In 2013, I realized that I was going to need significant help if I wanted to dance and enjoy my…read morewedding. Over the years, I had lost considerable strength and agility to numerous injuries making it difficult to walk down stairs. In April of that year, I began training with Sean Collins, now owner of Built in Boston. As a trainer, Sean is a great motivator. He knows when to push and when to back off. He provides a solid framework to achieve your goals and he keeps workouts fresh and challenging. Over the last three years, my body has transformed and I am able to participate in activities that I used to enjoy. I'm stronger and more agile than before my injuries. Additionally, Sean introduced my husband and I to kettlebell, which is an excellent way to combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. We make it our goal to attend his two 30-minute kettlebell classes every week. Sean has changed our lives for the better and we are thankful that he continues to train in the Somerville area. If you're looking to make a change in your life - be it strength, agility, endurance, flexibility - contact Built in Boston!

Sean Collins trains with personality, expertise, and credibility. You'll get some fun soundbites…read moreto make you smile ... "sun's out, guns out" or "train for gain not for pain." He will be exacting when it comes to form .... particularly with kettle bells. Finally, he won't have you do anything he couldn't do himself. He has a vast arsenal of routines and exercises, understands how to train through injuries (and importantly avoid injuries), and motivates. I've trained with Sean for many years now. He's excellent.

What a hassle when you want to cancel your subscription. You have to mail in the request and when…read moreI did it, it was a wrong address. Twice got sent back to me. Then over a year later, I was hit with a $2700 charge. Do NOT reccomend this service! One note - the training staff is very nice, this is a billing issue.

Achieving my fitness objectives was made possible thanks to Luis at Elite Home Fitness. Often, on…read moredays when I lack motivation to exercise, my trainer ensures I stay on track and pushes me to work out, even when I'm not feeling up to it. Since starting with them, I've shed 30 pounds and have significantly improved my muscle definition. I'm eager to keep progressing on my fitness journey with their support and am looking forward to seeing further results by summer.

I definitely made the right decision in bringing my daughter to the British Swim School. She is…read morelearning so much while having the MOST FUN! I feel like this was the best and most responsible choice for my family as we are pool owners. I know that my daughter will eventually understand what to do in case of an emergency if she accidentally falls in. In fact- today they were teaching her how to use a lifesaver if anything should happen. It's not just about having fun but also learning the necessary tools to survive. You really can't put a price on that! I currently have my daughter enrolled in group classes weekly and one private class per month. All of the instructors are fabulous! Even with a few kids in each class they all get individual attention. They do sit on the side often but you can clearly see they are observing the others and learning by watching. I recommend the British Swim School 110%! Hopefully we will see you there!

My name is Lilyana and I am 9 years old. I am a turtle 1 I love my swim class. The teachers help…read moreme with my swimming skills. After my class I feel so proud of myself. As Lilyana's Mother, I have seen her skills improve significantly over the last 6 lessons. She has gotten stronger and has learned a number of new strokes. The instructors are wonderful. They are patient knowledgeable and just overall great people. We were both highly recommend them.

The good: the coaches The bad: not following up with skill…read moreevaluations, not having make up class compensation as a lot of classes get closed due to bad weather.. The infrastructure to not be able to have a good dry after a swim. Especially for small kids who are vulnerable to cold and cough if not had a good dry . The make shift tents make you feel like they are doing charity . But you are paying 150 for 4 classes wow. Thanks but no thanks. Switching to lifetime for a more personalized and warmer swim lessons. Lifetime charges 110 per month if we already have a family membership . It was a no brainer already!

The school was great until new ownership took over. Was a loyal customer until they made empty…read morepromises to the swim team kids to keep their team around through summer. They even sold off equipment the kids fundraised and pocketed the money saying they are going to keep the pool. Pool has been given to another team already all lies. I'm not even sure the same instructors that were good still work for them. From what I know a bunch left.

On July 19 at 12:30 PM, my 3.8-year-old son had his very first trial swim lesson at Goldfish…read moreMarlborough. It was our first experience with swimming, and we were very open about this with the staff before the class. My son was so excited and happy during the entire 30-minute lesson. He enjoyed every moment in the water, and as parents, it made us so happy to see him have such a joyful experience. After the class, we went to the front desk to sign up for a membership. But instead of welcoming us, the staff started asking if we received a card or certificate. We said no. After waiting for a while, the staff member came back and said they were offering a second trial lesson -- without any explanation. When we asked why, we were told something vague about "rules" and that our son was "not sitting properly" and "playing with a toy giraffe." This was deeply disappointing. He is only 3 years old. It was his first time in the water. He does not speak English as a first language. What kind of behavior are you expecting from a small child on his very first swimming experience? We were not asking for free lessons or discounts. We were ready to pay for his membership. Instead, we felt judged and unwelcome. Even worse, some of the lifeguards were rude and unfriendly. We decided to cancel the second trial and will not return. I don't recommend this school to any families who expect kindness, patience, and proper communication -- especially with young children or non-native English speakers. Swim schools should support and guide children gently, not criticize them for being new.

Update: My daughter…read morehas progressed so much in swimming, thanks to Goldfish, specifically Mr. Fernando. I am pleased.

MAKE THIS BETTER! WHY 4.2?! My swimming skills have gone up so much since starting here! As a…read morestudent, the instructors have been incredibly patient, helpful, and high-energy. The facilities are always immaculate, and the lessons run with perfect precision. I wish a 6-star rating was an option because 5 stars doesn't do justice to how much my confidence in the water has grown. An absolute masterclass in swim instruction--highly, highly recommend!

