This is a long story but I went here myself several years ago and had a great experience. I was an adult non swimmer, but now I can swim!! I thought if I ever had a kid this is where I would go. Fast forward I brought Otto my son here when he was about 5 months. He didn't love it but the instruction was solid and loving. We stopped for a while because he was just not ready -- though I'm really glad I gave him that first year because he learned how to go under water and never held his nose. We shopped around for cheaper and closer and finally we came back. In one lesson he was swimming !!!! His teacher then and now Victoria is amazing!! She is steady loving and firm. The way we learn best. It's so worth the money if you really want you child to be safe in the water and learn to swim . read more

Tribeca location... We've been going to this location for the past 6 years. Alice is absolutely amazing and all 3 kids are very happy but what makes us parents happy is the quality of their work. They have recently opened a play space for the kids while they wait for classes; the locker rooms are now spotless, the place overall in nice and clean and very welcoming for families. Customer service is great, they're very accommodating and flexible. Highly recommend them. read more

My 5yo son has been in imagine lessons for over a year in crown heights and has progressed beyond my expectations. After a negative experience when he was younger, I was delighted at the quality facilities and small class sizes. He went from nearly zero to swimming half the pool and jumping into the deep end, and it's all from the instruction here. It's pricier than some other options but worth it for us. Would be 4.5 - only deduction for pricing model. read more

Pretty surprised by the negative ratings considering the great experience we've had at Imagine (Tribeca Flagship). Our 4 year old daughter was pretty hesitant around the water, and clung to me or stayed by the stairs whenever we were in a pool, even with floaties or a life jacket on. We took her to the baby & me classes at the Y when she was younger, but she struggled with those, too. In contrast, we just started at Imagine a few months ago, and she RUNS into the pool and doesn't look back. The instructors have gently pushed her outside her comfort zone, and now she's jumping in, putting her head under, and swimming small distances on her own. They have platforms in the water so the kids can stand while they wait for their turn and they keep the water warm - both I think have helped. It's all very little kid friendly - there's fish theming and kids movies in the waiting room, too. Highly recommend Imagine for kids who are still learning to be comfortable in water! read more

Open for adults for lap swimming after or before the kids.. Everyone on the staff is friendly --great atmosphere. But some of us just hate the loud pounding 'music' they play when the adults start swimming...not relaxing, not enjoyable read more

My child has been swimming at the Tribeca location since the Spring. The swim instructors are lovely, and the classes certainly generate confident swimmers with steady progress. The downside is that you can expect to pay full price year-round, even if your kids get sick or give them advance notice. I notified Max Ginther, the director of programming, that my child was sick and would not be able to attend class, due to Covid, and he responded that they do not "hold" (charge class at a lower rate due to absence) except in the summer months, with two weeks notice. After asking for further clarification on how to proceed with the upcoming holidays, and expected time away, Max promptly stopped answering and instead sent an Out of Office message, requesting I email their general inquiries email. The fact that they refuse to allot sick days for children, especially during a pandemic comes off as money-hungry. This coupled with the dismissive way Max treats a client who is asking how to proceed with future classes makes it very difficult to have a positive experience at Imagine. read more

Imagine Swimming - My exchange with Max just before he responded with an Out of Office message - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - New York, New York

My son went to the Imagine location at the Crown Heights Armory for a week intensive to prepare for sleep-away camp. Now that he is older and bigger, we wanted a place where he could practice swimming laps and build his stamina (which is impossible at Goldfish unless you join their Swim Force team.) Our experience at Imagine exceeded our expectations - the facilities are amazing and he got a lot of 1:1 attention. My only critique is that he had 3 different instructors over the course of 4 days. It would have been better if he had worked with just one. But we're still happy and highly recommend the intensive classes to anyone needing to brush up on their skills! read more

