It's fun to stay at the YMCA but even better to know they have a walk up covid testing as well as…read moretreatment partnership with Flow testing... Was super easy to setup via QR code ahead of time and in-person. I did a quick not too deep nose swab and had my results in less than 24 hrs in time for some Thanksgiving and weekend celebration with close friends and some of their older relatives. Aside from having these healthy and safety options the YMCA of Van Nuys has a massive parking lot, great swimming indoor swimming facility, good gym, friendly staff and lots of great programs year around that are really starting to pick up slowly but surely.

Nice basketball courts. Gym seems clean but only went for basketball practice Coaches are much…read morebetter and they are more organized than North Valley Y.

I brought my 4-year-old son to Aqua Buddies for swim lessons. At first, everything seemed fine…read more During his initial lesson, he worked with one instructor and learned basic skills like blowing bubbles, which was a positive start. However, as we continued, each lesson was with a different instructor, and that lack of consistency made my son increasingly uncomfortable. At his age, familiarity matters, and it became clear he wasn't settling in the way I had hoped. What ultimately led me to write this review, though, was not the instructors--it was the customer service. My interactions with the scheduler/representative regarding scheduling, missed days, and invoices were unpleasant and rigid. There was very little kindness or willingness to work with me, and the communication felt cutthroat rather than supportive. Because of this inflexibility, my son essentially missed out on continued lessons. Instead of working with me as a parent trying to navigate life with two young kids and a disabled husband, I felt pushed out over a missed appointment. In retrospect, I now see how much that experience negatively impacted my son's relationship with the water. I'm writing this while watching my son thrive at Water Wings, where he is happy, confident, and excited to learn. Seeing the difference has made me realize just how behind he became due to how things were handled at Aqua Buddies. Thankfully, there are other options in this city. I truly wish Aqua Buddies placed more emphasis on compassion, flexibility, and customer service--especially when working with young children and families who may need understanding, not rigidity.

We had a great experience with Aqua Buddies. I found them on…read moreYelp when I was looking for a swim instructor to come to my home to teach a toddler some basic swim skills. We had a lovely instructor that was kind and patient. Unfortunately, our little one did not take to the lessons and we had to call it quits. Aqua Buddies were very understanding and offered a refund for the lessons we did not use. Next year when our little one is older, we will be calling again to set up lessons.

Last year, my kids did 1:1 swim lessons at LAVC and a private swim instructor with no success (lots…read moreof crying, not water confident, and didn't learn much). This year, my 2 kids ages 7 and 5 started attending Water Wings (they both attend the same lesson together) and within 1 month, they are not only water confident but they are doing AHHHMAZING and have actually learned how to swim IN ONE MONTH! I have been SO impressed with the quality of swim instructors here. Our instructor, Jake, has been so great with my kids and makes it so fun for them! He even used a slide today with water toys and I just love seeing the excitement in my kids' faces as they're learning! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Jake, you're the best!

My son successfully completed Parent & Me 1 and was moved into Parent & Me 2. During his fourth…read moreParent & Me 2 class, which unfortunately fell during his usual nap time but was the only class that fit our schedule, he was having a tough day. Instead of showing patience, the instructor's demeanor felt impatient and unwelcoming. She later asked whether he had taken Parent & Me 2 before. When I said yes, she replied, "Interesting" and said he was "not showing 2 skills" and suggested he may have been moved up too early or had regressed. Every toddler has off days, especially when they're tired, and we ultimately left class early because I felt my son was being judged rather than supported. I also don't think the Parent & Me group classes are worth the cost. A significant portion of the 30 minute class is spent waiting while each child takes turns with the instructor. The remaining activities are parent-led, with instructions often called out from across the pool, which can be really difficult to hear. Personally, I think parents would be better off teaching their children these basic skills on their own or investing in smaller group / private lessons if it's within their budget. The facility also feels overcrowded, with multiple classes sharing a small pool and frequent waits for the showers and changing rooms. We canceled our membership after two months. The one bright spot was Kenverley, our Parent & Me 1 instructor. She was incredibly patient, kind, and encouraging, especially on days when my son had cried. She made us feel supported, and I truly appreciated the care she showed my son. Honestly, if it weren't for her, we probably would have canceled sooner. The difference in experience between Parent & Me 1 and Parent & Me 2 was striking.

My daughter has been going to this swim school since she was about 6-8 months. She's 4 now and is…read morestill attending. The staff is GREAT. She loves her some Ms. Monica! It's just soo cool to see kids grow in things they love to do and to have a school to help her become great at this feat makes me feel excellent as a parent. I'm sure we'll be here for years to come. Thanks JHSS

My 10 month old son has been going here for 10 weeks. He has so much fun and loves the water.read more

Noah is an excellent swim coach, providing demonstrations and adjustments as needed. He is…read moreresponsive and suggested several pools we could meet at. Outside of the in person lessons, he's provided detail swim plans to practice technique. 10/10 would recommend HQ Swim Lessons!

