Aquamermaid - Chicago Review
The Not So Little Mermaid

Growing up, I took pride in being the not so typical girl, but my love for mermaids was the one exception. At the sheer mention of The Little Mermaid, I would swoon, sing, and dream of living under the sea. So you can imagine my excitement when Nora, the owner of Aquamermaid Chicago offered to make my dreams come true in a mermaid class here in Chicago.

A mermaid can’t swim alone so, I just had to get my BFF, Jalpa to join and my oh my was she thrilled! This opportunity presented itself right in between our birthdays so that made the offer even sweeter. After the initial excitement and shock wore off, I started to question if I would be able to fit into the tail since they only come in small, medium, and large. Instead of letting my fears sink in, I decided I’d go and find out the fit in real life.Then the day finally arrived, and we found our way to the Whitney Young High School pool near downtown Chicago. Most of the mermaids opted to suit up in the locker room, but if you’re a shy girl, or notoriously run late, just throw on your swimsuit under your clothes. It’ll save you time and awkwardness in the locker room.

Next, we got fitted for a monofin. This means that you find a fin that will stay in place on your feet throughout the class. Then you get to choose your tail—pink or blue. This was the moment of truth ladies, and let me tell you I was worried for nothing because the material is extremely stretchy, so the large fit just fine even though I’m a size 18/20. The instructors were so helpful throughout this not so graceful process which involves standing, sitting, shimmying, and tugging but once it’s on you feel like a magical sea princess.

During the class, we learned to swim like a mermaid, which is basically a lovely repetitive motion of abs, hips, tail. You learn to do it on your stomach, back, and side. Once everyone is fairly comfortable with the technique, you learn a few tricks and then the class concludes in a mermaid race! As an asthmatic, even though I didn’t win, I was proud to come in second. And of course…Aquamermaid knows you need pictures, so they graciously allow time as class wraps up for photos! Here are some fun post class shots I took with Jalpa of Samosa POP and Amber of Style Plus Curves!

If you’re ready to make your mermaid dreams come true, sign up for a Sunday afternoon class here. And hey…if you want your own mermaid tail, there are some available here on Aquamermaid’s site. Thank you so much to Nora for letting me try the Aquamermaid Chicago class; I’ll definitely be back!