This place is falsely advertised and a complete manure-show. My son has been coming here for almost 2 years and has not learned much more than what we taught him ourselves plus his past instructors. He's been in the water since 3 months when we lived in Cali and has not spend a week without swim lessons. Here he was coming twice a week for lessons. The instructors changed so much we don't even know if he had the same instructor, EVER, while attending here, for more than two lessons. On top of that, they switched our son's classes from the regular pool he was going to for over a year to the pool at BMCC that now reopened. Another crap show. Completely unorganized. We came here as it was the recommended swim school for the Makos swim team, but now we see why we don't really see that team in any competitions. We've finally found a great swim school for real swim instruction. Imagine Swimming is not a school to learn swimming; It's more of an expensive 30 minute babysitter, if that. Zero flexibility with sicks days as many others have stated. Our son didn't have this problem, except once in 2 years, but still no flexibility there. Horrible experience and this wasn't one-week or one-month experiences. This was 2 years of confusion, 2 years of hoping our son gets an actual instructor he can learn his strokes for competition with, and 2 years of a hot mess here. Look somewhere else for a swim school. Just because this one is in Tribeca doesn't mean it's any good at all. It is not and needs to be completely restructured or closed down. read more

We have tried making this place work, but their rigid and nonsensical policies on attendance have finally driven us away for good. I emailed them yesterday asking if classes are cancelled due to weather. They told me it's too early to tell, but if public schools are closed, they follow that lead and close the pool, giving customers a class credit. I have this email. So we made other plans. I showed this email to the other customer service representative who sent an email a few hours later saying classes after 2pm are still scheduled. They will not honor giving us a credit even though it is so squarely their fault. They are trying to "find a resolution" and calling me nonstop while I am on work calls. There is nothing to discuss! One person said we'd have a credit, and the other is kind of dodging it with attempts to discuss a plan together. Almost every week is a new teacher or a substitute, yet they have no flexibility when someone's child is sick. They require a two week cancellation notice. Do any of you know two weeks out when your child is sick? The $59 dollar class fee is going to push people to bring sick children to the pool, getting everyone else sick. It's a joke that they can swap teachers in and out at their will but never have any understanding for their clientele- almost all of whom are children. The teachers are lovely and the pool is warm, the customer service reps are actually quite nice- but- management or whoever is pushing these absurd policies need a reality check. read more

They have a rude patronizing and arrogant meal delivery service. I would hate to see how they handle other services. As a resident in a building where they deliver daily, the consistently park in the road blocking the entrance for residence. When challenged "Stephanie" was argumentative and condescending. She could care less about trying to be accommodating in the parking practices and brought me into a ridiculous argument of name calling. I'm ashamed. However this is not a service I could trust for a relative of mine and certainly would never use. read more

this review is for the crown heights location. they changed our instructor (for at least the 4th time) on our final lesson! what is the point of a lesson with a total stranger?? over the past year or so, we have had so many instructors, very frequent substitutions for a short term, and the kids have totally lacked consistency in their training. It's a shame because on the whole they have some really great instructors who are energetic and good at what they do. But this scheduling nonsense is appalling. I wrote to the admin and requested one of our old teachers and was offered free classes instead. I've told them consistently that We can't make extra/replacement classes. It doesn't work per location and schedule. Moreover, my two children take the class at the same time so each lesson cost more than $100. As others have mentioned there is no flexibility to get a refund if you cannot make class Due to a school holiday or other family or medical issue. This is a very discouraging way to end our experience. read more

I hope I can give 0, I don't usually leave reviews but this place is really bad that I feel I should do that . I have been here more than 2 years , I think here was ok until recently , something has changed , poor management. I paid $270 for 4 classes a month , I called to cancel the upcoming class and then went there to schedule for make up , they told me that there is no show of cancellation / no token for make up , I showed him the call history , then the staff gave me back the make up class , not happened once , and he even told me I should call to confirm after I called to cancel, that's sound so ridiculous to me. And then they have never told me a policy that no more than 1 cancel in the same month, but why didn't they tell me when I call to cancel to remind me ? I called to make up a class on the month and then I tell them to cancel the class on the same week too, so the staff know I have two absent , then why didn't they remind me until I called to make up the 2 nd absent class and the staff couldn't make it and told the manager and the manager just told me that we can't get 1 more token for the same month , and it was on the policy that they sent us No wonder I saw this place has less people to come due to the poor management, I am going to withdraw , not worth to stay read more