I can't say enough positive things about Noah. I went into lessons literally not knowing anything…read more I couldn't even float. Friends and other instructors had tried to teach me in the past without much luck. After just the first lesson with Noah, I made more progress than I ever had before and noticed a huge difference in my comfort being in the water. He's incredibly kind and patient, and he breaks everything down in a way that's easy to understand. You feel comfortable almost immediately, even if you're nervous in the water like I was. If you've struggled to learn to swim with other instructors, I cannot recommend Noah enough!

Was looking for a swim school for my toddler and noticed that this one was shockingly close to…read morehome, so we decided to give it a shot last summer. So glad that we found Donald, who teaches out of a residential pool in a sprawling backyard. He is a wonderful combination of patient, communicative, playful, and firm -- the man REALLY knows how to work with kids. My child has gotten so much more comfortable in the water since starting lessons at Aquafit, despite being super stubborn and beginning most lessons with tears for the first few months. At the end of each class I ask her if she had fun and she always says yes. Thank you Donald!

We have been going to Aquafit Swim school for going on now…read morefor 3 years. Donald is so patient and understanding with our son. We trust him 1000% and so proud of how our son has improved as a safe swimmer!

We've had such an amazing experience with Stew! My 6 year old daughter went from being shy and…read morenervous around the water to absolutely loving swim lessons and it's all thanks to his patience, kindness, and skill. He has a wonderful way of making each lesson fun while still building strong swimming skills. My daughter looks forward to every session and is so proud to show me what she's learned. Stew is always encouraging and explains things in a way kids can understand. It's clear he truly cares about his students' progress and confidence, not just about teaching strokes. If you're looking for a swim instructor who is professional, caring, and genuinely amazing with kids, I cannot recommend Swimming Tiger enough!

Stewart is the best swimming coach that can happen to anyone! It takes a special person to make my…read more5 year old son listen or enjoy engaging and Stewart won his heart in one session, no problem! My son loves their swimming sessions and he is getting more and more comfortable in the water. I love being there, watching and thinking of taking classes myself to improve my swimming. He is not just great at teaching/swimming but has a wonderful and fun character to be around with. I am so happy that we've found him! You don't need to think, just call him NOW and you will never ever pass by public/sad and not very clean swimming classes again!

Go anywhere else! Stay away! They are liars and scammers! Completely unethical and unprofessional!…read more Tarrik Daou is the executive director of the Lucile Cowle Swim School (now Daland Swim School). This man has no conscience, no ethical compass, and does business dirty to make a profit. He is unhinged, condescending, and worships money over service, professionalism, and honesty. My child is autistic and is a Regional Center client. Lucile Cowle, also under Daland Swim School, said that they would create an account with a 3rd party payer so that they could be directly paid by the 3rd party vendor with the Lanterman Regional Center. I started communicating with Lucile Cowle Swim School on March 5, 2025. It is now July 2026 (16 months later), and I was finally reimbursed financially after countless calls and emails. The only way that I was paid for adaptive swim lessons was to bypass LC completely, and Aveanna 3rd-party payers conducted a full investigation to unpack their numerous lies. Dealing with this unethical company was so traumatic and all-consuming. Aveanna had to create an internal memo to no longer deal with this company because they would often refuse to respond, say they already did without turning in the necessary paperwork, and they never responded to the Lanterman Regional Center. My Lanterman Regional Center worker constantly reached out to LC, and their statements about when they responded do not align with any of the paper trail. They have made it difficult at every turn. Read my reviews. I never posted a single negative review of a business before today. Even when I get less than stellar service or food/goods-I try to give businesses the benefit of the doubt and don't want to damage their business in chance it was just an off day. However, this took 16 months of my time, and the executive director, Tarrik Daou, was so nasty, condescending, and more fearful of not covering his bases when too many outside parties (not me) came with financial questions than actually providing honest, reputable service or transparent, ethical accounting. I have a long paper trail to back up every claim I make, as opposed to Lucile Cowle (now Daland Swim School), who can't keep records or even finish setting up a business account after 8 months. This is step 1 of any financial accounting. I just can't in any good conscience recommend this awful institution or Tarrik's narcissistic personality as someone you want to deal with. Please. There are other reputable swim schools who won't lie to you. I don't call people liars easily; in fact, I literally never have before in any business review. I had to come up with a long paper trail and unravel his lies because he's such an expert gaslighter; you want to double and triple-check facts to make sure the accounting is done correctly. Please take your business elsewhere. There are swim schools that actually care about your kids, not just the money that comes with it. If your child has any special needs, please stay away. Being a special-needs parent who must advocate for your child's special needs is hard; why add to your load by constantly having to unravel one vendor's outright lies? Your time is precious, and your child can become an agile swimmer at a swim school that loves children and not just sees an opportunity to financially exploit you.

Took my kid in for a swim assessment today. He was in the water for less than 5 minutes before they…read moredecided he belonged in the Dolphin group. The recommendation? One 30-minute group class per week for $189/month (plus tax), with 4-6 kids in the class. If we wanted a second class each week, the total would jump to about $380/month after tax. Let's break that down: * About 8 classes per month. * 30 minutes per class shared among 4-6 kids. * Realistically, that's only a few minutes of individual attention from the instructor each session. So for nearly $380 per month, you're paying for maybe 30-40 minutes of actual one-on-one attention over the entire month. Am I missing something, or is that an insane amount of money? To make matters worse, the pool smelled like it had more chlorine than water, the facility looked very outdated, and the overall environment didn't feel particularly clean or safe. Curious to hear what other parents are paying for swim lessons these days.

