Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 83F. NW winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 83F. NW winds shifting to SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Through Sept. 24 on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel’s Mermaid Academy teaches children ages six and up how to be merkids.

Through Sept. 24 on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel’s Mermaid Academy teaches children ages six and up how to be merkids.

Some kids might blanch at going to school on a Saturday, but not the kids who are in Dominique Napolitano’s class at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

From now through Sept. 24 on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m., Napolitano is teaching children ages six and up how to be merkids. The classes, which are $50 per merkid, teach swimmers how to use mermaid tails, search for hidden pool treasures and swim with mermaids. The Mermaid Academy is held at the hotel’s pool and swimmers must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older. 

At the Mermaid Academy, Napolitano said they specialize in instructing their students and parents about water safety while having a fun mermaid experience. The kids soon find out that being a mermaid is hard work. 

“When I’m instructing in class, the kids get their tails on and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re going to lift up your fluke, lift our hips up and down, and make big waves,’ and the kids will go, ‘Oh, man, this is hard!’” Napolitano said. “I always say, ‘It’s not easy being a mermaid!’”

While it may be hard, it is also a lot of fun. Napolitano welcomes the merkids by telling them that they’re going to get to use their imaginations in the class and turns everything into play.

“The pool is going to be the ocean and we’re going to dive down and get some treasure,” Napolitano said. 

By the time the 45-minute class ends and the kids are gathering for a final photo, Napolitano said they’ll often tell her they don’t want to take off their fins, that they want to be mermaids forever. She can relate. Napolitano, who is also a private dance teacher in North Hollywood, plans to continue being a mermaid until she can’t swim anymore. She became a professional mermaid five years ago.

“I grew up just loving all whimsical things from mermaids to fairies,” Napolitano said. 

Then her best friend send her a YouTube clip of a group of mermaids and mermen all swimming together in a giant pool. 

“I was like, no way—this is not a thing,” Napolitano said. “ So, I bought myself a little practice tail, the same ones that we use in class for kids, and I started swimming and practicing.”

The tail she uses is made of silicone. Realistic-looking mermaid tails for adults can weigh anywhere from 35 to 55 pounds. She started reaching out to mermaids she found on Instagram (or as the mermaid community calls it, Finstagram) and asked them how to become a professional—how to make money at being a mermaid. She found Kim Turcotte of Mermaid Flower and HB Mermaid who started her career as a professional mermaid, performing at birthday parties and other events. 

She’s even worked a rave in Las Vegas that Napolitano described as “very colorful and everybody’s just really happy to be there so there are good vibes all around.” She especially loves working birthday parties for children.

“I get to entertain and see their little faces light up when they see a mermaid,” Napolitano said. “You know you’re no longer a stranger. They just want to embrace you and you feel so comfortable.”

She’s become a part of what she said is a whole mermaid and merman community. They have their own lingo—a language that uses such adjectives as “fin-tastic” and uses “mer” as a pronoun for “my.” Her friends were skeptical when she started, saying she’d do it for a month ant then quit. Now in her fifth year, she enjoys it more than ever. 

“It’s wild,” Napolitano said, who added that her entire room is decorated in mermaid décor. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s my little escape from being a human.”

There are limited spots available in the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel Mermaid Academy, so those participating are asked to book in advance. Kids need to come wearing proper swimwear, but they’ll be given the use of a mermaid tail and a pool towel. 

While the class starts at 10 a.m., the organizers encourage each class member to arrive 10 minutes early to check in and get their tail. There is valet parking available for $13 with validation from Blue Streak Restaurant. 

Napolitano also offered some pearls of wisdom gained from life as a mermaid.

“I never thought I’d be a professional mermaid entertainer if you asked me what I wanted to be when I was a kid,” she said. “Anything is possible if you want it and you are passionate.”  

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