Gymboree Play & Music

My 11 month old LOVES these classes. We started her here when she was 6 months and I wish we had started earlier. They have helped her to socialize and be comfortable around other adults and kids. It’s the perfect activity to get you and your little one out of the house for. After class, she is always tuckered out.

I don’t understand why the such a no love in heart person open a kids class business. I freeze my account last year because we went oversees for monthes. I did the automatic pay mouthly. When I came back with my little one on 9:00AM to unfreeze my account for 9:30AM class. Mybe my credit card had updated the exp date，so the lady who helped me can’t active my account，unfortunatly i forgot bring my purse with me，the lady who helped me call the owner this situation ask weather we can go for the class today，I bring my updated credit card next time. since the little girl already came so early in the morning and it was raining outside. But the owner refused us. she said：I can’t let you go to the class today，I didn’t believe what did she say，I ask her，sorry，you main I can or can not？She speak very clearly and slowly this time：YOU～ CAN～ NOT！！！！I don’t understand how the owner were thinking，She will Not lost any thing，just considering a little for your customers！I WILL NEVER COME To THIS CLASS ANY MORE！

We took 4 months of play&music class, my little liked the class at the first month, but then he got bored, because their class is the same! And for me, I don’t like one of the front desk, she is not nice at all, sorry I forgot her name. And I also feel like they only care about the money. Anyway, I will not recommend this place!

Yeap… The owner is really bad ! Always money money money … Not running the children learning place with love… I suggest her to change her attitude and it will for sure getting more business. Many learning places in the world, not only your 2 places, run with your love… not only a penny penny penny to be counted with your guests, you will win eventually, not only count in such shallow !

My daughter was going to Gymboree sine she was 3 months continuously through 2 years and 5 months old. We were a loyal customer for over 2 years. My daughter started getting bored with the classes so I decided to cancel. During that 2 year tenure, it was a great place for her to play and meet new friends. She had a great time there. The program itself is great. It helps with their socialization and gross motor skills. We met a lot of great families there and the teachers are awesome! The one thing, I will complain about is the management. If you are a current and paying customer, Tiffany (the owner), will do anything to make you happy because she is trying to retain you as a customer.
I cancelled our membership in May 2015. I decided to come back in August because my daughter was asking to go again. Keep in mind I was a customer for over 2 years. I was told prior that I would be able to come back and they would honor my «loyalty discount» since I was a longtime customer. When I went back for one class, the office manager stated that they couldn’t honor the «loyalty discount» anymore since I was gone for 3 months and that they were transitioning to a «new computer system». Keep in mind that each Gymboree is franchised and they have the flexibility to charge or give a discount as warranted. I asked the office manager for Tiffany to call me. At that time, the office manager told me that Tiffany called back and that if I wanted to re-​join, it was going to cost me $ 72 a month for FOUR classes. And if I chose not to sign up that day, I would be charged $ 25 for that class. Let me do the math…4 divided into $ 72= $ 18 per class. What kind of sense does that make? Especially to a loyal customer??? What an insult! I then received a follow-​up email from the office manager that weekend basically reiterating the above.
I was extremely upset and Tiffany didn’t even have the courtesy to call me back. I responded to the office manager and Tiffany that I was insulted and upset how I was being treated and I would pay the $ 18 NOT the $ 25.
To make a long story short, if you are a paying customer, Tiffany, will do almost anything because she wants to keep you as a customer. Once you cancel, you are basically treated like a sack of rocks. Why should she even treat you decent, when you aren’t a paying customer.
I have heard so many complaints from previous customers AND her former employees (that I am still in contact with) and they have all said that she does not care about anyone or anything else except HERSELF. She lacks customer service and any compassion. There is a very HIGH turnover rate for the teachers and now it’s confirmed why that is.
I suggest any new customers take their business to another Gymboree besides the Monrovia and South Pasadena (Tiffany owns both of them).

There were so many bad reviews that I kept putting off joining Gymboree. I finally decided to take my daughter and it was the best decision ever. She is able to interact with other children and she’s learned a lot of new skills by going to Gymboree. It’s a very clean facility and our instructor is amazing. Go to a class with Stephanie. She’s super friendly and had a great singing voice.

