La Petite Baleen Swim School

I love it here! My son started there when he was 6 months old and he is almost three now, and we just started bringing my daughter who is 4 months old. I hate to miss class because I enjoy swimming with my kids so much and to see them be so happy in the water.
My only disappointment is that the amazing teacher my son had left! And his new teacher is ok, but Ben was SUPER good. I noticed great progress when my son was with him.
I highly recommend it. It is fun, they learn a very important safety skill and the facilities are great.

Excellent, customer service, clean facility. Most importantly kids love it. Teachers for kids are friendly and knowledgeable. Kids learning to swim and getting use to water.

I love La Petite. I didn’t know that «baleen» means whale. I thought it was a ballerina. Like a swimming ballerina. I just didn’t want my girl to be called little whale. But whatever. At least the whale makes a really cute logo. They charge $ 99 for monthly fee for a class once a week and open for free style family swim (check the schedule for family swim). It is a pretty steep price for swimming but the mommy and daughter bonding during baby and me group classes is priceless. I felt connected with her and is a good bonding activity. I started taking my daughter when she was 2 months. I have to admit it was a challenge because she had thrown fits and crying spells but i stuck thru it and eventually she got comfortable and used to the water. Don’t give up. You will enjoy it eventually and sooner your baby will be little swimming ballerina. Lastly, the staff are super nice, kid loving people. We go to the San Francisco location but the membership lets you go all locations.

I have taken my son here since he was 6mos old. I really don’t get some of the negative reviews posted here. There is always a lifeguard present — either up in the chair like at the beach or actually walking along the sidelines of the pools.
While it is not cheap what is in SF??? My son swims at a level far above many children his age that I have witnessed on family vacations in HI etc. Teacher Dani in particular is an incredible instructor!!! She is determined to see my son from day 1 to whenever it is (will be coming soon!) able to swim on his own. It is not often you find teachers so committed their students in a non-​academic environment.
The place is very clean and nicer than many adult gyms I have frequented. We have never come across anyone who truly didn’t seem to want to be there! Many thanks to your amazing program — to quote my son «I can swim like a shark!»

Great swim school. My kids (5, 3, and 1 year old) have learned so much. We’ve had a number of teachers over our 3 years of classes and have been pleased with them all.

My child earned all the different ribbons, and every teacher was so great. The training was very consistent, so if a teacher was out one week, another substitute could pick right up. Very clean, organized, professional, and so great for the littlest ones. I watched a teacher 3 weeks in a row work so patiently with a child who had severe issues with water, until he finally embraced it. Teacher Cody was especially great. The parking situation on weekends can be a bit of a nightmare — but thats what happens when everyone wants to go there.

LPB is a very neat & clean swim facility. The staff is very friendly and warm. My daughter enjoyed her swim lessons here. Her teacher Nikko Y was a very patient instructor. With his help my daughter overcame the fear of water. She loves swimming thanks to Nikko. As far as setting an appointment is concerned its easy. Even though they don’t offer make up classes but they offer a free splash & dash class. In toto its a nice swim school for kids. I would certainly recommend it to my friends.

Umm, this place is terrible and it seems to have the corner on the market without knowing how to honestly teach instructors to instruct.
I am in a toddler class and to begin the length of the class is absurd. Our baby is just ready to get going when its time to go, the teacher appears, for weeks now, annoyed or bored-​not sure which it is but its one-​, there is no instruction. Yes, I have a masters in Education hence Im sensitive to this however the teacher does not explain ANYTHING to the child or to me, the parent, about what we are going to now do, why and perhaps what skill it is relevant to developing. We are shuttled into class and told to get out of the pool within seconds of the goodbye song. Im not sure the use of fins is actually good and each time Ive attempted to have an actual conversation about the «thinking» of their role in a toddlers learning to swim process I am met with one liners, an avoidant attitude and what seems to be general apathy. When I shared that they have my toddler son run on a mattress and jump in after with my former college roommate who went on to win gold medals for the US at the Olympics as in swimming and then train young potential olympic swimmers for years she gasped and spoke to the absolute madness as well as danger of such an activity. I am now paid up and feel as though I got caught up in some absolute joke of a program. BIG BUMMER.

