5 Stars! My…read moreGrandkids took lessons here last summer and can't wait to go back in April. My Grandson is on the spectrum. The Instructors he had were very patient with him. Mostly they just got him used to being in the water. By end of session he was putting his face in water. (9yo) My Granddaughter had a good time too! She was starting to learn the different strokes. Swim lessons helped bring her out of moody preteen funk. Highly recommend these Guys!

We did swim lessons there with my almost 3 year old. We had a new teacher almost every week and…read moremost of the time the instructor didn't even introduce themselves. It felt very much like an assembly line and getting the next kid in the water. There was no time left to discuss what needed to be worked on or what we should focus on between lessons. I did voice my concern and the only thing that was offered was one free lesson for the following season.

This is my favorite pool ever, and I have a swam in a lot of them over my decades of life…read more One of the things I love is that I always get my own lane, so I have no idea what the person meant about having the share lanes'. And 5+ years I have only ever had to share a lane twice! The staff is friendly, and the pool is partly treated by O-Zone so my swimsuits last longer and I don't smell like chlorine when I leave. The water is always super clean and just the right temperature and I just love it there.

Love swimming here, just, I have a hard time getting out of the pool but the step ladder helps!read more

Our youngest daughter has danced at this studio for years. Recently, I witnessed her father…read morebringing recording equipment to rehearsals and filming full performances of other dancers from behind. I documented this and reported it to the studio. Their response? It was "just a parent" filming, and they saw no need to take further action--even refusing to ask parents to only record their own children. In today's world, where recordings of young girls can end up misused online, I expected more awareness and safeguards from the management. A simple policy or announcement would go a long way, but instead, they offered a vague, dismissive response. I find this lack of action concerning and irresponsible. If your priority is your child's safety, I recommend finding a studio that takes it seriously and sets clear boundaries around filming.

We LOVE this dance studio so much! It has such a positive culture that encourages strong girls (and…read moreboys), healthy body image and teamwork. The instructors are encouraging and professional. I love that when I call the studio there is always a staff person I can talk to and they are so helpful. They also want to work with your financial situation and have payment plans or volunteer trades to make it feasible. My daughter dances here 5 days a week and is in company and she's loves it so much!

For the past year, I have been trying to find ways to be healthier but nothing stuck with me from…read morerunning to lifting. As one last attempt, my fiancé recommended trying out the women's self defense/ jiu jitsu class free week. I was a bit hesitant due to not having any background in any martial arts and being out of shape. That didn't matter, the class is well rounded with different levels of skill but everyone will help you get better weather you're just starting or want a refresher. After the first class with coach Crystal and the rest of the girls, I knew I had found what I was looking for and more. It's a safe and fun environment where everyone wants the best for you and there's no worry of looking silly if you don't know what you're doing. As well you're surrounded by strong and confident women that motivate you even in times you want to give up. I've been attending these classes since November, the level of confidence that I had then compared to now has grown exponentially. If you're looking to become a better version of yourself, Solid Foundations is the way.

The year of covid was a difficult period for everyone in multiple ways. For me personally, having…read morethe gyms shut down really impacted my mental health as it was the only real time I had to just focus on myself. I am a youth/community organizer, scholar-activist, Ph.D. student, and professor, working with gang-involved and (formerly) incarcerated boys and men in the community, and so there is a lot of pain, suffering, and trauma that I get to witness. Therefore, being active is/was such an important part of my self-care as it would help me release all the trauma I was around. However, even prior to the pandemic, I had been itching to particularly get back into boxing, as I had discovered how therapeutic the sport was for me especially in helping me cope with what I would see in my work. So I started asking around the community if anyone knew of any solid (no pun intended!) boxing coaches and everyone kept directing me to Gil, which resulted in me reaching out. I had let him know I was a student and that I wanted to get a trainer that could help me step up my self-defense game and toughen me up mentally. To do the kind of work I do requires consistency, discipline, self-motivation, and persistence and I felt at the time I was lacking a bit in that as I was exhausted from the conditions of the pandemic. I did not know that Gil had had a past with being gang-involved himself so when I found out, I felt like I could open up more to him about why I needed to learn self-defense given my line of work exposes me to situations that require self-defense. I found it so impactful how Gil used our 1-1 private boxing situations to do more than just help me improve my boxing and self-defense skills- he took it upon himself to get inside my head-ask relevant and thoughtful questions- and help me come to some insightful epiphanies about what I was truly searching for through boxing. He reminded me of the importance of not burning myself out in my line of work and creating healthy boundaries so I wouldn't give more of myself than I was in the capacity to do so. Moreover, he helped me realize that I still had some work to do in terms of overcoming some of my sexual assault experiences at the hands of men and got me comfortable with having men be in my personal space-knowing that I was picking up skillsets that could help me in adversarial situations such as that. There were so many life lessons that I took from our time together that I carry with me today. Currently, I am working with him and his amazing life and business partner Crystal, learning jiu-jitsu which has been such a therapeutic and fun experience in and of itself. I have even brought some of my youth to work with Gil and have seen the amazing impact he has had with them. Gil is one of the most inspiring people I've met here in SB because of the humility and integrity in which he carries himself and the energy he puts into what he does is unmatched. Hands down would recommend him to work with you!

