I rarely leave negative reviews, but I feel it's important to share our experience, especially after reading other reviews and realizing that several families have had experiences similar to ours. These swim lessons were a significant investment for our family, and over our last eight sessions, we experienced repeated cancellations, rescheduling, and poor communication--all due to changes on their end. At one point, we drove to our scheduled lesson only to find the building closed because no one had notified us it had been canceled. We were also moved from the day, time, and instructor we initially paid for, and had a last minute cancellation due to us only being the lesson for the day. Throughout it all, I remained patient, flexible, and understanding. However, the final scheduling issue for a makeup lesson from their cancellation was handled in a way that felt dismissive and disrespectful. After weeks of accommodating their changes, I simply requested a refund for our last lesson because I no longer felt comfortable continuing. Unfortunately, the owner, Holly, never responded or honored that request. At $72 for a 30-minute lesson, I believe families should be able to expect reliable communication and professional customer service. This review isn't about one cancellation--it's about a consistent pattern of poor communication and a lack of accountability. I hope this feedback encourages improvements so other families have a better experience. read more

Our kids have seen huge huge improvement since taking lessons here. The instructors are well trained, the kids feel comfortable, and they have really learned a lot of water safety. Well worth it! ​​ read more

I absolutely love this swim school! We're doing the 8 week program with our daughter (just turned 8), and the instructors have been wonderful! She's having fun and learning some great swim techniques. We did the program for our son several years ago, and he gained quite a bit of confidence to really be able to swim on his own, and seeing my daughter now in the program, I know that she is going to gain the same skills. read more

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This is by far the best place to take your kids to learn how to swim. We had tried swim lessons at other places but they were group lessons. They barely got any time at all in the pool and had to sit on the edge while waiting for their next turn. Not at bridgewater. 30 minute lessons that's spend in the pool the whole time. They learned how to swim real fast. It's a bit pricey, but oh so worth it! Thank you so much for all you have done for our family! read more

Bridgewater Swim Academy - That's my boy. He was not a big fan of water and would never put his head under the surface. After these lessons he is like a fish! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Reno, Nevada

I cannot express how horrible my experience has been with this swim school and program. We purchased 8 private lessons and immediately after the first lesson realized we could not continue in this unsafe environment. We called the school and expressed our concerns. We also sent an email requesting to terminate the remaining lessons and receive a refund for the remaining 7 lessons. We were met with nothing but disrespect and hostility from the contact. And that is if she would respond at all. Some communications took greater than 7 days and multiple calls to receive a reply. She finally told me that they do not do refunds and blocked my phone number. The day of the first lesson the instructors showed up late and we were standing outside the facility with no idea what to do. There is no lobby. The instructor did not introduce himself to me or my wife. This was a private 1 on 1 lesson. During the lesson we did not feel like our child was safe. Safety techniques were not initially taught. Not even poolside safety and getting in and out of the pool. During the initial lesson there was no teaching about holding breath and not swallowing water. The problems went on and on. I attempted to resolve this with the school properly but they have left me no choice but to leave a review to protect other family's from this costly and unsafe experience. read more

I was told lessons had to be paid 3 days in advance, I show up, no one can accept money! Told no goggles, got there asked for her goggles. One of our lessons was canceled, but I had 1 hour notice, next one sat there for 30 minutes, no one showed up! Called and was told, the girl quit! Following Monday I called early and was told all my grandaughters classes were canceled. my granddaughte just was feeling comfortable in the water and now classes were canceled! Young adults working in there just hanging out and visiting. Pool area filled with rust On the lower part of the wall, Not sure what that was about but not appealing! Very unprofessional. Would not recommend read more

Swim classes offering one on one attention. Not cheap by any means but the the pool is all yours along with the teacher. The skills my sons learns is worth it. Definitely advise any parents out there to enroll your kid here if you can. The class is 8 half hour classes for $389. They worked around my schedule and I was only waitlisted for about two weeks. read more

Great place for one on one lessons. Our instructor was Val and she is sweet and great with kiddos. My child has more confidence in the water now. read more

Swimming lessons are important and essential for kids to learn! However, My daughter's instructor seemed like she did not want to be there at all. Making our experience not the best. read more

