I decided to sign my daughter up for the free "try out" session to see how she, my husband, and I…read moreliked Big Blue Swim School. We were asked to come a few minutes before our scheduled lesson time. When we arrived, there was plenty of parking in their parking lot. We were greeted and given a quick tour of the facilities. I was immediately impressed with the hair drying station, changing rooms, cubby storage, children's play/waiting area, and even the pool, which is kept at I believe 90 degrees year round, which is a huge plus for my daughter. When it was time, someone calls all the kids scheduled for that time to check in with them and tells the kids which swim lane to go to. Parents can choose to wait and watch behind glass, or go in and sit on the benches next to the pool. They do little tests during the lesson, but they make it so fun that the kids don't even realize they're being watched and tested. My daughter was rated on her current abilities, and we were approached by Julie (I think), given a welcome bag with some goodies, and told of my daughter's swim level. She went over how everything worked, rates, and answered all of our questions. When the lesson was over, the kids walk over to the shower stations (which are right next to the pool) to wash off. We decided to sign my daughter up for weekly lessons. She's gone a few times now, tried a few instructors, and we have concluded that Alexis is the best. He is so engaged the whole time, not looking off into space like some other instructors. The kids are always laughing with him, and my daughter actually smiles during her lesson with him. Additionally, I feel that his methods are more efficient and have seen improvement in my daughter's abilities. I have navigated Big Blue's website and give the site 4 stars. As much as I like the ease of signing up, changing/editing, adding, or canceling lessons and paying, I wish there was a way to see a month view with lesson and instructor labeled. Currently, I am having to edit each lesson individually to request the specific instructor. Overall, I am more than happy paying the $23 a lesson for my daughter to get swim lessons here. I recommend trying to free trial lesson. You have nothing to lose and will not be disappointed!

We've tried a few places and we settled here. My goal was to get my son to go underwater and now he…read moredoes. But...with goggles, because they require them to wear that here. Going to a pool without goggles - well, that's another story. At least he is learning techniques to swim. I like the fact they have an app where you can check in, change classes, and see his progress - if something is entered. He was in Bold Blue 1 for quite a long time and it kept showing he had not fulfilled the requirements, nor has done any of them. Then one day...boom, it was all done and he moved up to Bold Blue 2. So one week passes, no progress, week 2 and nothing. Week 3 - one task fulfilled. I don't understand how and when it is monitored. BUT...we go weekly. We sit in the bright room and watch our little boy swim for half an hour. He's happy. We're happy.

My kids have gone through lessons with several area swim schools, but I find Maine Aquatics the…read morebest value and quality, given by high schoolers themselves. It's based on seasonal schedules, and you pick the evening that works best for your schedule Mon, Wed or Thursday. Lessons are 30min at either 6pm or 6:30pm. The one area of improvement would be communication response with their email, but other than that, I highly recommend! My kids have progressed tremendously and their confidence has grown significantly. Note-you pay the full season in cash the first evening so come prepared.

So far, we've had a positive experience with the Maine Township Aquatics swim program…read more The pool is nice, which is located at Maine East High School. There's ample parking which is very convenient . Their prices are very competitive to other local programs, which I've compared to. The instructors seem positive, encouraging, and praise students for their efforts. Would highly recommend this program for young swimmers.

Been a resident of Niles for almost 30 yrs, have tried the fitness center off and on but it is…read moreextremely pricey! I can't believe people pay the prices that they impose . Residents can't even do a drop in for swimming. Front desk looked upset that I didn't know there was no drop in swim. I watched guards just talking to each other. Pool looks so outdated. No thanks !!

Swim lessons- great pool facilities. Because of Covid and other factors my kids had started swim…read morelessons four separate times without much progress, but the curriculum here is pretty intensive and my kids were making progress swiftly. Six week sessions taught very well, and a slide and vortex pool for added fun. Locker rooms are old but get the job done.

