member services representative

front desk agent

customer service representative

assistant manager

trainer

Planet Fitness

If you've got a personal trainer certification or degree in that field and need to build some experience, this is a good place to get started because they typically don't require any previous experience for a personal trainer.
However, what you have to do for the pay you receive is pretty dismal. 
Per corporate policy on the training program:
-Classes are to be 30 minutes each and start every half hour - in other words: no break between classes to clean up, set up for the next class, take a restroom break, answer clients' questions, greet new clients, etc. There is no support for trainers either in terms of class enrollment. Members can sign up for a class just one minute before it begins as long as there is space available and a member can cancel their enrollment 1 minute before class starts - plus there's no penalty for a no-show. There is no app for the trainer or anyway to check on enrollment except on a computer at the front desk. This means that at the conclusion of each class (with no time between), the trainer has to sprint to the front desk to check on current enrollment and find the members enrolled then sprint back to where you're holding class so you can start on time. If you're missing someone you have to start class without them or start class a couple minutes late if you want to wait for them to show up.
-The "Design Your Own Program" class is 1 hour and allows up to 4 (that's not a typo: FOUR) people to be enrolled to create a customized workout plan for a member based on their goals, current fitness level, and experience. That's roughly 15 minutes per person. This is at a gym that promotes itself as for "first-time gym users" so you basically give a crash course in how to exercise and come up with a "customized" workout plan in groups of four in 15 minutes or less while others wait for their turn. There is no model or option for consistent one-on-one training, which is what many new gym members want/need - especially if they are self conscious about their body type or abilities (so much for the "judgement free zone"). 
As a trainer, it is expected for you help with checking in members and other customer service needs at the front desk when you're not leading a class. You are also expected to help clean the gym between classes and if you have a full class schedule then you're screwed on keeping the gym clean and meeting all your required duties as an employee. 
There is typically only one trainer per location and classes have to be offered early morning and late evening, so you don't have a consistent schedule. Some days you're there by 6 am and some days you're there until 7 pm or later. 
In the franchise group I worked for, you were granted a whopping 3 (yes, THREE) PTO days despite working nearly 40 hours per week 5 days per week. 
NO paid holidays or time and a half for holidays. 
Corporate has a lot of mandates for what classes are offered and how frequently, even if it does meet the needs or wants of your clients.
Class attendees are not required to fill out a PARQ or any other form to give the trainer any info about their needs. Got classes back to back to back to back and in the middle of that there's someone you've never seen before? Too bad, hope they don't have any injuries or medical issues because you've got about 30 seconds to verbally quiz them before you have to start class. The same goes for the Design Your Own Program - you meet these people blind to any physical limitations and medical conditions and have to think on the fly. Really, after gathering info you get maybe 5-10 minutes to come up with their "customized" workout plan and show them where the equipment is and how to use it or do the exercises. 
The "PE@PF" (free personal training program) is a complete joke. It's a disservice to the members and the worst possible environment for a trainer to do their job adequately.
I just started receiving $15/hour, but I started at $13.50. The ONLY reason I'm making that much is because Colorado's minimum wage has been increasing by 90 cents every January the past few years so they felt an obligation to provide raises to management and trainers so the front desk employees making minimum wage wouldn't catch up. HOWEVER, minimum wage has increased a total of $1.80 since I started as a trainer and my raises have summed $1.50 and I've been there more than one year in the trainer position. No raise after 30 days. No true annual raise. Just 75 cents each time minimum wage increases by 90 cents. I've increased class enrollment by 300% since I took over the trainer position. The treatment, demands, and pay are insulting for the amount of work I put in. Oh, and if I try to plan what we're doing in classes, I'm told to be productive by cleaning or helping at the front desk. With that below market rate pay I'm supposed to plan classes off the clock. I'm required by law to be allowed two 10-minute breaks in an 8-hour shift and I'm lucky if I get one of those.
Again, good place to get your feet wet and build some experience as a trainer, but a horrible place to be for very long.