My kid took swimming classes with them for years and usually liked his instructors. The only negatives were that there is a high turnover of swimming instructors, the St. Bart's Church pool locker room toilets kept getting flooded and I had to wade through dirty water as I carried my kid and they stopped having make up classes when my son had to miss a class due to illness. I wish they would teach more strokes when a kid had mastered the lessons of his/her level. read more

ZERO STAR - We used Imagine Swim for our child and was highly disappointed at the rigid policies, no flexibility, and robotic onsite/office staff that lack customer service skills. We've cancelled our lessons and have signed-up with our local YMCA. We wouldn't recommend Imagine Swim due to our very unpleasant experience. read more

UPDATE #2 - I'm not sure why it took threats to get in touch with someone from Imagine, because we FINALLY got in contact and started our lessons. Their flagship pool in TriBeCa seems to be a major operation with a ton of friendly staff. Instructor Danny treated my terrified kid very gently, and even though the two other kids in her group were a bit more advanced, I didn't feel like she was being pushed past her limit. Hopefully our experience will continue to improve. UPDATE - Have finally heard back from Imagine. Interesting though, I asked if I could have a class schedule for their flagship pool and said we could be available 4 out of 7 days. They didn't have a class available for her *until* I asked for a refund. Now we're booked for a trial class in two weeks. Stay tuned... ORIGINAL POST My daughter received a gift certificate from her grandparents for 10 lessons with Imagine Swimming. Unfortunately, I've been calling and emailing for over a month to try and get a class schedule and book her for lessons, and have yet to receive a phone call or email in response. Did Imagine steal our money? Time will tell. Odds are if I ever do get a return phone call, I'll be asking for a refund instead of a class schedule. read more

(This is for the Tribeca location, but probably applies to all) I was looking for swimming pools to try out and sign up for swim classes at with my 18 month old. The website under Schedule & Locations listed only opening hours and days the pool was closed for Family Swim, suggesting that on the times listed families could come swim. Alas, that was not the case. When we arrived, there was in fact a class in session (although no class schedule could be found on their website). While my toddler was upset that he wasn't allowed in the pool, the woman at the desk explained to me that there was Family Swim in the afternoon. I asked if I needed to do anything, register or reserve or whatever, and she said no. I came back in the afternoon with wife and kid. This time, another person told me that under no circumstances could we swim - an insurance issue - as we were not members. We explained that in the morning we were told it would not be a problem, and that this information is not on the website. The person was so intent to explain to us that we were wrong about their policy that she failed to hear our requests for actually updating the website and training their own staff to actually understand their own complicated policy. I had already passed the point of losing interest in learning their policy, as I had already made up my mind that this organization simply does not care about potential customers. They must have decided they already have enough of them paying through the nose for what looks like a nice pool. After I peeled my crying son away from the window looking out over the pool for a second time in one day, we closed the door behind us forever on Imagine Swimming. Honestly, with how little care they give to their website, the training of their own staff, or selecting customer-oriented staff in the first place, I'm not even sure I'd trust them with my child's safety anymore. The basics really aren't hard to get right. I suggest you avoid trekking across town with your child (up to twice on the same day) altogether and find a pool that's actually interested in catering to families. read more

The PROs: great instructors, small class size and you can tell that they have experience handling kids of all dispositions and levels of ability. I credit Imagine with cultivating my daughter's love of the water and using it to help her learn to swim, and to improve her technique. The CONs: The classes are not cheap, and the make-up policy if you miss one is problematic. First, you only get 4 make up classes per year. I recently tried to schedule one of these precious make-ups, only to be told that the one of the few make-up classes they had scheduled was already full, which meant that I was out of luck. I was told to keep trying, but essentially I will likely end up paying for a missed class despite a) giving adequate notice of the missed class; and b) I am entitled to 4 make-ups, yet the absence of actual classes to use them essentially renders the policy useless. read more