I think everyone signs up for gymboree for a month and cancels. I am bored and so is my one year old. They do the SAME thing every class, parachute, bubbles, and gymbo the clown at the end. They always sing the same songs like sitting in my high chair n individual bubbles. I feel like I can do this myself at home! The blonde girl there was also trying to be extra cutesy and had a voice that annoyed me. They also allowed a sick child with a cough and runny nose play! It pisses me off that they would allow that contamination with infant babies!
Bottom line, their curriculum is unchallenging and very repetitive. I would rather watch something annoying as Barney at home bc at least there are different songs n I have the power to shut it off. Going to those classes were torture after the 2^nd class.
I think my gym in Pasadena is so much better. They are innovative and challenging and fun for baby and parents. My son n I love going there as they have different music and physical skill stations that motivate and strengthen babies skills. They are so creative and impressive as they teach gymnastics, music, exploration and are so much more fun.

Gymboree is so fun my baby loves it! The free play hours are nice but they are a little on the late side for me, it would be nice if they had earlier times on atleast a couple of days. Also I’m sure that it is not easy keeping the place clean and it’s not terrible or I wouldn’t go there, however they really need to give the place a deep cleaning once Ina while. Some of the toys and inbetween the play mats are visibly dirty.

I have been taking my child here for awhile now, and have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the staff and facilities. I have never had a «pushy» sales person for felt that someone is just after my money. To give someone a very low score because you didn’t like the owner or payment policy is cheating your child out of a wonderful experience. Of course the owner is concerned about money! She is not a volunteer, this is her business. To take a free class and not expect to be asked if you would like to join is rather ignorant. These girls do a great job. No I am not the owner or an employee, just a realistic consumer.

Boo… because they are franchised, they don’t accept the $ 49 first month offered online. However, I did enjoy the class though. I can’t speak the same for my 10 month young daughter. LOL. She was a little fussy which surprised me because I take her to a sitter and thought she would play well with the others.
Things I liked about the class:
1. Instructor gave every child an equal amount of attention.
2. Instructor explains the benefits of each activity.
3. Every child had a chance to try each activity.
4. Everyone (instructors and parents) is friendly.
Things I didn’t like about the class:
1. It was only 45 minutes long, so it goes by very fast.
2. Does not honor the online deal.

I heard about Gymboree from a friend and decided to do some research online to see what it was really about. I scheduled a free class pass online and that was that. The day before the class, Gymboree gave me a courtesy call to remind me about the class which was nice. I spoke to someone and she was very helpful with my questions. I asked her if we could bring more than one adult and she said you can bring the whole posse! The teacher that was there that day was wonderful. She had a beautiful singing voice and was very energetic. We attended the level 1 class that is intended for Newborns to 6 mos. The class was 45 minutes long and at the end someone spoke to me about the program and how it all worked. My son was 4 mos old when we signed up. I was a lil hesitant at first because of the prices but boy am I glad I signed up. We got the core pass meaning we get to attend as much as wanted. She even said we can basically live there. I attend wednesdays at S. Pasadena, thursdays at Monrovia, Saturday and Sunday at Monrovia. Yes, You can find a bed sheet at home to parachute or blow bubbles but you wont get the environment or the social interaction that is important for you and your baby. Plus, their bubbles are made of sugar so its safe! My son loves his teacher (Teacher Quinn) and my son cannot take his eyes off of him when he sings or transitions us to the next activity. (so cute!) Gymboree is not only for the babies, its also for the parents. We get to go out and socialize with other parents and make new lasting friendships.
Breakdown of a class session (Varies from week to week)
Discussion (Ice Breaker): Introduce yourself and your baby and theres a different discussion topic every week.
Tummy Time Mirror Activity
Tummy strokes and massages
Sing Songs
Bubbles
Parachute w/​songs
Gymbo the Clown (hand puppet)
Oh yea, the Monrovia location is more intimate with less parents.
The S. pasadena location is more busy.

Good teachers, short classes. However, their is a terrible owner (I think her name is Tiffany) who is difficult to talk to and only concerned about your money. She is very particular when it comes to payments. We signed up for a free trial class and decided to try it out for a month. By the end of the month, the owner was simply too difficult to deal with, so we decided to stop. Despite that fact that we paid for a full month, we were not allowed to attend the last week because we did not renew for the following month! She ended up counting our free trial class the first week, so did not allow us to play anymore even though the computer still had us active and paid for until the end of the month. I do not like it when businesses are not honest and do everything to make sure they always come out «winning.»

