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!

We loved our lessons with Sun Rays! We did a group lesson, 8 sessions first and then ended up…read moreadding 8 more. Our instructor, Tatev, IS THE BEST. She knew how to speak to our kids, tell them about water safety, and the most important things to know when in the water. The kids loved her! She even handled my child with respect and consideration when my girl completely shut down and freaked out - Tatev knew how to handle her, and always communicated to me that it's normal and that my girl will swim with confidence - and she did and does! We cannot thank Tatev and sun rays enough. Now we love the water and feel confident that our kids know what to do, besides have fun :) yes, swim lessons take time, consistency is key...and a heated pool helps A LOT!

We've had an absolutely wonderful experience with Christiana as our swimming instructor at Sun Rays…read moreSwim Academy. From the very first lesson with my toddler, it was clear how passionate and skilled she is at teaching. We tried group lessons with 3 other kids in our family, in the comfort of our own home pool. Christiana has a warm, encouraging approach that helped build confidence quickly, especially in the early stages when things felt a bit overwhelming for us mamas. She's incredibly patient, always attentive to individual needs, and finds the perfect balance between pushing for progress and making sure her students feel safe and supported. Whether it was mastering a new skills or simply getting more comfortable in the water, Christiana's guidance made all the difference. Each lesson was thoughtfully structured, fun, and productive. It's rare to find someone who combines technical knowledge, teaching ability, and genuine care so seamlessly. We can't recommend Christiana highly enough -- she's a fantastic instructor and a real asset to Sun Rays Swim Academy! We can't thank you enough!

Coach Jeanette is a very good coach and gives great advice. She's good at encouraging her swimmers…read moreto go above and beyond their maximum standards. My son really enjoys her private lessons. All MPMR swimmers and parents appreciate her hard work and determination to help young athletes chase their dreams.

Whatever your reasons for seeking a coach, you are more then likely seeking help in conquering a…read morenew goal that you have set for yourself. I come from a similar disposition. Over the past year under Jeanette's tutelage I have lost almost 90 lbs, went from a 10+ min mile to a mid 7 mins all while picking up the lingo of the track and learning her practiced style of running known as Pose running. Not only limited to running, she is also an accomplished triathlete. You will not find a more patient and passionate coach with experience in multiple sports as a coach and athlete.

We've gone to a couple of swim schools and Aqua Buddies has been the best fit for us. My son's…read moreinstructor, Tammy has been a breath of fresh air. She is equally patient, firm and makes the lessons fun. Not a chore. Now my son is actually swimming and gets excited for his lessons.

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.

Anna at Hall Swim Academy is an excellent teacher…read more Two years ago, my son (who was 7 at the time) was going to another swim school and was doing ok but advancing slowly. As part of that school's safety training, they threw him in the water wearing street clothes. He was doing ok for about 30 seconds but then panicked and started to sink so one of the teachers had to jump in and pull him out. (It was partially my fault since I mistakenly had him wear long pants that absorbed water). Anyhow, he freaked out and got very scared. We continued to go to that school for several more weeks but he stagnated with his training and the teacher became frustrated and tried to push him too hard so he had a melt down. Fast forward two years, I started taking him to the Hall Swim Academy west LA location about 2 months ago and he started trying again to learn how to swim with Anna. Anna is extremely kind and patient with kids. She demonstrates what she wants him to do and corrects mistakes in his floating and swim strokes and has him repeat as necessary. She is able to recognize how much to push and when to give him more space and repeats instructions as necessary. He loves going to swim class with Anna and is motivated to learn so he can swim with his friends at summer camp. Yesterday, he had two major breakthroughs. He spent most of the class in the pool without wearing goggles which he previously refused to do. Then, on his own, he decided he wanted to try the swim test. So, he put on street clothes over his swim suit, jumped in the water, floated on his back for 20 seconds and then easily swam to the side of the pool and climbed out on his own. He was so proud of himself for overcoming his fear and is now looking forward to his next class with Anna. I am very grateful to Anna for her kindness, professionalism, excellent teaching skills and being such a good motivator. Thank you!!

