The instructor explained the steps to effective freestyle swimming. She demonstrated then had me do it. Explanations were easy to understand. read more

I can't say enough good things about Anna. She's one of the best swim coaches I've ever worked with -- knowledgeable, passionate, flexible, confident, and just genuinely great to be around. Highly recommended! read more

We started taking private classes with coach Abby few months ago. My 4 year old kid loves it and she is so comfortable in the water now. In just 3 months she went from being scared of water to actually swimming ! read more

Coach Anna at Chicago Blue Dolphins is the best. It's a great accomplishment learning to swim in my seventies. Everyone there makes me feel at home. Please go there to learn to swim or improve your skills. read more

I'm very happy with the progress my son has made. Coaches are very patient and encouraging.

We've been taking our son to weekly lessons at CBD for 10 months and absolutely love it! The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, facilities are great, and classes are so much fun for our little guy. We started when he was 7 months old and it has been amazing to see how much he has progressed. Shout out to Coaches Anna, Oakley, and Tori - they are all so amazing with our son! I've seen a few negative reviews saying that the space is cramped and the facilities are "dirty" and I couldn't disagree more. The space is adequate and please remember - we're in a major metropolitan city! They utilize the space they have they have in the most practical way I can think of. As far as cleanliness goes, I see staff thoroughly cleaning nearly every visit I'm there. Maintaining pools is a lot of work and I'm constantly seeing them scrub and clean the facility and equipment. One of the best things about CBD is the safety precautions they've been taking during the pandemic. They update us every time their protocols change and I feel like they're really on top of making sure their clients and staff are protected as much as possible. read more

Chicago Blue Dolphins - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great place for young kids- coaches are very supportive and patient! Especially coach Abbey and coach Alyssa, they really helped my kids to get interested in swimming read more

I've taken my kids to several swim schools over the past 6 years. Blue dolphins is by far the least impressive. There are 2 "pools" that measure a maximum of 15ft in length. When my son does does 1 stroke, he's at the other end of the pool. I have no idea how this establishment is so highly rated. Unless you have a baby who just needs to be dunked in the water, do yourself a favor and avoid this place. read more

Chicago Blue Dolphins - 2 pools this size. That's the entire facility. - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our 1.5 year-old with Down syndrome has been taking the infant and toddler group class for 3 months. He absolutely loves the class, which we are so grateful for as he would cry every time we went to swimming classes at a different facility. The class is engaging, and is a predictable routine where the instructor can progressively challenge individual kids according to their readiness. CBD takes a gentle approach that gets the kids comfortable in the water. We are happy for this as our son had developed a fear of water from previous experiences. Of course, this is not the throw-them-in method, so our son is not swimming independently yet, but we are happy he's getting comfortable and confident as he picks up new skills incrementally that will eventually get him swimming. read more

Instructor was great; friendly, knowledgeable, welcoming. Signing up was easy and communication was good as well.

This was the first swimming lesson for our 4 year old daughter with autism. I can't state enough how impressed we are with CBD's approach to swim instruction throughout the entire lesson. She loved every second while also starting to learn some lifesaving water skills. She's been asking all day when we can go back. I'll definitely recommend CBD to other families. read more

We really love Chicago Blue Dolphins. Our daughter is 5 and from a young age has been very anxious in the water. We tried several of the big swim schools but none of them were a fit. Partly because they were big, noisy spaces with a lot of people staring from behind the glass and probably even more, because the pressure put on the kids to do certain skills (put head under water). That just didn't work for our daughter...she needs to go at her own pace. The result was tears before every class and eventually refusing to get in the pool. So we decided to try private lessons with Coach Abbey at CBD and from the very start it was a fit. Abbey put her immediately at ease and worked at her pace. Abbey earned our daughter's trust every class and now she loves the water, is confident and very proud of how far she's come. After a few months of private lessons we switched to group lessons with the same instructor and those will be great because they're still small and personal. It has meant the world to us! read more

We have our 2 year old daughter enrolled in the toddler swim class. There are 2 pools at this facility that allow for a maximum 5 toddlers to 1 instructor. This allows for a great learning experience with a personal touch. IF you are lucky, you may have only 1-2 toddlers per 1 instructor. We have attempted other swim schools with larger pools, but that just translates to more kids to 1 instructor and less actual learning. Chicago Blue Dolphins truly has your child's swim interest at heart. We look forward to every class. read more