My kids have taken lessons at Goldfish Evanston and the Glenview park district, and they've…read moreprogressed faster here. However, they are also older now, and we are more consistent in attendance, so those are also factors. Cost wise, it's about the same as Goldfish. At Goldfish Evanston, we had substitute teachers like 50% of the time, but at Foss it's more like 10%. For parents, you have the option to sit on deck (poolside) or outside the pool and observe via the large glass windows. You can also sign up for Family Swim, which means your family can reserve a lane for an hour, but they're currently only offering it on Friday evenings. This location opened in August 2024, so it's still new & clean. Love the location, and parking is easy. Lastly, Foss reinstated their makeup class policy, which is great! Send me a message if you'd like to use my referral code for a discount ($105 off your first enrollment).

Foss swim school in Glenview is so great, they truly have a wonderful staff at th facility. They…read morehave been incredibly accommodating with my special needs child and my mainstream daughter, making our experience truly enjoyable. I am impressed by how clean the facilities are. The availability, which is a big plus for us. Thank you for creating such a welcoming environment!

As a parent of a former Student here at Goldfish I feel bad for not leaving a review sooner. The…read morerecent news of chemical exposure may seem like a random unlucky event, but it is not. This was a result of poor leadership and training that I recognized when my daughter was a student there. After about 1.5 years of trying to make it work and not realizing there were other options, we removed her. When our daughter attended, we encountered numerous instances of untrained and unconfident teachers (in the baby class and then eventually the first toddler level. There was no plan in place or communication for when to move children up levels. At one point we had an instructor who did not talk or give instruction, we essentially were paying for open pool time. When we complained or asked to speak with upper management, we were offered to switch our class time and that they were working on it, while the teacher remained teaching that same class. She clearly was not prepared and teaching in the ONE class level where parents are present. Over time we started to realize, everything was being run by high school kids. They have one head manager who you don't see much of. Even before the chemical leak. which left at least 22 people ill, we pulled our daughter and moved to Blue Gems swim, which is ACTUALLY locally owned and ownership is present on a regular basis. There are other options! You don't have to accept THEIR standards. When I see the responses to other negative reviews related to the chemical spill it infuriates me, they don't take any responsibility for something that should NEVER HAPPEN. What happened is not normal and this location should shut down. The kicker here is the owners claim to be a local business, except for that the chain originates out of Michigan and they live in ARIZONA. You'll see the Owner, Dana Christ, post videos on facebook about swim or raising kids from the desert in the dead of winter. What you won't see is any sort of statement or ownership for what happened. They are disconnected from reality and are the ones responding to negative reviews. They will look up my name and see YES I did have a daughter swim at their swim school and YES we stopped going. They may even say "The safety of our families and team members is always our top priority" but that's clearly false as they allowed a passive infrastructure for years that finally caught up to them in a very public way. SHUT DOWN YOUR BUSINESS

DO NOT TRUST THIS PLACE with your children. They caused chemical burns and inhalation injuries…read morerequiring hospitalization for multiple children. They do not use proper chemicals for cleaning and are risking peoples lives, not just those in the pool but families breathing in air.

Review for Harrer Pool parties only: Don't. We contacted the park district 1 month prior to…read moreintended party date to pay deposit to secure the party room. After scheduling and paying deposit for the pool party and confirming we have 1 hour set up and 1 hour post party to clean up, we tried to contact the Harrer pool coordinator for room specs, table number, size, chairs and equipment availability so we know what we needed to buy or not buy..table covers wall decor and such. Nothing. Emails and phone calls not returned. Was contacted 2 days prior to party by the new coordinator only to be asked about the cake. Coordinator told my daughter, the birthday celebrant's mom, we had to be out of the room exactly at noon. We were pushed out at 1145.. why? They had their own party to go to. Will never opt for a party space that NEEDS to have a coordinator on site. Have used the field houses for parties before and will continue to use them again. OR will rent Oriole Pool party room and instead (as long as that particular "party planner" is NOT part of the deal) So terribly disappointed.