Hall Swim Academy was awesome! We have a pool at our house so learning to swim was non-negotiable…read more My son went from afraid of putting his face in the water all the way to a confident swimmer. The whole team is fantastic, and Elena is especially amazing!

Been to all the Ys in the valley, and this one's the best. The building is three stories tall and…read morefilled with all types of weightlifting goodies! Two racks, two cable machines, a regular cable weight machines as well as stackable plate ones, a platform for deadlifts, two trx stations, a punching bag, two assault bikes, a meaty cardio room with updated equipment, and my favorite...a sled :) I love pushing 250lbs around. It brings me joy! What's weird is people like using the green faux grass strip (aka the sled track) for sit-ups and such. It's not their fault tho, as all the low impacts weights are in the corner right next to the strip. The locker room has a sauna, and there's a nice lounging area just outside the locker room with quality stocked vending machines. The free book library is right there as well. The one problem was the cycle class. It's so so sad because they created an amazing space. It looks like one of those cycle clubs, with a raised area for the instructor, track lights around the mirror, and newer bikes. But we tried a class and realized very quickly why it's only moderately filled. The old dude started by saying we were going to have a cheer off, saying he was working on our public speaking (aka WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING). He kept saying just wait til we get going, that the class would be challenging, but ten minutes in and we were still stretching to classical music. I couldn't stomach it, I had to leave before it "got good." Overall a wonderful facility though, it's always a treat when I'm in the neighborhood.

New ownership, same stupid. You can't really go to this gym after school is out. Just kids…read morewrestling in the middle of the gym again. There are barely any employees here. Equipment disappears, they did have some New paint, the attendance is way down, just give up and close this place.

My 18 month has been coming here for a few months now and it's great! She gets private 30 minute…read moresessions in a heated outdoor pool with a nice environment to relax while you watch your little swim. Kendra and Derek are her main instructors and she loves them. She really enjoys swim class and I feel better as a parent knowing she's learning an important life skill.

We have been doing lessons for a "two week intensive", ending today, with my 4.5 year old. She…read morecould swim pretty well for her age before this but has made amazing progress during these lessons. Her lessons have focused on safety (so important with young kids!), technique, and having fun! I love that fun is encouraged so swimming and water sports can become a lifelong enjoyment. When my daughter has been a little nervous, she's been strongly encouraged and praised heavily. When she's made mistakes, she's still lifted up and encouraged; never brought down. Having them come to you is so wonderful. I highly recommend.

worse scheduling and terrible communication. would not recommend for swim lessons. Took 4 months to…read morefulfill 10 swim lessons. My child still doesn't know how to swim. waste of money for $70 per class for group sessions.

Amy (the director) is super helpful and she went out of her way to find a time that was working for…read moreus. We had one lesson with Shawn and immediately decided to sign up for 16 more... Shawn is such a great coach. He's engaging, calm and poised. He seamlessly redirect kids to stay on task and find fun and goal-driven activities. He really pushes the limits of what kids can do, while being reassuring and supportive. Just awesome coach and director!

This is not the place for you if you're looking for supportive teachers who want you to learn. Pay…read moreattention to the other 1-2 star reviews; they all have to do with how unwelcoming the staff is here. I've taken nine classes here and John Fisher has been rude and condescending at every one of his classes - consisting talking down to students and creating a negative learning environment. He may be an expert and good at his craft, but an expert does not make a good teacher. Would not recommend this place to others.

Community Woodshop LA has solid equipment and the physical space itself is fine. But my experience…read morewith Scott Stevens completely ruined it. I constantly felt pressured to take extra classes that I didn't need. It felt less like guidance and more like being pushed to spend more money which is something a scamming business would do. The communication was uncomfortable, and interactions often felt confrontational because of his attitude instead of being supportive. Instead of feeling encouraged to grow, I felt like I was walking on eggshells.