My five-year-old son and two-year-old daughter attended CBD for two years each, concurrently, and we loved our experience there. The customer service (CJ) is 10/10 - prompt, courteous, accommodating, and always professional. The instructors were all very good - able, willing, great interaction with the students, and our children liked them very much. Class size was always small - three or so for the older child and five or so for the younger child (with parent in the water). While the facilities are small, they work just fine and our children always liked that the pool water is warm and never cold. I recommend CBD without hesitation and am thankful for how well they've taught my children to swim. read more

Love chicago blue dolphins and coach Anna! Our baby started chicago blue dolphins 8 Months ago for baby swim classes. He absolutely loves it. Each class is half an hour. Most of our classes have had only 2-3 other kids in the class. He has definitely excelled in learning skills to use in the water even tho he is not yet swimming. He is confident in the water. I would recommend chicago blue dolphins for any one wanting their small child to learn to swim. The pools are very small not what I was expecting --a pool with lanes. read more

I have been taking adult swim lessons from level 1 here since November 2021. As of May 2023, I can swim Freestyle rather gracefully and not panic for air or the ground. I am also able to tread deep water for a minute, thus opening up more travel adventure opportunities (diving anyone?!). To share my learning experience... The format of classes follow a building block concept. The most important first lesson is how to FLOAT, which sounds simple but is actually complex because your head, neck and hips all affect your body position in the water. If you don't master this, you won't know how to adjust yourself in the water for the more advanced levels. When you do though, you become more confident and that's how you stay calm in the water. From floating, you then learn how to move in the water. Long legs, long arms, controlling your "skate" angle to glide through the water, rolling over for air.. You build many of these techniques over each level (I had to repeat some levels but it was worth it). The mirrors on the floor and ceiling help guide students to control their strokes and stay in the current. Aka the coaches make sure we are not swimming blindly - again, lots of little lessons here to know how to control and adjust your strokes. To other adults who want to master this new skill in life: 1. Trust the process at CBD 2. Show up and be consistent 3. Have fun Trust me you will be impressed by your own progress! Side benefit - I found it really special meeting likeminded adults who are driven to conquer a new skill. The classes I've attended are filled with little cheers for each other. Many thanks to the coaches. I've trained with several since 2021 - Coach Abby, Amanda for level 4 (no longer at CBD but she was an epic coach), Tori, MG, Tori, Anna, Oakley.. You guys are great! I think that it is okay to stick with one coach for lower levels but personally found it helpful to train across different coaches once you get to the more technically advanced levels. read more

Took a 1on1 adult private session with Abby. It was on only for 25 minutes but I learned so much. She was very helpful and patient with me as a beginner. I look forward to our future sessions I can only imagine how good I'll be in a few weeks.!! Staff was very knowledgeable and kind I definitely recommend. The children that were learning how to swim looked very happy as well read more

TL;DR: I had a great experience here and would highly recommend it. I was frantically looking for swim lessons a couple of months ago because I had an upcoming triathlon and hadn't swam in years. I had a few private sessions with Anna who was an excellent coach -- clearly a knowledgeable and experienced swimmer, as well encouraging and patient person. The 'swim curriculum' was paced perfectly, easy to pick up on and I was swimming confidently very quickly. At first I was disappointed that this place had an endless pool (can't remember if that's what its called) instead of an olympic pool to practice in, but it ended up being incredibly beneficial. The mirrors and cameras allowed us to use the lesson time more efficiently because I could clearly see/understand the movements and correct my form quickly. Everyone at the front desk was incredibly friendly and I think I ran into the owner or manager at one point who seemed like a nice person as well. It's worth noting that I was extremely nervous about swimming and a highly sensitive person in general so it's saying a lot that I enjoyed the experience! read more

I really loved their approach to swimming lessons for toddlers, helping them get used to the water. Had to stop going because it was too far. Otherwise had a positive experience read more

My session with Zoey was very productive! I really appreciated the focus, guidance, and motivation during my session.

