What a great find! Kainoa is a gem; she got me onto her schedule easily, and the test prep was…read moreclear and easy to follow. Testing was right on time, and she created my report while I waited afterward. Then she went through it completely, patiently answered all my questions, and gave me some ideas on how to improve my diet and performance. I highly recommend her! Note that she's moved to Shoreline, at 19930 Ballinger Way NE, Shoreline, WA 98155. Easy access from I-5! Thank you, Kainoa!

What can I say, this place is amazing. I was introduced to Pauole Sport when two women triathletes…read morefrom here conducted a basic triathlon introductory class at the Redmond REI a while back. They were SO friendly, SO informative and SO helpful, I learned so much it's scary. These athletes were also incredibly inspirational to me, a total novice, and I spoke to them at leangth after class. Fast forward a few months and I decided to get a swim coach for one session (I figured I had better try out swimming in open water at least once before the triathlon I had registered for!). My coach was Kainoa, and she was SO patient with me, helping me with donning the wetsuit (no easy feat!), helping to teach me new swim strokes, lending me her equipment (in my haste to get there, I had forgotten "stuff"), giving me a ton of swimming tips, letting me pick her brains about many pesky tri questions I had, etc. She was very encouraging and supportive, and I really appreciated her faith in me (when my own, in myelf, was sorely wavering as each wave hit). I'm thinking, if you need a tri coach, definately for the swimming or running events (probably for the biking, too), this is definately an A-one place, regardless of what level you're at.

Stew has been my trainer--and a genuine mentor--for over five years, and I'm in the best shape of…read moremy life because of him. At 50, I'm stronger and more consistent with strength training than I've ever been, and that's entirely due to Stew's approach. Every session with Stew feels fresh and designed specifically for how I am feeling that day, what I've been working on recently, and where I want to go long-term. His depth of knowledge shows in the details: smart progressions, careful attention to form, and exercises that actually translate to strength, durability, good posture, and muscle. Stew is also a true professional--always on time, fully present, and completely focused on me for the entire session. Just as important, he brings an infectious positivity--he pushes me to my limits and makes me feel great no matter how far I was able to go. I consistently leave our workouts feeling energized, motivated, and better than when I walked in. If you're looking for a trainer who combines expertise, accountability, and genuine care for your strength, fitness and health, Stew is exceptional.

TL;DR: Worth it, highly recommended, ESPECIALLY if you feel like you're too out of shape to set…read morefoot in a gym Who: A couple in our 50s, who were feeling hopelessly weak. Too shy to go to a gym/wouldn't even know what to do. Both WFH, I have ADHD. Where: Exercise room (with a few weights/ancient machines) in our condo building When: Twice a week couple training (we do separate, customized exercises) My husband had a bad case of covid in April 2023, and he was bedridden for a few weeks--as a result, he lost much of his muscle mass. I sought out Stew for him but ended up working out together. Previous background: My husband never worked out or played sports until about 10 years ago. He had sedentary work at the computer all his life. He worked with another trainer once a week for several years and eventually was able to do a few pullups etc. His trainer changed jobs, then the pandemic hit, so went back to his old ways. After which he got the covid & felt very weak. I've had multiple health problems since childhood, and while I'm mostly good now, still have fibromyalgia, Addison's disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Hadn't exercised in over 20 years. Together, we felt threatened we might become extinct soon if we didn't do something. So I looked around for a new trainer who could come to our home, at first for my husband only. A lot of them were upstarts (e.g. app-based) and sales-pitchy; they also seemed young, and we weren't sure if a 25-year-old (sorry I don't mean to be agist!) would truly understand how creaky our over-the-hill, underused bodies felt. Then I found Stew. He seemed very professional and experienced; he was older than us and in incredible shape. More than anything, what convinced me was the fact he'd worked with clients with various health and mobility challenges. He was easy to get in touch and communicate with, friendly, and not at all scary. After chatting with him and finding out he could work with both of us in the same hour, I decided to sign up for couple training sessions instead. This doesn't mean we do the same workouts; Stew can customize each person's workouts, and supervise/help us at the same time. This worked well, kind of like a buddy system. We feel more accountable about our sessions and are less likely to miss them. We travel off and on so overall we probably worked out with Stew for 8 months or so. From both being totally wimpy and almost muscle-less, now we can see our muscles and feel much stronger. My favorite part about working with Stew is that our workouts are rarely the same. This really helps with my ADHD brain, which *hates* routines. He brings his magic duffle with different tools, but even with the same pieces of equipment we have in our home gym, he's always coming up with different ways to best help us. He has so many tips and tricks in his workout rolodex, if we feel uncomfortable with something, he can switch it up to what works better in seconds. As another reviewer noted, the service may not be the cheapest, but we can unequivocally say this is the best investment we've made in the past year. (I recommend doing it as a couple! Cheaper than 2 individual sessions!) I used to get tired after walking for 15-30 minutes; now I can hike or play pickleball for multiple hours. My husband can do pushups again, and he's feeling stronger.His shoulders are broader too ;) Perhaps the best testament: We recently bought a new house, and one of my criteria was "in an area where Stew can still come see us." I hope he never retires!!