We still love LPB, but I’m taking off one star for their lack of a make-​up policy. Perhaps having a limited number of makeups would be nice or how about only one free make-​up per month with a maximum of 5 a year or something? I’m a fan of the online chat feature and although we haven’t gone to a family swim yet, we will eventually.
That said, my sons LOVE their classes. My 3 year old is with Becky who is very patient and happy to see her students each week. My son adores her. We had another teacher before who sometimes seemed disinterested or distracted. I’ve seen that previous teacher be much more engaged with slightly older students so i will assume that she just wasn’t suited for 3s.
My older son is a level 4 with Kenny. It seems like the male instructors are a bit more demanding, but Kenny has really brought out the best in my little swimmer. The classes are expensive so I can appreciate a teacher with high expectations who will push the swimmers and make immediate technique corrections.

Lessons are short (30 minutes, which is super short factoring getting there and back, shower time, etc., and it works out to even less than that by the time things get switched over from one group of kids to the next, and the kids get their goggles on, etc.), slow progress on swimming skills (it literally takes years to get your kid to a decent level), uncomfortable and not user friendly facilities (showers have annoying buttons to start water, seats for parents are uncomfortable, no change is provided for vending machines, there is a charge to «buy» a towel if you forget one rather than getting to use a facility-​provided one). The only way to cancel is by submitting an online form (but of course you can sign up over the phone). And LPB doesn’t refund fees for unused lessons (why should they?).
LPB has perfected a money making rat race here with limited regard for the end result (as noted it takes a very long time to get to new levels with these instructors) and almost zero regard for parents. Plus this particular location is bad in terms of parking and is a real pain to get to from most locations in San Francisco (besides the Marina).
Swim lessons are an absolutely great idea for kids. That said I would look for other options, like your local Y. We have sent one kid all the way through to «graduation» and another one half way through and we’re finally fed up with the slow progress, short lessons, unfriendly policies, and lack of even minimal amenities.

I started coming here when my son was 4 months old. Loving water and learning to swim is high on my priority list for him and so I started him early. With the help of his first teacher, Kelly, he took to water quickly and was happy to have his head underwater in his very first lesson! Now he’s with Ben, who is absolutely amazing. If you have a chance to be in Ben’s Baby and Me class, you should definitely go for it!
But I have to say that your experience here will very much depend on your teacher. I’ve had a few substitute teachers now that I haven’t been happy with. Recently, for example, a substitute submerged a crying baby. The baby had started crying after being submerged and his response was to do it again! He didn’t seem to really care to connect with the kids and was just going through his set routine. So if I had that guy, Cameron, I would switch classes fast.
My advice is that is you and your child don’t connect with the teacher, change classes. They’re really good about letting you do that too.
Otherwise, I love Family Swim. It’s basically an open pool time where you can come and swim with your kid outside of a lesson. They’re chill and the parents talk to each other and the kids play together.
All in all, I really like my experience at LPB.

Too Expensive! No curriculum. We have different teachers and classmates in every classes. The class is not progressing with high turnover, very disappointed. Teacher never tell me how my son is doing nor what he needs to work on. I don’t think the teacher remember my son at all. It was just rush in and rush out in the 30 mins. If you are serious to learn how to swim, this is not the place for your kids.

This was more than disappointing. It was heart wrenching to watch my toddler go from being genuinely ecstatic at the idea of getting in the pool, to quickly being terrified of the instructor and the water (in general). Between the lack of instruction in the water, the cattle-​like mentality behind the overall process, and the inattentiveness of the front desk crew – it couldn’t have been a much worse experience.
To give some context, my toddler started swim lessons down South when he turned 6 months (which was necessary because our home down South had a pool), and he quickly moved up the ranks in the program over the next year-​and-​a-​half. As competitive water-​people ourselves, my wife and I made every effort to get him in the water on a nearly daily basis (and it was one of his favorite activities). We recently moved to SF and quickly looked for another swim school, and made the mistake of trying La Petite Baleen. If its any testament to how upset I really am, I am actually writing this review after taking a free class.
Here are my main issues with La Petite Baleen:
* There was little, to no, instruction in the water.
o It was assumed that we understood the routine, which we didn’t, and no effort was made to explain the routine, even after I asked for help.
o Even during the «individual» section, the instructor merely came by to ask for a high-​five; and then quickly left.
* The policy is similar to that of a coffee shop without wifi: «wait your turn, do the dance, and then get the „f“ out.»
* They insist on teaching exclusively with swim fins (at least at the toddler level) – which may help develop leg strength, but certainly doesn’t help prepare a child to swim in an actual emergency situation (e.g. like if they fell into a pool without the swim fins already on).
* Was there a lifeguard on duty? I didn’t see one.
* It will take some time to rebuild my toddler’s confidence in the water after such a bad experience.