I've got nothing but great things to say about Wileena! My boys tried private swim lessons first,…read morebut they didn't go well because my youngest was extremely scared of the water, which was a total fail. We also gave lessons at the local country club a shot, but that didn't work out either because my youngest would freak out if water got on his face smh. Knowing how important knowing how to swim is, I asked if they wanted to try lessons again at the country club. My oldest had already learned to swim there, so he wasn't into it, and my youngest would only join in if his big brother was in the pool to take the lessons with him. So, while at the boy's school, I saw a flyer for Wileena offering home swim lessons. I called her right away, and we decided to give it a shot that week. No exaggeration! During the very first session, she had my youngest underwater, humming, pushing off the wall, kicking, and gliding underwater towards her. Considering he used to CRY when water even touched his face, this was a a miracle and my youngest did a complete 180. Wileena is like a miracle worker with these kids and lowkey turned this kid into a mermaid (can mermaids be boys? I just googled and they're Merman lol). They trust her, feel comfy, and she just has this great positive vibe! I can't say enough about her patience and encouragement. Her prices are fair, and it's totally worth it to keep your kids safe in the water. I totally recommend Wileena if you're in the San Fernando Valley! OOOOO 5 out of 5 Afros

The young lady that owns this place is so friendly and professional. I'd 100%recommend.read more

If you are interested in changing your habits and achieving your goal, Renov8 Fitness is the place…read moreto go. The workouts are very structured and organized, the gym is very clean and is equipped with all the necessary equipment for exercise. You can actually attend in person or you have an option to exercise remotely. You have many coaching plans that you can choose from and you get follow up calls with updates on your progress along with nutrition recommendation. I had a big body transformation in just few months and still working on it with the help of Heather's motivation and coaching technique. I would definitely recommend Renov8 fitness to anybody who is looking for transformation and improving their overall well being.

I found Heather and Renov8 Fitness when I googled OCR training gyms in my area after I ran my first…read moreSpartan Sprint and realized I was woefully lacking in upper body strength and in areas I didn't even have a name for. I had already signed up for multiple races this year, and knew I needed help. After my initial consultation, I decided to sign up for a custom plan. The first step was a body blueprint, where you go in and she takes a bunch of measurements and has you do a bunch of movements. Honestly? I was kind of skeptical about the usefulness of the blueprint. I thought it was mostly a marketing scheme or something. Boy, was I wrong! Heather takes what she observes during the blueprint about the unique way your body moves and the problem areas and uses that information to create your workouts. Some concrete examples: during my first workout in person with Heather, she told me to try to keep my knees tracking the same direction as my toes while doing a lunge. I found it damn near impossible. My knees were wobbling all over the place and I had never even noticed until I tried to fix it! However, it's now been about a month, and my knees are much more stable. And it's not because I've been doing a bazillion lunges. There are some exercises in my workouts that I've never seen before that she said are for stability and mobility. (It's not immediately obvious what the hell they're for. For the first couple weeks, there were definitely times when I thought, 'what the hell am I doing right now?') But they fix what is wrong! Also, there are ankle mobility exercises that I didn't initially see the point in, but I've noticed that when I trail run, my ankles no longer feel like they're going to give out at any moment. It's kind of fascinating to watch (and feel) the differences. The blueprint WORKS because Heather is an expert and knows how to analyze the data and how to work with it. Speaking of running: I freaking hated it. I didn't see the appeal and couldn't understand why people did it. I thought there were plenty of more fun ways to get a workout. However, because I'm trying to do these races, I knew I needed to practice running at some point. I tried to self-motivate for around 6 months (!) and didn't run once. Not a single time. Now, I'm running 3 times a week. And it's not because I'm super motivated or anything like that. It's because of the spreadsheet. There's this shared spreadsheet where Heather puts in what the plan is, day by day, for the week, and then in the next column, you put what you actually did. It's actually a powerful motivator! There will be mornings when all I want to do is go back to sleep, and then I'll think of that damn blank slot on the spreadsheet, and it gets me out of bed. I know there are people who are very good at self-motivating. Good for you. Must be nice lol. I am NOT one of those people. However, the system that Heather and Renov8 have with the spreadsheet is surprisingly effective! I still hate running about 80 percent of the time, but that other 20 percent? Makes up for all of it! I have a pretty unpredictable schedule, and honestly? If Heather can work with my schedule, she can work with anybody's. That's what I love about it. It's completely tailored to me and MY goals. And she's only ever a text message away! (I've literally texted asking for recommendations for a good sunscreen that won't sweat off.) I've had a personal trainer in the past, and it was NOTHING like this. This is personalized training the way it SHOULD be. The training that we all long for but never seem to find. Renov8 is exceeding my expectations. Hell, it's exceeding my hopes.