The franchise that owned the group of gyms in San Diego was more focused on sales than providing adequate training and resources for its gyms. Poor staff development and leadership were a constant problem from the day I was hired. Yes, I was promoted very quickly within the company but that reflected my abilities as much as it was a necessity. Managers and lower level staff don't stay for very long once the truth behind the work conditions are exposed. Consistency and long term vision are preached but not practiced. Gyms are capped at 15 staff members total and 10 during this pandemic period. Yet cleanliness standards are preached that can't realistically be met when the staff also has to give tours, answer phone calls, detail locker rooms, maintain gym policies, sign up, cancel, and freeze memberships, sale tanning products, sale Planet Fitness merchandise, AND repair gym equipment. All managers are essentially given tasks that make them independent small business owners. (Manage Inventory, Payroll Management, Develop Training Plans, Boost Sales, Create Promotions, Handle Online and Telephone Customer Service Complaints, Maintain Balance Sheets, Maintain Facility Equipment, Manage Repairs, Scheduling, and Provide Emergency First Aid) General Managers often have to provide solutions to low supplies, due to inventory ordering restrictions, out of their own pocket and do not get reimbursed. Facilities in my area are often refurbished buildings (Big Lots, Targets, old gyms, etc.) that are in need of structural repairs. Resources are provided based on how much revenue you can bring in based on membership percentages. So, many high volume, large footprint facilities lack the resources needed to maintain them. There is a culture of firing those who don't conform with little opportunity to train and develop team members in a stress free environment. During the shutdown I learned more about my gym and the processes needed to resolve issues without any guidance because I actually had the time to study the issues. My franchise just stopped taking cash in March 2021 but until then General Managers were expected to make bank runs 3 times a week during their shifts to deposit very small amounts of cash. I suggested using an after hours Dropbox or a currier service but the franchise owners, in New Jersey, didn't want to do it that way. Having the franchise leadership on the other side of the country made communications untimely and often caused issues for those gyms on the west coast. We would often have to adjust to policy changes, which happened constantly and sporadically, 3 hours after the decision was made and without our input or consideration for the difference in our clientele. Socioeconomic circumstances in membership base nor staffing issues are taken into account when it comes to an individual gyms needs. There is a rigid following of the franchise model across all gyms whether it applies to your gym or not. I ran the largest gym in San Diego County and at my highest staffing I had 18 people. 5 of which didn't count towards actual member services. During the most recent reopening we dropped to 10 staff members and were expected to exceed the current high standards of cleanliness and sales with less staff hours allocated. Many shifts went from 7 1/2 hours to 4 for most of my staff and days were cut by 30%. The level of expectations never matched the resources provided and drove many people, including myself, to leave the company because I refuse to be seen as a face for a company who puts profit and growth over proper staffing and development. In the end it hurts the product, the members, and the staff while the franchise cashes the checks. 

I started Planet Fitness back in 2018, and I automatically loved working with the staff, and being able to work out for free. The staff was usually very friendly, however customers can be very nasty, very entitled which could make or break your day, but then there's other regulars who would go out of their way to brighten yours. It really depends on how you present yourself at the desk. Getting promoted was never easy. You're told constantly you're going to grow, and it can feel like decades of expecting them to live up to that promise. I loved my manager, who was a male, however, he unintentionally would favorite the other men in our staff when promising me I would get promoted, while telling them the exact same thing. He tried to make everyone happy, but overall, I had to wait for three of his male staff who were hired after me, that I personally trained, to get the opportunity before I stood my ground. Once you're promoted to Team Lead; you're not an associate, and you're not a manager. You're simply a stick in the mud anyone could care less about your authority. Once I hit Assistant Manager, I was relocated to a different gym, and the staff was much more protocol, very strict and to the book thanks to the female manager there. She was known to be very strict, very critical, and critique your every failure which she definitely did to me the first few months. I learned to communicate better with her as an assistant, but overall, the gym itself is very stressful. You deal with customer complaints at least three times a day. You deal with staff that can sometimes lack work ethic, fail protocol, and not care. You deal with monthly inspections, and having to sugarcoat how things really are. The company completely takes over your life, especially as a manager for not as much pay as you'd think. I worked 9 hour shifts, working either from 3-11 pm for five days straight, until they switched assistant manager policies for our positions. They didn't want to pay us overtime, or time and a half anymore. We weren't allowed to work holidays. We had to work 12-9 shifts now, and I somehow felt very underappreciated. I had no time to myself, and I was working relentlessly for them before this whole pandemic started. I loved the members that welcomed me everyday with a warm smile, and went out of their way to put one on my face, as well as my team, the staff, and being granted the opportunity to grow in a company, but truthfully, it wasn't worth the benefits, nor was I truly comfortable or happy for that matter for being expected to hit so many quotas and deal with aggressive promotions, of when they decided to take a lot of our personal freedom, time to have a life, or a well-spent day off, or more than a paid week off. I was almost fired for taking two weeks off, half unpaid. True story. 