For the past four summers, my youngest son, Emilio, has spent his summers not only enjoying the…read morebeach but creating some of the most beautiful memories and friendships with his counselors and the other kids. As a parent, it was difficult to find a camp in Santa Barbara that was both affordable and offered something more meaningful than just overpriced babysitting. Then we found this camp, and I honestly cannot say enough wonderful things about it. I could go on and on about how amazing Joe and his staff are, but I would still fall short of explaining what they mean to my little Emilio. They have created a place where he feels welcomed, cared for, encouraged, and--most importantly--happy. Every summer, he looks forward to coming back, seeing familiar faces, making new friends, and having adventures that he talks about long after camp is over. What I love most is knowing that while I'm at work, my son isn't simply being watched. He is being cared for, learning, growing, exploring, and making memories that will stay with him for years to come. The counselors have been such a positive influence in his life, and it means the world to me as a mom to see the relationships he has built with them. Four summers later, this camp has become such a special part of Emilio's childhood. I am incredibly grateful to Joe and his entire staff for the love, patience, kindness, and joy they pour into these kids. Thank you for giving my son a place where he can simply be a kid, have fun, feel safe, and make memories he will carry with him. I truly cannot recommend this camp enough. It has been such a gift to our family, and I am so thankful that Emilio has had the opportunity to grow up spending his summers here.

Does your kid want to spend all day at the beach hanging out with cool surfers who do gymnastics…read moreand crafts and being allowed to just follow their bliss all day? Send them to Lobster Jo's! This camp is fabulous because it's just incredibly loosely structured; the kids get to do some fun games and activities and crafts, and they can surf and boogie board and swim and snorkel and paddle with supervision and expert assistance, and they can also just sit and dig holes all day, and they will get a high five and to pet the camp doggie! There are tons of sunny campers to supervise their all day play and help them all have a great experience. One of my kiddos had a hard time with waves and got scared (we aren't from here so she isn't super down with the ocean yet) and was hysterical, but one of the counselors was there to get her through that fear, offered her a private surf lesson the next day and got her excited about the ocean and she did some surfing and boogie boarding independently! The counselors are super kind and stoked to get all the kids to love the beach. Obvious this would be awesome for any locals, but I will add we came down from Seattle to go to a family reunion thing and we put our kids in this for the week, and it was the most brilliant vacation scheme ever; the kids got a great California experience, the adults got hours every day where we got to be kid free! I would highly recommend this if you have friends planning a summer vacation in SB to suggest they look into if this camp is happening!

I'm so happy my daughter got into this school! She's been coming here since she was 6 months in the…read moreinfant room and now she is in preschool about to graduate in June. The teachers here are so caring and nice! She loves going to school. Julie is also very understanding and is so kind. My daughter has learned and grown so much from coming here. Location is great too. I recommend this daycare for anyone with a child.

The teachers are carring and and great people but the school is a rippoff it's expensive and on…read morepizza day they charge every kid four dollars for little ceasers pizza a whole pizza from little ceasers is five dollars a pizza just one more dollar and each kid should get a whole pizza to them selfs where is all this pizza going or our money we are paying them for one dollar short from a whole pizza my kid never came home with leftovers somthing is very fishie about this I feel like I'm getting rippedoff

We've had such a great experience with Santa Barbara Dojo! My 5-year-old son has been learning so…read moremuch, and I've noticed a positive difference in his confidence, listening skills, discipline, and focus. I especially love that the lessons he's learning at the dojo carry over into our everyday life at home. The instructors are patient, encouraging, and make learning fun for the kids. We're so happy to be a part of the Santa Barbara Dojo community and would definitely recommend it to other families!

My son started the Ninja Class when he was four, and over the past year and a half, our whole…read morefamily and even our friends have noticed such a huge change in him. He used to be a slow-to-warm-up kid, but at the dojo he has not only become physically stronger, he has also gained so much confidence. Honestly, this was the first place where I saw that spark of confidence in a four-year-old boy's eyes. The instructors here, especially Master Austin, are not only highly skilled martial artists but also truly understand child development and education. He intentionally gives every child opportunities to be a leader, and teaches discipline in a way that is both gentle and firm. The kids also learn important life skills like greeting others, making friends, and showing respect. For our family, this program has been much more than a martial arts class. It has also been physical training and social-emotional education. I highly recommend it to families with children similar to my son.

I decided to take my daughter here for to try out their hip hop dance classes. She loved it! The…read moreinstructor was so nice and patient. The owners were also super friendly and answered any questions I had. I'm so happy I found somewhere that is close by, affordable, and a fun place for my daughter to learn little dances!

We tried this studio after having a less-than-great experience at another one in town. The owners…read moreare SO kind and attentive, and fielded my dozens of questions before we even did a trial class. During the trial class, my daughter (2.5 years) was participating and connecting with the teacher within the first few minutes. By contrast, she didn't participate much at the other studio even after multiple classes. And it's because the teachers at the dance network are so compassionate and engaging. We have since told friends and family to join us at the dance network! When you walk into the studio it has such a calm, home-like vibe and it's just completely unpretentious, which is hard to find around here. So glad we found this place!