I waited over a year to write this so I didn't have too much emotion behind it. My daughter almost 2 yo enjoyed swim lessons at Bridgewater for a few months. We always had great boisterous young girls who were great with her. We had had a few subs or switching of teachers but each was great. One day we came to class, and there was a gentleman who was teaching one of the students in front of us. I realized it was going to be our teacher first time for my daughter to have a male but all the teachers have been great, so I wasn't worried. Unfortunately The teacher was unwilling to take my daughter into the water. He simply did not have the skills the young girls had previous with smaller children. All of the teachers previous had been willing to just take my daughter whether she looked excited or not into the water and distract her with games and toys. He was unwilling to even pick her up. I immediately after trying to get him to take her into the water for 15 minutes, he said that she just wasn't going to go so we left class and went into the parking lot and cut class short...I called the owners immediately And explained what had happened. initially they were great working with me, finding me a new slot for my daughter to swim at since this man was going to be taking over the teacher position of my time. When I had asked after all of that to just be notified if there was going to be a sub or a change and teacher, they said absolutely not, and that we were no longer a fit for their swim school. It felt very abrupt. It was a quick emailed response. I don't think my request was too much seeing that we paid for that class that we didn't even get to get in the water for...which was not our fault. And the ability to prepare a small child for a different teacher could make the difference in how they feel when they get to class. I joke to my friends that we were kicked out of the school, but it's actually not a joke we were kicked out for no good reason... The reason I'm giving two stars is because I did appreciate the girls that were working as our coaches before this whole situation went down. Otherwise I would've just one star. read more

The instructors here are, for the most part, great. Some are more play focused than they should be, but overall they are good. Which is a shame because the owner Holly and the 2 people that manager Amy and April are terrible. You pay by cash check or Zelle so you have 0 ways of disputing anything if there are issues. April is cold in tone and does not answer emails timely. Amy sounds great when she wants to, but purposefully will not answer messages or calls if you need something timely and simply does not care. Holly will gladly confirm she got your payment, but if you email her about concerns or a refund for any reasons, don't expect a response or expect a one liner. They have a waitlist and I'm sure there are parents who are happy give them their money, but be aware they know there's a wait list and if it's more convenient for them to get money NOW, they won't hesitate to change instructors without notice or lie to you to get you to a different time. I had an issue with children who swallowed water and vomited in the pool...the instructors didn't notice and my child was swimming in vomit. I emailed this concern to Holly and she simply ignored it. Once you pay them, this place could care less who teaches your child or if their pool is clean or anything about your experience. They only care about money. read more

We love Bridgewater Swim & Water Guardian Karen! We do private 30 min lessons. $360.00 for 8 total. We were apart of Silver Bear and hated every second. Over $100 for 4 lessons, and four kids to a class. The kids take turns there and sit on the edge just waiting their turn. 7 mins total, one time 8 mins, was my child physically IN the water. Such a waste of time and money. I posted on my mom-group-page for here in Reno asking about private lessons, and so many people recommended Bridgewater. I'm SO glad they did! In 4 short visits, my daughter has already learned so much. My little girl struggles with being a little delayed in speech, so although she's 4, she talks more like she's 3. This has never been an issue for our instructor, Karen. She's so kind, and patient with my daughter. We love her! I also appreciate that the kids spend the entire 30mins in the water. No getting out or in early. They really care to teach the whole lesson time. We will continue to come as long as we live here in Reno. We are big big fans! read more

Bridgewater Swim Academy - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Reno, Nevada

We were so excited for our daughter to start and it was great , in the beginning . The teacher that she had was nothing short of amazing - she was so patient with our daughter , made her feel comfortable in the water and really helped her gain confidence in the pool . The first thing that we did not like was that we showed up to a lesson and there was a sub that we weren't informed about . My daughter is 2.5 years old and is very shy . She screamed the entire lesson until we took her out of the water and went home . It took a whole month (4 lessons) for her to be comfortable in the water again after that . The incident that made us leave was that her instructor turned in her two weeks . Again , we were not informed that she was doing that , there wasn't a plan for the four classes that remained and we weren't informed who her fill in would be . We showed up to the next lesson (thinking we had two weeks left with her instructor) and there was a guy in the pool waiting that said he was taking over . My daughter refused to get in and we left . The owner and scheduler were very rude and not compassionate at all to the situation . They did not refund us for that last class and they became very cold and short with us . I would not refer this place to anyone because true character shows when you leave a place and the way you are treated when you do so . They definitely showed that they don't care about their families / children , only money . read more

I had the worst business experience with the owner Amy. My grandson had a fever and I had to cancel before the 24 hr period. My assumption would be not to take him and possibly infect pool or instructor. I got told they wouldn't honor a lesson although I had never cancelled before. A week later they cancelled on me because their instructors were sick. I'm confused that on a few hour notice it's fine to do that. I do understand and was grateful they cancelled however when we tried to make up the lesson I never received a response. Also, I had paid for my grandson prior to covid and Amy was going to charge full amount had I not had proof of payment. Business aspect is horrible no communication and honestly the instructor didn't introduce herself to us snd my grandson literally learned nothing but fear. Please research other academy's before going here experience was that horrible I cancelled last 4 lessons and they didn't even wonder or ask why knowing I told them I was unhappy. I had to give 1 star but honestly it's a zero from me. I hope in the future they learn from this Yelp. Andrea Beach read more

