where they use their hands and foot to participate in almost all activities. I have been coming here for the past few weeks and noticed these safe guarding processes such as temperature screening, hand/foot sanitizers and per-marked 6 ft squares in the lobby area. My kids told me that the instructors do wipe down the equipment after each student's activities and always everyone is required to wear a mask. This facility does offer some sort of streaming app called SpotTV, which is a bit difficult to get the app to register and properly work all the time but once everything is working properly, you are able to see your kids activities online. Parking is limited in their private lot and there are metered parking outside.

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.

We were at this location for a birthday party. My son had a great time. Everything was very clean…read moreand I was impressed with the staff and how they got the kids involved (obstacle course, bubbles, floor is lava, etc). There was very little parking available in front of the building. We ended up parking about two blocks away at a meter. We were provided grippy socks but I'm not sure if you can bring your own or have to buy theirs as an fyi.

My little guy loves coming to My Gym now that he is mobile. There are so many new changes to the…read moregym. The new ball pit is a must-see. Mrs Siara is always a joy to see. I can't wait to drop in for the Halloween party with my mini. We pay $149 a month and can go to as many classes as we want. Although we make it in on the weekends, it is fine. All children are required to wear grippy socks. Adults must wear socks at all times in the gym.