The classes are okay. As previously mentioned, it’s nothing special and could be easily done at home, in the park, etc. The women running the various classes are friendly, enthusiastic and upbeat, if a bit cheesy at times. My 11 month old son has enjoyed the classes since he started at six months, and although it’s overpriced at about $ 20 a class, we stuck with it because as a first time mom, none of my friends have babies yet and it’s a good social experience for us both. Also, after six months they give you a loyalty discount of ten dollars off per month, and at the slightly cheaper rate, I figured it was worth it since he enjoyed it so much. The owners, however, are not very flexible. The policy is you can suspend for a month and not lose your built up months towards the discounted price. I work for the schools and during my six week vacation, we are traveling out of state. I had (stupidly) assumed that they would allow us to suspend for the six weeks, since we’d been coming regularly, and that seems good business practice in order to keep your customer base happy and paying you money. Well, they were very inflexible and the manager kept trying to sell me on how I could do make-​ups/​how you get a bonus week every three months, how they offer a better loyalty program than most other places, etc., etc. It’s their right as business owners to have whatever policies they choose, but their product is over-​priced. I was willing to keep going, but being overpriced and uncooperative, well, I wish I’d asked about this sooner, as I would have saved my money and looked harder for an alternative activity for my son and I. Which is what we will be doing in the fall when we return, as we’ve cancelled our membership. If you enjoy the classes, please do go by all means. Just know that they will not work with you/​make any exceptions to their stated policies, that’s all. I wish I had known/​realized that to start with, hence my review.

My daughter and I went to this Gymboree for 4 months. We started out at a level 2. Class was great but over priced@ $ 78. But I was going for the socialization for my daughter so I thought it was worth it.
I signed up over the phone so I never got my free trial class but was told that I could use it any time or just add it on after I canceled. Then I had a class canceled by the teacher. We missed one class due to being sick. The problem came when it was time to graduate into the next level. Andi, the manager (I’m guessing) told me that I couldn’t get make-​ups for those missing classes because in level 2 you get a «core pass» and no make-​ups are allowed. I never knew what a «core pass» was until 2 months in. And I never used it. (I know my bad.) Mean while she is acting as if I am trying to pull one over on them and rip them off. Now I’m mad! This is bad business in my option. You are going to lose a good paying customer over treating them like a thief. It was 2 bloody classes. Why do I get dinged because your staff doesn’t come in?
So I went home and canceled. But be very careful of when you sign up because you pay for a full month even if you come in half way. Andi, told me this in an email after I canceled which is a contradiction of what the girl told me over the phone at sign up.
Teacher Karen (20+ year Gymboree vet) was awesome… but she left to go to the San Dimas location. Leaving me to think that they must treat their staff like their customers.

This review is for a party attended at this location… we did not take any classes here.
We had SO much fun! Fell fast asleep on the car ride back home.
We had never been to a gymboree play/​music (the only one in SF seems super crowded and busy), so it was a welcome surprise to attend such a fun-​filled birthday party here.
Birthday boy’s dad was VERY busy getting the food for the party, but the staff had all of the tables and tablecloths set up in advance. All the kids appeared to be having a great time playing on the structures and exploring.
The teacher/​leader (Miss D) of the party did a great job with the songs and leading the group (and she had a great singing voice!) — super friendly and upbeat, in the face of many babies/​toddlers running around– what patience.
The facilities were very clean, the equipment was safe (when used correctly,) and the 2.5 hour party went off without a hitch!
If I can be convinced that our party would go as well in SF at the sloat location, I might consider it! (prices in SF are higher by about $ 50/​hour. I just checked.)
The only? I have is if at parties like these, the kid is expected to open presents at the party? I dunno. We were having so much fun playing, most of the kids were either eating food or running back to play some more!

My wife purchased a Groupon to try out one month of Gymboree Play & Music. We took our 19-​month old son to his first class at the Monrovia location. We found the staff to be quite pleasant and easy to deal with. Andi, the manager, was friendly and explained what was included with our Groupon deal. She wasn’t pushy and didn’t try to upsell us.
The facility was very clean. Our instructor, Kristen, was very upbeat and was very good about referring to all of the children by name. There were about 7 children in the class. Kristen sang songs and kept the class fun. There were some structured group activities (listening to music and learning to start and stop), and also some free play time to explore the room on your own. Our son really seemed to enjoy the class.
We ended up buying a Core Pass for an additional $ 15 which allows us to bring him to any Level 4 Play & Learn class for the rest of the month. So, we brought him to a second class this morning. Our instructor today was Jennifer (I think). It was another fun class.
As another reviewer pointed out, it’s true that you can do some of the activities and bubbles at home. However, Gymboree offered this all in a fun place where our son could socialize with other children his age.
Our investment in our one month of Gymboree, including the CorePass, came out to $ 64, which is quite a bargain. The cost for 1 class per week is $ 78/​month. That comes out to about $ 20 a class. So, we’ll see how the rest of the month goes before we decide to continue with Gymboree. We may end up going back to the Kindergym class offerred at the local park, which costs 60% less with double the number of classes. Kindergym is not quite the same as Gymboree, but for the price it’s pretty affordable.