Gave this place a 1 star because the instructors need to all be in same page for lessons and training. One instructor can teach one way and making someone feel they are doing all the correct things but if someone takes a class with another instructor.....they are made to feel like they are not doing the correct things and taught something different. Instructors/company asks what your goal is when taking the classes but at the end of the day don't listen and help you to achieve the goal. Lost a paying customer with this. Solution is a uniformed swim plan across all instructors and not wait til the last swim lesson with a different instructor to suddenly say something is wrong because then you are actually saying the other instructor who was originally teaching the lessons was wrong. read more

Excellent teachers, wonder customer service, quick response time to emails and voicemails, easy auto-enrollment and easy cancellation. Not cheap, but well worth the knowledge and experience. Saturday pool is very very cold, but other than that, I really enjoy my classes. read more

They are very nice people, and they have some staff members that are fairly knowledgeable about swimming. It must be fun to work there, because the staff just seem like legit good people with big hearts. Where they fall short is the structure of their group lessons and overall understanding on how young children learn. It was not a good fit for us. They refunded our money after learning that their program did not meet our expectations, which was really cool of them. The optional 25 minute initial skills assessment that comes with a $50 fee is shortsighted. Initial evaluations should be free and a standard part of the process for new clients. The goal should be to get their clients in the appropriate class level right away, so clients see progress, which would increase the likelihood of parents keeping their kids enrolled with their program longer. My child was in their program for two months, blew through a couple of their swim levels, and saw no progress at all. After two months, my child had the exact same skill set he had before he started at Chicago Blue Dolphins. Group classes are inefficient. The kids sit on the side of the pool where they are expected to entertain themselves with pool toys for a majority of the class. There are usually three kids in the 30 minute group class, and the instructor rotates through students, giving one-on-one instruction. That means the kids are only engaged in actual swim instruction for a maximum of 10 minutes per class, but it's usually less than that. It is difficult for most, regardless of age, to make progress in anything when only practicing once a week for less than 10 minutes. read more

My daughter has learned a ton in just a few session. Teachers are so patient and good with the kids.

I started taking Level 1 adult swimming lessons here over a year ago. In that time, I've become totally comfortable in deep water and now regularly swim freestyle laps in the lake or at the pool. I've had several different instructors at various points -- all of whom were excellent. Learning to swim in my 30s felt very daunting, but I was able to overcome my fear with the support of the wonderful people at Chicago Blue Dolphins! read more

After an almost two year long pause (stupid Covid!) I returned to CBD and happy to report the service is the same top quality! My former teacher no longer works there, but my new trainer, M.G., is simply the best! He is great at explaining what I am doing wrong and how to correct it. For a late-in-life swimming student like me, this place is a dream-come-true - private lesson, patient teachers, camera recordings to see how I'm doing... what's not to like :) Thank you, CBD! read more

Tori is a fantastic coach! I have struggled with a fear of water for over 20 years and for the first time in my life I am able to feel comfortable swimming in 16ft of water. Tori has been my coach through all 3 levels of adult learn to swim classes and I attribute my success to having Tori as a coach. I've tried swim classes over the years, but have never received coaching like this. The scaffolding of skills, the detailed feedback and guidance, and the kind encouragement interspersed with good laughs have allowed me to develop a comfort and confidence in the water that I've never had before. I look forward to class every week! read more

The instruction is great. (Love MG!!.. great instructor) The classes are small, so I can get the attention needed and the staff and other students are so encouraging. I have never advanced this far in previous swim classes. I have gone from afraid to learning breathing and freestyle. I highly recommend for any adult who wants to learn to swim or improve skills. There is NO judgement here... only support. II can now make swimming a part of my lifetime fitness goals. read more

We have had a great experience at Blue Dolphins. Our son is 5 years old and was a tense and scared to ditch his floaters. He didn't want to go to swim lessons. We signed him up for privates and of course told him why he needed to learn to swim and that we trust the coaches so he should to. 3 sessions in, with different instructors, and he loves it! They are kind and friendly. He is getting more comfortable and each session improving AND MOST IMPORTANTLY.... He is excited to go every time. read more

I am extremely happy with the level of service my son gets. I think the trainers have done a great job teaching my son how to swim. They have plenty of patience. My son learns some things at a slow pace. This is in a small group setting. My son is 16 and this has been working out so far for him! Thank you! read more

Very unprofessional and disorganized establishment. Not to mention unprofessional teacher. As you enter infant area pool, changing room are inconveniently located where you need to walk through the room while still cloth on a slippery floor. Place doesn't look clean. Wouldn't recommend it read more

We were welcomed at the door right away for our first visit. Smiles as soon as we entered the door. My son is 1 and has been staying socially isolated since COVID started, therefore hasn't had the opportunity to socialize with anyone else besides family. He was crabby around a new environment and seeing new faces, but I appreciated the genuine patience and understanding of everyone. I appreciate CJ's help and accommodation to make up days for swim sessions as I had a variable work schedule. His customer service was great!! read more

