Gymboree Play & Music

Yes.
Five stars for parental sanity at Gymboree.
I booked in for one of their free trial classes and it was a huge hit with my 11 month old maniac. It was 45 minutes of some guided play that mostly consisted of some signing, some clapping, some patting the ground, bouncing, jumping, chasing balls, rolling around on the ground and a really great parachute. A parachute! We sure as hell don’t have one of those at our house!
The space is super clean, inviting and friendly. Everyone I spoke to (in person and via email) was absolutely lovely, made googly eyes at the children (not always a given I’ve found) and genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs at Gymboree. Well done!
The soft play area is great — expansive, clean (REALLY clean, I saw them cleaning things constantly), lots of toys and props, climbing equipment, etc. Sanity, I tell ya. Of course we had to supervise our little dude but its a lot easier in a padded room than basically anywhere else on earth, so here we are. Gymboree on a Saturday. My how the mighty have fallen into mummy and daddy shaped people.
But! Before anyone gets too worried — don’t. This Gymboree class (45 minutes/​divided by age groups) + Open Gym conked the master out and my husband and I made a beeline for Alwyne Castle Pub nearby for breakfast, coffee and drinks while he snoozed happily, devoid of demon energy and fireball power for at least an hour.
Gymboree is done by membership — £55/​month entitles the little person to 1 class per week (45 minutes each) + any Open Play they’d like to attend (4 – 5 sessions per week). It may seem steep but I think I’d pay just about anything to have an outlet like this nearby, so we signed up on the spot. I inquired about missed classes (you can just take another appropriate one that week) and travel (can freeze payment or make up classes later). They seem really flexible with members, so that’s an added perk.
Babies/​kids go barefoot (better grip), parents need to wear socks.
The location is very near Canonbury Station (overground) and Highbury/​Islington. It’s a bit tucked back behind a council building, so be on the lookout and you’ll see the sign just off the street, back a bit.
For older kids they also have art, music and other activities, so worth checking out.
Dad’s review would go something like this «really comfortable tubes to sit in while watching child roll around and smash into things, 5 stars.»
Baby’s review = «RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz»
Will report back if less than 5 stars, but I think this is going to be life for a bit folks. Stay tuned for more impressive adventures in raising a baby in a concrete jungle.