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Chicago Blue Dolphins

4.6 (149 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Services - Chicago Blue Dolphins

Group fitness

Virtual fitness classes

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Ash W.

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.

2 pools this size.  That's the entire facility.

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5 years ago

Amazing training for my high school aged daughter. They helped her with her stroke and turns. She is so glad she went. Thank you!

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8 years ago

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Joseph W.

Thank you Esther! Update, our pools are now at 90 degrees.

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

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Joseph W.

Thanks Jen! The positive feedback is appreciated.

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Ask the Community - Chicago Blue Dolphins

How much are private lessons? Group lessons?

Who are the lessons for? If a child, how old is she? Our group class prices depend on the age of the student. Private lessons are for those ages 4 and up. 25 minute lessons are $50 apiece and 50 minute lessons are $100; if you purchase 5 at a… Read more

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Review Highlights - Chicago Blue Dolphins

I started swimming a mile a couple of times a week for fitness but I've never felt comfortable in the freestyle.

Mentioned in 8 reviews

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People searched for Swimming Lessons/Schools 1,467 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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Go Swim Chicago

Go Swim Chicago

4.8(18 reviews)
1.5 miLincoln Park

If you're looking for an experienced, friendly, patient and genuinely caring swim coach, I can…read morehighly recommend Betty! As an adult beginner I wanted to work with someone who had experience teaching all different types of learners. I also wanted to work with someone who would not only teach me, but also explain why we were doing each move, technique etc (I learn better when I understand why). Betty was flexible with lessons when schedules needed to be adjusted, or offering me earlier slots if a session became available at short notice. I'm delighted to say that within 2 months of lessons, I can swim confidently and now am focused on improving my technique. It actually took less time to learn how to swim with Betty, but I wanted to spend more time on technique once I'd grasped the fundamentals. I highly recommend Betty!

I've wanted to learn freestyle swimming for a long time, and I'm so glad I found Betty to help me…read moreachieve that goal. Her teaching style is clear, encouraging, and effective. She made the entire learning process enjoyable, and I was able to pick up freestyle with ease thanks to her expert guidance. Betty was also amazing with my 2-year-old daughter, who was initially scared to get her head underwater. With Betty's patience, creativity, and encouragement, my daughter overcame her fear and, by the second class, was confidently swimming underwater! Betty's ability to connect with toddlers through fun games and a supportive approach is truly impressive. My daughter loves her time in the water, and I couldn't be more grateful. Betty's reputation as a swim instructor has spread throughout our building, and many of my neighbors are using her as their swim coach! If you're looking for an instructor who is fantastic with both adults and children, Betty is an amazing choice. Her skill, patience, and passion for teaching really shine through in every lesson. Thank you Betty!

Photos
Go Swim Chicago - Practicing freestyle lane swimming for exercise.

Practicing freestyle lane swimming for exercise.

Go Swim Chicago - Learning the elementary backstroke.

Learning the elementary backstroke.

Go Swim Chicago

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Goldfish Swim School

Goldfish Swim School

4.4(93 reviews)
2.2 miNorth Center

It's a good place to learn how to swim for the little ones .! I seen my kid improve a lot, in a…read morelittle time .! A lot of coaches too in this facility.! Great staff . I give 4 stars just because sometimes they spend time fixing googles , it can take them ( 5 minutes by doing that , looking at the time ( clock wise) too I se them a lot .! In every minute count for me .! Instead of checking the clock they should focus more on starting the class.

Not a great place unless you don't have other options. Both Gold Fish and Big Blue are designed to…read morekeep you in the program and paying money by having your kids make very slow improvements, but not really to teach them how to swim as quickly as possible. They get hung up on micro movements and use it as an excuse to stall progression. It's rediculous. Off the two we did like Gold Fish better. This issues is was particularly pronounced when we brought our daughter to swim lessons in another country. The approach was night and day. She learned more in two lessons there than she did in 20 lessons at Gold Fish. The teacher even pointed out that our daughter hadn't made much progress in one year since he had seen her last. Gold Fish is a racket. They will teach your kids to swim.... eventually. But you are much better off putting your kiddo in a different swim school or in another activity they enjoy. Note: we did share this concern directly with management last year. It resulted in our daughter magically being passed to the next level... which her instructors had stated she was ready for weeks prior, but the "tester" refused to pass her. We again spoke with the "tester" this time and expect to hear back from management, but like last time it won't change their business model or practices of keeping you in the program vs. teaching kids to swim efficiently.

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Goldfish Swim School
Goldfish Swim School
Goldfish Swim School

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Big Blue Swim School - My son with his dad in the "Baby Blue" trial class

Big Blue Swim School

4.1(34 reviews)
2.6 miNorth Center

We attended Big Blue for parent child classes for about 2 sessions. Every week we had a different…read moreinstructor, and 1 week no instructor showed up. Which, that happens, I get it, but it was the staff response to that situation that completely turned me off from Big Blue altogether. No one on staff seemed to notice we were instructor-less and we were left awkwardly waiting by ourselves. When we asked what happened, why they failed to notice, and what they were going do to rectify the situation... the answer was incredibly underwhelming. No responsibility or apology was given. I quote, the front desk staff person said "well we have a lot going on, what do you expect us to do?" That response made me see red, because there are plenty of staff standing around the pool deck messing around on iPads. I ended up talking to a supervisor, who refused to give a refund but offered a class credit... which we never used.... So thanks I guess? The whole exchange left a bad taste in my mouth so we stopped going and just forfeited our money for the rest of the session since my daughter never really seemed to have a good time going to swim lessons anyways due to the high instructor turn over and the fact that they really pushed her to go underwater without a parent holding her... so not sure what toddler would be comfortable with that, so it just shows that the instructors aren't really familiar with tailoring swimming lessons with children's developmental levels. I sent a complaint to corporate via email, and called and left a message but no one got back to me. Ironically, I'm getting non stop marketing emails and texts despite unsubscribing multiple times... so that seems appropriate...This issue happened about a year ago at this point, and I still feel weird about it. If they were too busy to notice an instructor didn't show up to teach class, I'd hate for them to be too busy to notice if a kid is struggling in the pool or a kid needs help for any reason. This strikes me as a corporate facility designed to get as many kids in and out of the pool asap. Don't expect to have any customer service issues made right by this location, they just want your money.

We first attended the free trial when my son was 1 year old, I think it was a great option to offer…read moreto parents who are shopping around for swim lessons. The infant/1yr old trial calls for a parent/guardian to be in the water with their baby which is a sweet way to bond. We ended up holding off on enrolling him for no specific reason but once he turned three we knew we shouldn't put it off any longer. We returned for weekly lessons and it's been really great to have something for him to do during the winter and we especially love how warm they keep the water & the entire pool area. The teachers have all been really enthusiastic and patient with our rambunctious 3 year old. There are benches in close proximity to the pool so parents can be nearby, but there are windows surrounding the pool and plenty of seating for parents to sit outside the pool area (which can get pretty warm). The facilities have spacious changing rooms, showers and hair dryers which is a nice touch! I would definitely recommend this place for any kiddos in need of lessons .

Photos
Big Blue Swim School - My son with his dad in the "Baby Blue" trial class

My son with his dad in the "Baby Blue" trial class

Big Blue Swim School - "Bright blue" 30 minute swim lesson (for 3-5year olds)

"Bright blue" 30 minute swim lesson (for 3-5year olds)

Big Blue Swim School - "Bright blue" 30 minute swim lesson (for 3-5year olds)

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"Bright blue" 30 minute swim lesson (for 3-5year olds)

Chicago Blue Dolphins - swimminglessons - Updated May 2026

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