This review is purely for the 'open' volleyball Thursday nights. I've gone to the gym for years…read more The workers there are friendly and helpful. The older woman that looks to head this "open" volleyball seems to pick and choose when she would like others to take part. My friends and I have slowly started to participate in the open volleyball here, but have noticed that her attitude towards us participating is not very kind. We come from different suburbs in the Chicagoland area - not exactly close. But we're turned away because she felt that they couldn't let one more team play (even though other players told us we were welcome). Third week in a row we were given attitude while trying to take part in "open" volleyball. I would suggest MG park district try to come up with a sign up sheet or better method of signing up to partake in "open" volleyball. Because if I have to travel from far to only be told I cannot play, it should not be called "open" volleyball. We would have made other arrangements to play had we known we would be told we cannot play there. Instead we wasted 45 mins trying to arrange another court to play. Unprofessional and rude.

I've been a patron here for about two years. Miss Kelly is awesome. The instructors are very nice…read moreand patient with the children. The changing cabanas are always clean. I like that they are so flexible with the make up classes. My kid always looks forward to the sticker reward after a swim session. My family loves British!

Great for adult lessons. Scheduling is easy, pool is the perfect length to learn and great depth…read morefor treading. Instructors are extremely supportive and help you progress in each class. I had a great experience learning to swim with Coach Meghan who was patient and encouraging.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a good class for my son Braedan who is 6 and on the spectrum…read more Classes like this can be a bit of a challenge for him. He started about 4 weeks ago and he is in the Dolphin program which is individualized and has done so well. Jayla his instructor has been so patient and attentive to he needs and very quickly gained his trust. In a few weeks he's making great progress. I am very confident he will develop the skills to be a strong and safe swimmer.

We are in swim lessons for our 4 month old girls and it is going great! Easy location and access…read morewithin LA Fitness.

I have been going almost regularly three times a week for the last two years. Clean and friendly…read moretwo things you want in a gym. During Covid they were extra careful about spreading germs. Parking is abundant and in and out. Is what you want. Great place. JLK

My stepdaughter just wanted to swim. In March. Ha! But I wanted to make it happen for her so I…read moregoogled around and found Splash Landings. Off we went. At $6 a person, it's a little steep. More than what we're used to paying for outdoor summer swimming. But it certainly didn't break the bank. The pool is cute. There's one large slide that was closed when we were there (the hours for swim and the slide are clearly laid out on the website so we knew that going in). There's also a small slide for the little guys as well as some water spray features. My 3 year old loves zero depth entry pools so he was thrilled. There's also a second pool that was deep enough for my stepkiddo to get her swim on. There were three lap pool lanes open as well. Again, the hours for all this is on the website. The staff is kinda meh. The woman working the desk was not sure what was going on but the life guards were nice. The locker rooms are nicer than I was expecting. There's also a couple family shower/bathrooms which is nice. Bring a lock and towels!

We wanted to get our daughter swimming on her own and we couldn't be happier with Tom Filline. He…read morewas amazing, funny and very supportive with teaching our daughter, from the very first minute of meeting him, the communication leading up to her lessons. He has helped our daughter build her confidence from day one with no floats and being able to get her head wet, to the point that she loves to jump in the deep end and swim to the bottom to collect her pool toys that we bought for her. She has the confidence to swim unaided now and we can't keep her out the pool, to a point she asks to go everyday. We would highly recommend Tom as an instructor.

Gina was amazing with the kids. She spoke in their language, made it fun, got them to swim and look…read moreforward to their lessons from day 1! It was awesome to have the kids learn in our pool too as this made it super convenient to have the lessons- 12 lessons, 3 a week over one month and both my kids are safe swimmers now- my 6 yo can do all strokes independently and my 4 yo who was terrified- is now comfortable swimming independently in floaties, floating on her back, putting her face in and blowing bubbles, and practicing it all with little assistance.