About Us

Hippo in the Bathtub is a local, private company striving to provide the Ottawa community with the best swimming lessons possible! Since we started in 2011, Hippo in the Bathtub has helped thousands of students all over Ottawa become stronger and safer swimmers. Our focus is to promote water safety by providing our clients with quality swim instruction at their convenience.

Our first backyard season was back in Summer 2011 and for fifteen summers, Hippo in the Bathtub was a well-known backyard swimming lesson and lifeguarding provider. Summer 2025 was our final summer offering our backyard services.

In Fall 2017, we got the keys to our first indoor pool facility on Grenfell Crescent in Nepean. At the time there was no other privatized private lesson provider but from our years of backyard experience we knew that children needed a quiet, warm, and focused facility in which to become stronger and safer swimmers. Our Nepean Indoor pool facility opened to the public in Summer 2018 and quickly became a popular location for families in the surrounding neighborhoods.

In Fall 2019 we opened our second indoor facility location on Industrial Ave in Trainyards! Followed by our third indoor facility located on Cedarow Court in Stittsville in Winter 2021. Over the years each facility welcomes hundreds of swimmers of all ages and our staff loved helping each and every one meet their swimming goals. These three indoor facilities have since closed but we opened an almost 5000 sq ft Aquatic Centre in Nepean on Antares Drive.

Our Aquatic Centre opened its doors in March 2025 and has enabled our team to offer a wider selection of aquatic services due to the larger space. In addition to the private 1:1 lessons that we are so well known for, our team of dedicated instructors also now offer low-ratio group classes which are the perfect option for children and adults who are able to learn in a group setting. We also offer aquafit classes, Lil’ Hippo swim times, mermaid birthday parties, facility rentals, and family open swims.

We are looking forward to continuing to offer Ottawa families a comfortable environment to become stronger and safer swimmers in the coming years!