You know «I» don’t usually write reviews either but after reading the last 2 reviews «I» felt that I had to write something. I’m a father and my wife and I have been taking our son there since he was 4 months. The teachers are GREAT! and they really helped him develop physically and socially. We go on weekends when it’s usually a little busy but Kristen is the best and pays extra attention to everyone.
When my son was around 16 – 17 months, we had some changes at home (nanny issues) and he became very frighten with strangers. NO, I know you’re thinking «stranger anxiety» at its peak but it’s not that. He never had that problem. But now thanks to Gymboree and Kristen, he was able to overcome his fear and is very outgoing now.
So if you’re doubting this place, go on and give it a shot. You’ll see what I mean. Kids don’t develop overnight and it takes time to mold them into socially happy and healthy little ones.

I normally don’t write reviews. Never have I written a bad one but this place is managed very poorly, I had to write something!
My husband signed up my son for a class and after a month we found the classes to be not very helpful or fun for my son. The classes are overpriced for the caliber of instruction, and for the time spent in class.
Needless to say, my husband did not cancel so we were continued to be billed for the next 3 months. (our stupidity, we know…) And so we called them which took awhile to get in touch with a real person and Andi said we can get credit for those 3 months. I took my 24 months old son but he wanted to get out of there kicking and screaming. So after a few emails later, (always got the answering machine when I called) I asked them if I could get the credit for my 10 months old daughter to use, but they will only give me one month credit for her or get refunded for 1 months minus $ 25 processing fee. So out of the $ 234 we paid, we will get back $ 53 back. Expensive lesson learned.
I don’t necessarily think this is Andi’s fault, I think this is the problem with the owners. They obviously are not thinking long term because if my daughter had actually enjoyed it we would probably have continued it even at the expense they are charging and not only that, word of mouth is a powerful tool for businesses. You don’t think I will be telling other mothers about this???

I’m a mom so I’m keen to Gymboree the clothing store but had no idea about their play gym program until my cousin in-​law from back East gave us a heads up about them.
I certainly want to encourage safe play, socialization and developmental growth for my child but knew that with structured programming comes a price tag. How much it would cost was the next question. My cousin noted that the first intro class would be free and with no obligation. My instant thoughts were; «Would I be shorted an experience by shadowing a class and/​or would I have to deal with a pushy salesperson after?»
We were able to join a class that was in session and found it nice that there were less than a handful of families attending. The class was approximately 45 minutes long yet seemed a lot shorter even considering there were a small group of us. I had hoped to have a more student/​teacher one-​on-​one centered program but overall felt cheated at the end of the class.
The exercises that were employed could have been done from the comfort of your home; rolling around, stretches, singing, etc., nothing special. I mean parachuting a bed sheet? C’mon! And bubbles? I could do bubbles.
When class ended the teacher of that same class tried to sell us a program. Prices are based on the age group that your child falls into and for us came out to almost $ 200 a month. But get this, we were limited to one 45 minute session per week.
I wasn’t allowed free unlimited play sessions where I could bring my child in on «off hours» to play with their gym equipment and could only attend my weekly paid class on the same day, at the same location and on the same time. I could barely figure out how the rest of my week will go how in the world will I know if I can make it in three weeks later.
Payments had to be made in advance and schedules had to be set in stone. No room for flexability makes for a sketchy program and company. Remember Enron? No thanks. Nevertheless we passed and haven’t made recommendations since. Save your money and take advantage of the bigger, broader, better and FREE programs for your child (ren). *See previous review.

This place has saved me! We live in a small townhouse and our little boy is very active so we take full advantage of the classes and open gyms. He loves going there and every teacher is great! They are trained very well and it seems pretty clean for the amount of kids that play there daily!