Great teacher and very friendly staff. The scenery and paddling for the yoga class was amazing! I…read morehighly recommend and will be back again one day.

Wow! That was... SPECTACULAR…read more I bought a Groupon and was surprised that I could immediately redeem it online for a class within the same week. I took Hasna's 6pm class today and was blown away. I'm on "sabbatical" aka I quit my "grown up job" and am just bumming around indefinitely now, trying to make my heart sing. Well, sing it did... We got started a bit late (about 8 minutes, not that I'm keeping track or anything...) and it seemed to take forever to paddle into the middle of the water where we were to do our yoga thing, but it was a great workout and definitely worth the little trouble of hauling the board, etc. Oh I should tell you that I can't swim. And I was kneeling while paddling my way to the middle of the ocean (or is it lake? Whatever) because I was worried of falling into the water. However, somehow, once we were tethered to the buoy line, the board "felt" a lot more stable and I found myself downward doggy-ing on the board with no problem. It was such a surreal experience. All other on-ground yoga sessions from now on will be lame in comparison (unless James Franco shows up to the yoga class!). Between the water and the blue sky, I felt happy to be alive. I was proud of myself for the first time in a long time, for my ability to disregard the fear of falling into the water (and drowning and possibly but highly unlikely, dying) and to focus on my yoga practice instead. Warning, this is about to get so much cheesier... But I felt connected to God/the Universe/the Man Upstairs/the Higher Power and I started to truly believe that the Universe loves me ferociously, and wants me to be happy. #lifechanging (das right, had to insert a hashtag right there) OMG, is sobriety and fresh air making me delusional? There were seals okay!!! Cute seals flapping about as we were paddling into our yoga spot. And fish and seagulls. You can't help but fall in love with nature and the Universe and life all over again... Or almost for the first time, if you're me. Anyway, enough about the epiphany on water I had today. The staff were great, super friendly, helpful and encouraging. The freak factor is not high (aka it's not super hippie-ish). I dragged my sister along and unfortunately she didn't have as great a time as I did, but she was incredibly brave for being on the paddleboard for the first time and one of the staff (Andrew?) towed her and her board to the middle to help speed her along. Yay Hasna and the WASUP Yoga team! You made my heart sing :)

I cannot speak more highly of this swim school. Lessons are 30 minutes and we have accomplished so…read moremuch with this team of excellent swim coaches. After 6 weeks of sprint lessons (4 days per week) my 3.5 yo daughter is beginning to swim independently. This summer she went from comfortable in the water to swimming with confidence and excitement. The coaches are both gentle and firm with clear instructions, appropriate energy for little kids. They have a great sense of social and emotional coaching as well. Whether your kid is nervous or excited this is a great fit! I've been over the moon with Sam (the owner) and his two other instructors Annie and Charlie. Each one has their own style, but a consistent methodology and technique. My daughter has responded positively to all coaches. It's easy to move with and coaches and still see results. We just transitioned from 6 weeks of sprint lessons to weekly lessons with much success. When I take her in the water on my own she can successfully backfloat, glide and swim to the wall. she loves jumping in, putting her face in the water and wearing her goggles. I have two 13 month old twins and the fact that my oldest is beginning to swim successfully on her own it's a huge relief for our future water excursions. These lessons are an excellent base to get your kid comfortable with the water, putting their eyes in, jumping in, wearing goggles, how to breathe and not take in water and learning safety techniques like flipping from front to back/back to front and floating. Last summer we did 2 weeks of Sprint lessons when she was two and a half which made her much more comfortable with putting both her eyes and head in the water. It allowed me to take her swimming weekly all year

Our experience with Seattle Swim Academy was amazing…read more My three kiddos had Bella and each one of them loved her. She was firm in a loving and patient way. She was fun and knew how to make the things they were working on enjoyable. Lastly, she was professional. She was diligent in making sure the strokes, techniques, and things the kids were doing were done right. I was so impressed and have never witnessed a better swim instructor. My mom, who had six kids, also watched two lessons, and said the same thing. Lastly, I have dear friends who have also had Sam and Emily, and they share the same sentiment as above. Thanks for everything. One of my children (4.5) basically learned how to swim in six sessions, and my other two (6 & 8) who knew how to in part, learned correct strokes, safety measures, and how to dive. It was a joy and pleasure to use you guys for our swimming lessons. Thanks for everything Seattle Swim Academy!!!