Bridgewater Swim Academy accommodated me at the "last minute" to provide swim lessons for my grandson who was visiting for only a couple of weeks. He had lessons before at another school in Reno, but never really "got it." In the 6 sessions at Bridgewater his progress was simply amazing. It was a gratifying experience for him and for the family. Owner, Holly, terrific! Teacher, Addison, fantastic. The facility is located in an idyllic setting and it is so clean and well kept inside. All around wonderful experience; we highly recommend Bridgewater as the best in Reno. Mary Davis read more

both my kids go there and have gone in the past we haven't had any trouble that some of these people talk about but in this world you cannot please everyone and everyone has the right to express themselves but don't bash the business based on a bad apple overall they have always been great and highly recommend my 7 and 8 year old boys love it there and have learned so much!! read more

Our daughter began swimming at Bridgewater a few months ago & we IMMEDIATELY fell in love. The 1:1 instruction can't be beat!! The facility is immaculate. Such a perfect private space too. We have had the pleasure to have Mackenzie as our daughters instructor and we LOVE HER. Our daughter thinks "Kenzie" is one of her best friends & it's just the sweetest ever. We had to pause lessons due to covid & our daughter asked about swimming ALL THE TIME. Holly The owner is INCREDIBLE as well. We feel like we are waking into our own families space with her warm welcome. We can not recommend Bridgewater enough to everyone in the Reno/Tahoe/Sparks area! read more

I switched my kids to Bridgewater for swim lessons over two years ago. Right away, we saw a huge leap in their swimming abilities. Instead of splitting the lesson with other kids and only swimming about 8 minutes each time, they were now getting 30 minutes of individualized attention. My son even grew to love swimming so much, he participated in a swim competition! My kids love to go to their lessons at Bridgewater. I really appreciate what confident swimmers they are, especially when we are in busy pools or the lake. I highly recommend taking your kids to lessons here! read more

In our experience, the instructor lacked proper training for a beginner swimmer with water anxiety. No creativity or thought was put into helping to teach our child forward. read more

I wouldn't recommend this establishment. I signed my son up for 8 private lessons, which I had to pay up front and in full to reserve a spot. My son had taken a couple of swim lessons prior to registering him at Brgidgewater Swim and we looked forward to the private lessons. My son got yet another ear infection after his first lesson (we were unaware that swimming was causing his ear infections). My son's pediatrician recommended that we end all swim lessons for a year or so. I emailed Bridgewater and asked if there was any way possible to get a refund since we only attended 1 session. The session itself was a disaster but that's a whole other story. April said that if we provided them with a drs note then they would process a refund. We submitted the drs note to April in which she then said we could have a credit for future lessons but no refund. We unfortunately can't use the credit due to his ear situation. They make you pay by cash, check or transfer so you can't dispute any charges or even try and get your money back. Their customer service is horrible!!! DONT SIGN YOUR KIDS UP!!! read more

What a great place to find. My grandson had no swimming experience at all and was very nervous around water. Well, here we are on his 6th lesson and it is unbelievable. Every employee is so nice and welcoming. The kids in the pool are happily learning with big smiles on their faces. Bonnie is the coach for my grandson and is so sweet with him. He can go in the pool and actually swim already. I definitely you check it out. 5 stars all the way!! read more

Look no further for adult or child swim lessons. Simply the best! Thank you Holly and Bonnie!

Love Bridgewater swim academy and specifically Bonnie. Our kids are having a great time and learning excellent beginner swimming techniques. Thank you Bridgewater for being family friendly and easy to work with. read more

I can't say enough about Bridgewater Swim Academy. As a non-swimmer I decided to take some lessons, and, after just a four lessons so far with an incredible swimming instructor called Bonnie Gallagher, I am already swimming freestyle. Thanks to her patience and wonderful teaching methods, I have the confidence to now go under water to streamline and swim. I am looking forward to a few more lessons to perfect my technique, breathing and coordination, but I'm well on my way to fulfilling my desire to become a confident, capable swimmer. Bonnie is so patient with the children she teaches too, I have seen kids thrive under her excellent guidance. Thank you Bonnie and thank you Bridgewater Swim Academy! read more

There is something so special about this place and the owner Holly. Holly, her husband and staff are truly passionate about their business and their mission to educate children and adults on how to swim properly. I love that it's not crowded and it's not a mass rush-you-in, rush-you-out, type of atmosphere. My daughters have gone twice and now I can't leave my house without them begging to go and see Holly. This is a true gem, I hope that everyone can go check it out and see for themselves what an awesome experience they provide. Plus if you are in South Reno it is insanely convenient! Thanks Bridgewater Swim! read more

We could not be happier with our experience at Bridgewater. Miss Karen has been so great with our son. Because of her patience, he has progressed by leaps and bounds in just a few weeks. read more