6.5 years and going strong! This whole team is my second family. I love them. The training they give to teachers is wonderful. I’m so lucky to have experienced and wonderful teachers for my kids. The drive is far, but I do anything for my kids. LOVE MY LPB Swim school! :) Please read my previous review to work around the «system.» Teacher turn-​over is a bit of a problem. Recommendation: Ask for an experienced teacher. Get in during summer months. If possible, go on weekdays. If you have to go on the weekends, try to get the earlier classes. Much easier to park, and you can park without parking permit because no one’s up yet! Early bird does catch the worm, but wear a warm jacket so early bird doesn’t catch cold, too. :) Might as well go early, you know you’re little ones are up anyways.

Generally speaking this is a nice place for kids to go swim. The only shortfall is u can’t make up the class at all. The staff is reachable thru online chat which is very nice and the tuition is acceptable.

I’ve got a very little one I want to teach to love the water, so I was excited to see they take infants as young as 2 months old. The website says they keep the water a comfy 90 degrees. We’ve had 2 classes so far, and there is no way the water is 90 degrees. My little wombat’s chattering his gums! He can’t relax. He’s happy as a clam in our bath tub at home and in our friends hot tub. I think this is a probelm here, and I’m disappointed.

Teaching style was not a good fit for my child. His instructor repeatedly splashed water in his face even after my child asked him not to. We teach our children to use words when someone is doing something that bothers them with the hope that the person will stop what they’re doing. What kind of message does it send to my child when an adult does not stop splashing him when my son repeatedly asked him not to? Additionally, the instructor submerged my son’s face before my child was ready (it was his first lesson). The instructor then ended the lesson right ofter the submersion rather than attempting to end on a positive note for my child.
The bathrooms/​changing rooms are spacious and clean. Parking isn’t too bad during the week.
Don’t think we’ll be back though.

I started my toddler here recently; after our first try-​out swim, the teacher announced she’d no longer be conducting that class. The next teacher was good, though, and helps my daughter feel comfortable in the water, encouraging her that she can do it. This is what I do like about the class, and it’s important.
The things I don’t like make up a longer list, unfortunately.
1) you have employees milling around to make sure you don’t get into the pool outside the allotted 30 minutes and to make sure you’re getting in or getting out at the right times, which made it feel like, well, just what it is: a production line. Other than this, the customer service has been ok.
2) The pools are crowded and it’s really loud, it seems this makes it more stressful for my little girl.
3) I can’t get a time slot I’d like despite having tried several times, and from what I understand, weekend mornings are even more of a zoo than the afternoons.
4) Parking is difficult and costs extra.
5) They charge an extra $ 12 to swap to a different class for a week when you have a conflict. Given that it’s already expensive, it seems unfair not to be given a little leeway.
Despite these misgivings, we’re still there for the time being. It’s not easy to find good toddler swim lessons on the weekends in this city. I preferred UCSF Mission Bay in some ways, but have preferred the teachers we have at LPB, as they offer a little more personalized attention.

My 18 months old daughter and I have been swimming here since she was about 4 months old, and she loves it! I’m a water person myself and the 90 degrees definitely makes it extra fun, even in the cold. The location is great and I haven’t had any difficulty with parking. Also, we often just hang out around Crissy Field before class, so beautiful.
Being SF it’s not cheap but we’re trying to get in as many Family Swims as possible on top of the weekly classes and that way it’s well worth it. My little one loves our former teacher Ivan, he’s great with kids and she’s learned a lot over the last year. He helped her reaching new milestones and took good care of the whole group. Now we switched to Ben who’s awesome as well, and we feel very lucky to have had two of the best instructors! Thanks guys!

I really like this swim school, but when trying to re-​enroll my daughter I’ve been told by 3 different people that I need to call in advance by 2 weeks/​3 weeks/​and then today was 1 week.
Ah, which is it?
Finally, Sunday AMs during marathon season is particularly tough, lots of cancelled classes so keep that in mind when booking.
Out of their control, I realize, but if you can book your class outside of that time will be more convenient.