Imagine Swimming is in a league of its own! We tried another facility before realizing "you get, what you pay for." Imagine hires wonderful instructors and works with nice facilities, from collegiate pools to private schools. Our kids started swimming here at 3 and 5 yrs old after experimenting with another swim program in Brooklyn. At Imagine Swimming, they get a lot of one-on-one time from their coaches and since the very first session, were able to swim without floaties. There are never more than 4 kids per class, and we've even had some private lessons when other students skipped their sessions. Classes here are also a little longer than in other programs - 40 minutes in the water! In the past year, we've been with Imagine Swimming in four different pools - Financial District, Bowling Green, Gramercy, and Crown Heights in Brooklyn, and experienced 10 different instructors (due to our desire that the kids swim at the same time or in back-to-back classes, and because of the low student:coach ratios, scheduling is not easy so we are flexible with pool location). Irrespective of the location, the program quality has remained consistently high. Swimming is by far our kids favorite activity of the week! Their skills progress from class to class, it is amazing what our little fish can do in so few lessons! Swimming ability is a much NEEDED investment into our children's future and we would absolutely recommend Imagine Swimming to other families. PS. To address comments from other reviewers on the make-up policy: "We are unable to provide a make up or refund for a missed lesson." PPS. Some pools are chiller than others. For this reason, we always bring wetsuits, as well as bathing suits, for the kids, and dress them accordingly depending on the water temp that day. read more

I never write reviews but this has been incredible. We signed our child up for a weeklong "intensive" - meaning 1 hour each day, every day for a week. On Monday she entered the pool nervous, unwilling to get her face wet, and definitely unable to keep her head above water without the use of a floatie/puddle-jumper. By Friday she was eager for her lesson, jumped right into the water, and was SWIMMING. Like going back and forth across the pool, using great technique, and having fun. Her teacher, Francis, was incredible. He was patient, fun, and highly motivating. I cannot believe what a transformative week it was for her - we're hoping to start weekly lessons! read more

We've only tried SwimCity and Imagine Swimming for our kindergartner, but Imagine has been so much better for him. In just a few weeks Destiny was able to get him totally comfortable in the water, and he's now swimming like a fish. The substitute teachers are very good as well. No complaints, only compliments! Plus the web portal for parents is more user-friendly than most, easy to pay, reschedule, etc. read more

We were skeptical at first but after first class, we are totally convinced.. My 5 yo son had pool issues and even though he got 14 classes somewhere else he still scared to get in the pool and after 2 class with imagine swimming he is now jumping in the pool without belt!! Classes are small and your kid gets at least 15 min alone time with instructor.. If you are looking for good affordable swimming class for all ages that's the place read more

It completely depends on your instructor. If you have a good instructor this place is great however buyer beware, you had better stay and keep a watchful eye as there is at least 1 instructor that does not get into the pool, is on his phone and just directs the kids to swim laps. Your child will report they had a great time anyway because swimming is so much fun for almost all children. When I asked my daughter why she did not say anything to me she said because she was having a great time. I wanted her to learn better form and become a great swimmer. I can direct her to swim laps on my own. I was appauled and cancelled our classes immediately. I gave this two stars because they do have a couple of very good instructors, if you can get classes with them (normally full) and the office staff when you call is very nice and friendly. Their policies are a bit tough and inflexible. Four weeks notice to cancel classes is quite a lot, they also ask for the right to charge your credit card. I would be careful before booking swim lessons with Imagine and know what you are getting yourself into. read more