My 18 month son broke his collarbone and the team didn't explain to me my options to cancel his…read moremembership and stop being charged, but instead they offered me makeup tokens that I could use for July. I know from previous experience that you have to be enrolled (aka paying) in order to use the makeup tokens so I was confused by the sudden shift, but decided to trust them. Now, my son's collarbone is healed and is ready to start swim lessons again, but now I'm being told I have to pay for a full month, instead of using the make up tokens. This plus the fact that the swim instructor (a young gentleman) told me to give my son (1 year old at the time) to him because he had to learn some independence and that it didn't matter if he screamed and cried, it'd be good for him. I was ready to cancel my membership then, but my husband talked me down.

RunRx gave me back a healthy, pain-free shoulder, and importantly, my workouts!…read more I had a severe shoulder (Rotator Cuff) injury that prevented me from exercising regularly (I could not reach up into a kitchen cabinet). After several months of pain, unsuccessful PT with a well-known hospital franchise (less than 20-25min of attention per session), followed by a doctor prescribed ultrasound-guided injection, I thankfully found RunRx. Within 8-10 weeks of my initial assessment with RunRx, and following their (Dr. Mullins) prescribed strength-based exercises, I'm back to pain-free, full-range of motion work-outs, including swimming! In addition, my exercise form is better, enabling lower risk of injury and improved efficiency (e.g. my dead-lifts are stronger!). For competitive athletes (High School, College, or Professional) or someone who simply takes their workouts seriously, I can't recommend RunRx enough. Thank you RunRx!

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Gabby Goshtigian and The RunRX. Every time I leave her…read morepractice I feel like a million bucks. If I could give her more Stars I would. I came to her in July 2022 at my wits end with a mysterious foot injury. This issue had been nagging me and progressively getting worse and worse since 2019. I had sought out professional advice in the past from running experts, chiropractors and other active recovery resources but no one had the solution for me. Even with my own remedies of RICE, rolling/stretching, dietary changes, massages, and medications the injury persisted. It had gotten to a point where I couldn't even run without 7/10 pain or more. If you are a hobby runner you can imagine how devastating and deeply frustrating this feeling can be. She assessed the damage right away and gave me professional no nonsense advice. She preformed an assessment of my injury and we did a gait analysis together. She set me up with modern exercises/tools and a plan for physical therapy sessions. Most importantly she encouraged me to make an appointment with her top choice podiatrist so we could quickly and accurately resolve my issue. These were all steps I would not have taken without the accountability and her guiding hand. Gabby took my injury extremely seriously and I followed her lead. She has the ability at her practice to incorporate strength and physical therapy in 50 minute one on one sessions that are uniquely different from traditional PT offices. She is able to offer the proper customized attention that an athlete needs to literally get them back on their feet as smooth and quickly as possible. It's been about 8 weeks of healing at this point and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A feeling I haven't had for years. I would absolutely recommend Dr. Goshtigian and her team to anyone looking to improve their form, recover from an injury, become a stronger athlete or even prevent injury as she now offers strength classes on Saturdays. Not only is Dr. Gabby healing my injury, she's making me a stronger runner at the same time. I'm on the path to recovery and a safer, stronger, faster future. Did I mention she's an athlete herself, a small business owner and a generally very cool and compassionate person. If you're injured waste no time and go see her and her dedicated team at TheRunRX.

Not safe for your child or your family. Not sanitary. Unacceptable administrative staff behavior…read more Stay away at all costs

When my son first joined Goldfish Needham, he spent two years stuck at the same level until I…read morerequested an assessment from management. Several friends of mine had similar experiences. We eventually left for another swim school. This summer, we decided to give Goldfish another try since it's close by and his current school is undergoing renovations. Unfortunately, we didn't see any improvements. I enrolled him in group lessons, but I noticed little progress and a lack of attention from the instructors. His final lesson this summer was supposed to be two private sessions scheduled back-to-back. Instead, each session started with about 10 minutes wasted as the instructors tried to figure out which lane he should be in, what level he belonged to, and who his private instructor was--even though all of that information was clearly available in my app. I had to step onto the pool deck to help resolve the confusion, and at one point an instructor even argued with me about my son's level because her clipboard didn't match what was in the app. Eventually, another staff member confirmed that I was correct. As a result, I paid $200, but my son only received about 40 minutes of actual instruction out of the 60 I paid for. That was the final straw. I voiced my concerns at the front desk in front of what appeared to be both the location manager and the pool deck supervisor, but neither acknowledged me or attempted to engage. I'm not sure if they truly didn't hear me, but given the small space, it felt dismissive. No one offered to make up for the lost lesson time caused by their disorganization. The whole experience felt like a rip-off and an example of very poor business practices. I had hoped that paying a premium for private lessons would lead to a better experience, but it was actually worse than the group classes. Last year, my son had a great private instructor who was highly experienced, so clearly the quality depends entirely on who you get. In my opinion, only experienced instructors should be assigned to private lessons, especially since the cost is more than double the group rate. Bottom line: If your goal is simply for your child to be comfortable in the water and play around, Goldfish might be fine. But if you care about steady progression, I would not recommend it. They do a poor job of tracking swimmer progress, largely because instructors rotate so frequently. And based on conversations with friends at other locations, this isn't just a Needham issue--it's a franchise-wide problem. One friend told me his daughter learned more in two weeks of summer camp than in two years at Goldfish. From my perspective, their strategy seems clear: keep students at the same level as long as possible to maximize revenue, rather than focusing on progress.