My daughter was in the class for babies and toddlers. She absolutely loved playing the games and singing the songs, as she got used to being in the pool. The only reason we stopped going is because our schedules changed. We will be returning. read more

Never took swimming lessons as a kid. I came here in February 2017 to learn how to swim for my honeymoon. I came in knowing almost nothing. I took five private lessons (50 min each) and by May 2017, I could move comfortably under water, swim freestyle, and tread. All I needed for my honeymoon in Bora Bora and more! I was able to snorkel 5+ times, jump off our over-water bungalo, etc.,! Elia was my teacher and she is great. She's very good at breaking down every movement/stroke and showing you how to position/balance your body. She also explains why you're learning these things so that you can piece it all together. It takes more than just the 5 lessons, i probably practiced for at least 8-10 hours outside of the lessons at a gym pool. The facility for shallow water is a little small.. During private lessons, you may have your own pool or you may have to share. It could be a little bigger, but I was fine with it. (i am 5'10). I did four lessons here and then a final one at their deep water facility to learn treading. Definitely worth it though, if you come here and put in the extra practice, you will learn how to swim, even as an adult! read more

Our 2-year-old has been attending classes ar CBD for over a year now and absolutely loves her teachers and the program. It's been amazing to watch her get more comfortable in the water and begin to swim. read more

CBD was recommended by my daughter's physical therapist. My daughter is blind and has sensory issues, but she LOVES the water. Several of CBD's coaches are trained to work with special needs children. After a few weeks of 25 minute lessons we increased to 50 minute lessons. My daughter has made phenomenal progress over the past 6 months. She looks forward to swimming every week and she's bonded with the coaches. I have found CBD to be flexible, fun and safe. Despite COVID, we go religiously. They perform regular, continuous cleaning/disinfectant procedures, take temperatures at the door and limit the number of people in the swim studio. Instructors wear face shields as well. I'm thrilled with our experience and highly recommend this for anyone, but especially special needs families. Not sure why post say San Francisco, we're in Chicago read more

CBD is the best place for your child to learn the basic strokes in swimming. The method they use is at a kid level using fun words for the steps to learning how to swim. For example; Superman, swordfish, rock the canoe. All the coaches are great but we prefer Coach MG. He handles kids behaviors with understanding and compassion. We have started privates and we will continue with that as well as classes. I believe you need to expose your child to both. Since adding privates I've seen a huge change quickly. I highly recommend CBD! read more

We LOVE chicago blue dolphins and LOVE LOVE coach Anna! She is fun, patient and has really taught my 4 year old so many skills in a short period of time. Every week he can't wait to get into the pool! read more

I am a 65 year old male who has had a fear of the water his entire life. Despite group and individual lessons at the YMCA when I was a kid, it did not overcome my fear nor did I learn to swim. When I started at Chicago Blue Dolphins, all I felt comfortable doing was simply immersing my head in the water. They take their time in helping you achieve a comfort level and are remarkably patient and skilled in helping you acclimate yourself to the water. After approximately ten private lessons with Coach Kordian, I am now swimming: backstroke, breaststroke, going from front float to backfloat, and at my last lesson Kordian taught me how to snorkel since he knows we're leaving for a warm weather vacation later this week and has strongly encouraged me to do it. I am now able to enjoy the water and feel comfortable in the water. There was another review complaining that if the owner, Fitz, wasn't teaching that there were only a bunch of inexperienced college kids doing the coaching. WRONG. Visit their website! Check out the bios of the instructors: yes, most of them are in college and ALL of them are accomplished, competitive swimmers who have achieved success. Some have won awards. They are ALL knowledgeable, skilled and patient. Coach Kordian is taking an eight week leave of absence to get his certification in swim rescue. In short, these folks are PROS. Whether you're an adult with a fear of the water, an adult who wants to grow their swimming schools, or you want to give your kids group or private lessons, CHICAGO BLUE DOLPHINS IS THE PLACE TO GO! read more

As an adult, I did not know how to swim when I first started taking private lessons in the swim studio on Elston. Keeping the water at 90 degrees, helped to take away the discomfort of cold water, so that I could just concentrate on learning to swim. I've worked with two instructors at the CBD, and both are great at understanding the psychological fears associated with starting as an adult and working at your own pace--especially Zach! It's been about 6 months, and I've gone from being afraid to free float in the water, to being able to do the elementary breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle! read more