Never again. Don't think even sign up for there incentives. If something goes wrong and you notify them in enough time.. they will get back to in their time. And then not reschedule you, not give you another class. But take ur money and then ask you to sign up again and pay!! I removed my daughter years ago. And I was reminded again why I did. Goldfish swim much better option. read more

(For the Tribeca location) Our son had been attending Imagine in Tribeca every Sunday since March. With many options nearby, it was Imagine's reputation that played a key factor in our decision to enroll him. And although a bit uneven and repetitive, we enjoyed the classes and the time in the pool. The teachers are nice and as helpful as can possibly be to a 20 month old. However our experience turned a bit sour due to multiple incidents of horrible customer service and general inflexibility of the program. While we disagreed with the cancellation policies and the covert schedule changes that seem to be communicated discreetly to only a handful of people, we continued taking our son for lessons because he seemed to be enjoying them. But the program's poor communication of class scheduling and its iron-fisted, difficult cancellation policies made our decision to leave an easy one. Imagine Tribeca's cold, intolerant approach to policy is only exacerbated by the icy desk staff, whose utter indifference and refusal to help makes you wonder how they ended up in that role in the first place. We did our best to make Imagine work. And we spent a lot of money in the process, which makes this experience feel all the more sour. So if you can tolerate healthy doses of shoulder-shrugging with the occasional peppering of a "Sorry I can't help you", then Imagine Swimming in Tribeca won't disappoint. But if you're looking for a friendlier, more positive experience, then I suggest you look elsewhere. read more

They are very well managed. Staff is incredibly responsive. Instructors are very attentive to children's needs, abilities and emotional states when learning. The ratio of instructors to students is also very low so your child will get a lot of individual attention. Pool at Bowling Green location is also well supervised so multiple classes can happen and safety remains a priority. We are very pleased and have our son and daughter enrolled. read more

They will promise you the world, then, when the teachers are just ok and the facilities are subpar, they will say that even though they promised you can choose to end the program at any given time, they will keep charging for another 8 weeks(!). Bad experience, bad business practice! read more

I love this place. Both my kids learned to swim here, and they were taught with great love, and patience. And humor! We've had four different teachers over the (three) years, and every one has brought something different to the process -- they've all been great for my kids in different ways. I found the pool well run. Organized. And super welcoming. read more

I was sold after the first lesson my 1 year old had. We got to the financial district location and the staff greeted us by name and were very kind. The class size was about 6 kids and the instructor seemed very knowledgeable about his lessons and more importantly very good with kids. The moment I saw my daughter's face light up with joy from being in the water and the fun games, I knew we would stick with it. We're on our 3rd class now and attitudes are the same so we know they just weren't being nice to sell their services. Highly recommended. read more

Best place to take your kids to learn how to swim in NYC. Variety of pools and experienced/kind/awesome instructors. You can't go wrong with Imagine. read more

Overpriced expensive lessons. The office Staff is rude and unprofessional. Please take your child somewhere else for swimming Lessons.

Well I have to give credit where credit is due. After a very difficult set of initial lessons, as documented below, imagine came through in the end. We called them up after the the disaster of the premature dunking occurred and they convinced us to stick with it, and with them. We changed locations, changed teachers, etc., and long story short, it wasn't easy, but we got there. Our son is no longer terrified of getting in the pool and is going through the exercises confidently. The feedback and level of engagement was truly through the roof. And so, somewhat cap in hand, I have to update my initial review. Like any organization some of their employees are better than others, but they stay engaged and keep you in the game! read more

Absolutely LOVE Imagine Swimming. For the first time ever we are able to get my son to go to a class each week without a struggle. He very enthusiastically drops whatever he's doing to get into his suit on time. There are various locations, and my son goes to St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights. All the teachers I observe there are just amazing with the kids and I've never seen more than 4 or 5 kids in a class. My 5 year old is completely comfortable swimming under water. They make a game of training the kids to hold their breath. He can now hold his breath for 40 seconds under water. It's a bit expensive, but totally worth every penny! read more