If you're thinking of working here, just be aware that you'll make great relationships with a lot of your staff, and members especially. You'll love the job and how fun and energetic it can be. But don't expect to receive the best growth of opportunities, unless the fitness industry is what you really want to excel in. I wanted to grow at first because of my passion for the company, but once they changed their perspective on how to treat assistants, changing our salary position to hourly, having to clock out for breaks, and take up our entire day from morning to night, no time and a half, it wasn't worth it to me anymore.

Working at Planet Fitness, particularly in an entry-level position, can feel like a significant misuse of employees’ time, knowledge, energy, and potential given the level of responsibility expected for the starting pay. In 2026, new hires at some locations are paid as little as $12.00 per hour, often on a biweekly pay schedule, while employees who have been with the company for several years may earn $18.00–$20.00 per hour performing essentially the same duties.
New employees are expected to quickly learn and manage a wide range of responsibilities. These include answering phone calls, processing membership cancellations, learning and explaining different membership options, delivering sales pitches, giving tours of the facility, and understanding the layout of the gym and the operation of all equipment. Staff are also expected to maintain awareness of member safety and security throughout the facility.
In addition to customer service responsibilities, employees are required to perform extensive cleaning duties. This includes disinfecting gym equipment after use, cleaning bathrooms, sinks, showers, walls, floors, and ceilings, mopping floors, taking out trash, and refilling disinfectant bottles throughout the gym. Staff are also responsible for operating the front desk register.
Employees must also pass a 50-question tanning certification exam in order to operate tanning beds. Once certified, they are responsible for ensuring that tanning beds are sanitized thoroughly after each member uses them.
Despite the broad scope of responsibilities, management presence can be limited in some locations. Managers are often only present for scheduled meetings or to communicate company promotions and membership goals. As a result, team leads frequently carry the burden of day-to-day problem solving for both members and coworkers while simultaneously managing their own workload.
Another challenge reported by employees is workplace favoritism and inconsistent workload distribution. Without strong management oversight, responsibilities may not always be shared evenly among staff. Training can also be inconsistent. New hires may be trained by employees who have only been with the company for a short period of time or by more experienced staff who may feel that training new employees is not part of their responsibility.
Performance reviews typically occur every three to six months, but raises are not guaranteed. When raises are given, they can vary significantly by franchise location and are often as small as $0.25 per hour, with employees eventually reaching a capped wage.
It is also important to note that Planet Fitness operates largely through independent franchises, which means pay, raises, training quality, and management culture can vary widely from one location to another. While some gyms may offer better training or compensation, many entry-level positions still start near minimum wage despite the range of responsibilities required.
Overall, the expectations placed on entry-level staff—including safety responsibility, sales expectations, customer service duties, and facility maintenance—can feel disproportionate to the starting pay and growth opportunities offered at some locations

Typical Day: Being left alone up at the front desk as coworkers were too busy cleaning or pretending to be cleaning

Learned: How to run the ABC financial systems which a lot of gyms use

Management: Always changing and those who stay get taken advantage of by the higher ups. Example: If different planet fitness's didn't have managers then higher ups would make other store managers run two stores which makes it hard on both the customers and workers because only managers could contact corporate for refunds or anything financial

Workplace Culture: Non-existent as the staff can either range from the best people you know to the worst. The reason why is because of the high amount of people who work for only about 3 months and then end up leaving.

Hardest Part: Getting cleaning done as you couldn't leave the front without 2 people being up there. Most of the time there were only three people up at the front with their own sections which took hours depending on which ones they had. I unfortunately had coworkers with the largest sections which would take all day for them to clean. Not only that but even if I wanted to leave one person at the front the lack of cleaning supplies made it to where only one person could clean. In the men's bathroom we would reuse mops that had been used to clean urine under the urinals' and then use them to clean the main gym floor. We never get new dusters which would make it hard to dust because the ones we were using left behind more dust than it picked up. The only vacuum that we used picked up little to no dust off of the floor and it would break so easily. For every vacuum we had to duck tape the head to it even if it was brand new as they are cheaply made. The vacuum got so bad that the MANAGERS had to buy a new one with their OWN money. Most of the cleaning problems are the higher ups fault as the budget they give for such supplies is so low that we can't afford to replace rags and if we did end up getting cleaning supplies it would be months after we actually needed it. 