Would never go through pinnacle exploration outdoor school. Management is slow and not organized…read more The owner is not responsive and ignorant. Would not recommend!

I am updating my 1 star review to 2 stars. This review is not about the camp experience because my…read morechildren could not attend due to testing + for covid the weekend prior to the camp starting. My 1 star review was based on lack of communication/follow through from management. After my kids tested + for covid, I provided the evidence and email requesting a credit, per the covid policy. The management never responded to my emails (I sent a few follow up emails), yet I kept receiving reminders for my kids to attend that week. The camp session was actually the last of the summer - late August. I basically assumed my money for camp (X2) was gone. Out of the blue in early November I received a one-line email stating my registration for camp was going to be refunded. No signature or contact details. I just checked my credit card statement and confirmed that both registration fees were refunded. I am happy that they followed through, but the 2 star review is because of the poor communication.

I was going to do STP. I was involved in a collision with an uninsured driver while training…read more Totaled my bike and cracked my C1 vertebrae. No option more than a month prior to refund my registration. Absolute cash grab and go fuck yourself if anything bad happens to you. I'm not living in this country, so I have a lot to deal with regarding medical bills and work and they put it all on me to figure out how to transfer my entry. No sympathy for riders, no sympathy for people. The reply started with OUCH! I'll never have anything to do with these people again.

I use to bike race in Seattle and the Midwest. I have done STP 12 times And RSVP 7 times. I…read moreattempted to pay for my registration for STP the day before the price was to go up $50.00. The website was not working right and I attempted many times. Finally, I got a call from Cascade Bicycle Club last Thursday... The person helping take payment was told by me that I was extremely busy and it was not a good time. She was very pushy... I made the payment through a great deal of stress. And on the weekend asked to cancel.. As I did not appreciate how I was treated. I was told that I was not a member at it was not 30 days before the ride. FIRST of all the person who took my payment did not tell me the policies and second of all I could not see where there might be policies as I was not able to totally access the website due to the problems with the website...Also Cascade said that they would reimburse the extra $50.00 added on due to the past date and the price would go up.. And I have not even seen that reimbursement either. So, to say the least I will NOT be going on STP.... As I really due NOT feel comfortable in how I have been treated. And I will Never go on a Cascade Ride EVER AGAIN!

My daughter took lessons with them from when she was 4 until 8 years old. The things I really like…read moreabout them: - you pay on a monthly basis and get the time slot you want and keep it as long as you continue to pay. None of that re-enrolling after 10 weeks (or however long other swim programs are) and writing down 3 time slot choices (hoping to get your #1 choice). - group session is maximum of 3 swimmers! - consistent teachers. My daughter had teacher John for almost 2 years before seeing a different teacher. - program director is very receptive of comments. Example: one new teacher talked a lot in the beginning to the point the kids were no longer listening. Explained the situation to the program director and the following week, there was improvement. Short instructions, kids listened well, and ample swim time. My daughter would've stayed with Orca if it weren't for the fact that she wanted to join a swim team and needed that next-level program to improve her endurance and skill set. I always recommend first time swimmers to check out Orca.

Orca Swim School is amazing!!! Have you been reluctant to pursue swimming for whatever reason. Or…read moreseveral reasons? Have other lessons been a poor experience? Me, too. Orca's unique approach to swimming truly is a miracle. I just completed the 8 class beginner course in the Bothell pool. I am amazed they were able to overcome all my years of negative self-talk and experiences and now I am able to hang out comfortably in the deep end of the pool. They dispelled all my misconceptions I had about swimming and myself. Do you want to feel safe and actually enjoy yourself in this new phase of your life? Contact Orca Swim School. I am so glad I did. Truly enlightening.

I was preparing for a kayak trip and found that one of the lids on my boat needed to be replaced…read more I ordered a replacement and was concerned it would not arrive in time for my trip so I sent an email, asking if there was any way to expedite the shipping. I not only received a response in under 24 hours but an alternative shipping plan was offered (at no extra cost) and I have received my new lid with days to spare. GREAT customer service. I could not be happier and recommend the Kayak Academy without reservations. Thank you!

The best service ever! My drysuit had a few holes and they fixed it and returned to me by FedEx in…read moreless than 3 days from the time they received it. A great place to purchase a dry suit and a great place to purchase other kayak gear too. I'm totally satisfied with all my purchases.