What can I say about imagine swimming? They are awesome. My daughter is learning so much and she always enjoys her lessons. Although there seems to always be a waiting list, I this instance it speaks to how great they are. read more

Imagine Swimming is effective at teaching little non-swimmers to swim, I will give them that. If the child is going to sink if he falls in the pool, a few weeks here will fix 'em right up, which is good. But the demand for their services is so high that it's impossible to get a convenient class time, or change your class time if your schedule changes, or get your two children swimming in the same pool at the same time, and it's just something between frustrating and maddening. If you want a schedule change they tell you to call back every week to see if there have been openings. Would it kill them to make a waiting list? And once the children are anything above total-beginner, the lessons become a waste of time. Even with a 1-4 child class size there is always some kid disrupting things. I kept at it for way too long (over two years), and was told later that whomever had been teaching my children had instilled bad habits. They change the teachers all the time. They cancel the classes. And they can get away with it because there's no competition. read more

My kids love Imagine swimming and have been attending for 13 years. Lars and Casey (the owners) are such conscience, supportive individuals in our community. Imagine Swimming is organize, responsive, and loving. Fantastic swim school. read more

Imagine Swimming are the BEST! I took my four year old son for swimming lessons there and he loved it. What I like about these lessons is that they keep the classes small so that everyone has the chance with the instructor. On top of that my son has made a few friends. Now all that he talks about is when is the next lesson. I'm glad and happy for my son. I think any parent will do anything to make their child smile and have fun. My son has been going there for a couple of months now and I feel like ever time we go there the instructor's always have something up the sleeves. As a parent I want to make sure that my son likes the instructor and he really does. I'm super happy that I found this place and that my son made a few more friends. Thanks Imagine Swimming! We will see you this Friday! read more

We had an awful experience with Imagine at our 3-year-old daughter's first class, at the flagship location. Because of their rolling admission policy, when your child begins the class she will inevitably be entering a class where the other students are already familiar with the class, the instructor and the facility. But at our daughter's first day the staff made no effort to welcome her to the class or help her with the transition. Instead, when it was time for her class to begin a man with a clipboard (who did not introduce himself, to me or her) asked her name, checked his clipboard, and then took her hand and tried to lead her into the pool area. When she resisted, he picked her up and carried her, kicking and screaming, towards the section of the pool where her instructor was waiting. (Her instructor also had not bothered to introduce himself before class.) If I hadn't intervened at that point I think the man with the clipboard would have forcibly put her into the pool. Keep in mind she's three years old, and this was her first class. If that's your parenting style, Imagine could be the place for you. If not, I recommend trying another place. read more

I love Imagine Swimming. My daughter started in Tribeca at aged two and half. She has been swimming with Imagine for three years and has made incredible progress. The instructors range; some have been fantastic and others not so much, but the office staff is always available to help figure out the best class. read more

We take lesson's with them at St. Bart's. The instructors are great. My daughter is 1 1/2 years old and loves the lessons. We have had two instructors and both are good. And the other instructors I see there with kids who are a bit older seem great, as well. Unfortunately, the location is NASTY. The pool and the deck are gross and the locker rooms are even worse. I am going to try their flagship location even though it's not anywhere near me. If it doesn't work out I guess I will stick with grody St. Bart's because I have tried lessons with another organization that have classes closer to me (Murray Hill) but their instructors are terrible. read more

Amazing swim school! My daughter has taken classes at many different swim schools, and there is no comparison to Imagine. Imagine will actually teach your kids to swim. Unlike the Y where your kid will be one of many kids in a class where the teacher ties a noodle to each kid and has him splash around in the water, Imagine instructors actually teach you how to swim. Flotation devices are used sparingly and only as a tool to focus on certain aspects of your stroke. The class size is limited to no more than 4 kids, and each child gets individualized instruction. You will see results within a few weeks. My 5 year old, who started when she was 4, is able to swim laps around the pool (using NO flotation devices), using different strokes. Worth every penny! read more