The common definition for any front desk gym attendant is that they oversee operations, including gym front desk management and facilities usage by patrons. Educational requirements and pay vary by location and facility type and the main part of the role is interacting with patrons at the front desk and on the phone, sharing information on the gym and membership rates with new visitors and answering questions and manages check-in and check-out procedures for existing members and guests. Gym receptionist skills and people skills alike are important most for this role.

If you were visiting a regular gym, and wanted regular service, the above might sound like the ad for the job. But at Carlsbad Kickboxing Club, where the environment and the people who work there are like family, having the right person in place in that role part of the gym’s success story, and, one could argue, is as important to the gym’s success as its trainers.

You might know Carlsbad Kickboxing Club’s Phoenix Vaughan-Voski as your first hello when you walk in the door. Originally from East Coast, the friendly 20 year old has lived everywhere from North Carolina to Miami and settled in California in his sophomore year of high school. He graduated just before Covid last year and began training at CKC in December. He officially joined the front desk team in April.

Customer service isn’t a new role for Vaughan-Voski. He has worked in food service including a pizza place in Philly and worked at a vegan place in Encinitas. What he likes most about customer service, and CKC in particular, is talking to people all day long. “What is most interesting about working here are the different types of people that come in to do the same thing,” he says. “Everyone knows each other here and there is a sense of familiarity.”
That familiarity is important to Vaughan-Voski. When he was in food service, there were new people each day, and people don’t treat you as well, he says. “My biggest problem in food service was the environment.”

It is that comfort that makes it possible for Vaughan-Voski to go from working at the front desk all day, then staying to train for two hours before heading home. “It is better here than other work environments,” he says. “These are all my friends here and coworkers.”

When asking why he thought the environment was so different, he says it begins at the top. “At my last job, it felt like high school in how it was managed, The owners treat us as more than employees.”

For example, he says that anytime they are talking future concepts, they involved their team and listen to their input. “They involve us in new designs and decisions and always want our feedback and opinions,” he says. “We are all chill and open with each other.”

And there are no surprises, he explains. “I feel like a lot of times, bosses or managers just throw stuff at you instead of involving you in the process. Rolando wants us to know changes coming in advance, which helps keep us tight…It is a really cool way to operate.”

If you are interested in joining the CKC family, visit Carlsbad Kickboxing Club to learn more.