Most Enjoyable Part: None of it

Rants: To revisit the men's bathroom mold was allowed to grow in there for actual years. Even when we had a male manager who could check the bathrooms it was still allowed to grow in not only the showers but under the sinks as well. It took the president of the company to come down in order for us to clean it and even then after he left it grew again. There was inconsistent rules about the bathrooms which gets both employs and customers mad. An example being changing in the locker rooms. In the men's locker rooms people disrobe completely right in front of you which was not allowed by the rules but would happen anyways ( a majority of these people being older men who wouldn't care as to who was watching). This even continued while the teen summer pass was going on when teens ages 13 to 19 would be subjected to randomly see someone fully disrobed people in the bathroom. Lastly it would be so inconsistent as to who get punished for not doing their job. I would see people complain to the manager about someone being away for hours "cleaning" or doing some miscellaneous task for hours and have them go unpunished but when it comes to something that is out of your control that's when the management gets mad and writes you up. I have found that planet fitness as a company is one huge double standard.

I typically believe that no experience is truly a waste of time—every opportunity provides some form of growth or insight. However, my time with this company has been both disappointing and unproductive due to a deeply flawed work environment that prioritizes rigid adherence to outdated policies over genuine leadership, employee well-being, and workplace efficiency.  

From the start, it became clear that performance and dedication held little weight within this organization. The culture rewards those who put in the least effort, while those who take initiative or strive to improve operations often face unnecessary scrutiny. The company insists on treating this position as a sales job but fails to provide the appropriate compensation or incentives that typically come with such roles. Employees are required to follow a pre-written script verbatim, and any deviation—regardless of whether it enhances the customer experience or improves workflow—is met with immediate reprimands.  
Additionally, the Assistant Manager (AM) position is misleading in both responsibility and respect. While holding a managerial title, the role functions identically to that of an entry-level team member, with no added authority, professional development, or decision-making input. There is a clear lack of differentiation between roles, leading to confusion and frustration among employees. Furthermore, the regional manager fosters an environment where employee concerns are dismissed, and any attempt to ask questions, provide feedback, or seek clarification is met with condescension, intimidation, or outright threats. Their primary concern is membership sales, ensuring their own financial incentives are met while disregarding the needs of both staff and members.  
One of the most discouraging aspects of this role was the complete lack of recognition for the additional effort I put in to maintain a clean, welcoming, and organized environment. Rather than acknowledging hard work, management focuses solely on pointing out minor deviations from their rigid expectations, creating a work culture that is demoralizing rather than motivating.  

For anyone considering employment with this company, understand that success here is not based on merit, leadership skills, or initiative. Instead, longevity is determined by compliance—reading from a script without question and avoiding any form of critical thinking. This is not a workplace that fosters professional growth, nor is it one that values its employees as individuals.  
The only truly positive aspect of my time here was the community within the gym. The members made the experience worthwhile, and since my departure, many have expressed disappointment in the decline of cleanliness and overall atmosphere. It is unfortunate that management does not share the same level of care for the space or the people who utilize it daily.  

If you value professional development, respect in the workplace, and a company that recognizes and rewards effort, I strongly advise looking elsewhere.

This is a review of 2 different positions at three locations in New Jersey. There are multiple franchisees, so I can only speak for the owner i worked for.

Trainer review: 
Cons: 
•30 hour work week, will not budge on more hours or more pay.
•Pay is $12.25/hr with a Degree & experience or without.
•No flexibility on class schedules.
•No bathroom breaks.
•No flexibility on Trainer work schedule.
•No commission.
•30 minute lunch.
•No room for growth as trainer-(“Head Trainer promotion” LOL)
•This experience at other gyms doesn’t count because “It’s planet fitness” stigma.
•They will not let you bring in outside equipment, like foam rollers, thick mats or even yoga straps.
•Management fails to train front desk associates; clients get angry at Trainer when not scheduled for class and it’s full.
•Upper management doesn’t listen to customer or trainer recommendations.
•Most classes are 30 minutes = poor results and under delivered expectations.

Pros:
•if No one shows up to class you still get paid for it, Standing around doing nothing unless they make you clean Depending which Gym you’re at.

•THAT’S IT.

Final note: If you’re a halfass Trainer, that wants to stand around to get paid and do nothing while not wanting to grow and help your clientele progress... 

This job is for you!

Management review:
Cons:
•Pays $14.50 Salary w/$800 bonus monthly ($18.75 salary) BASED ON customer happiness, gym cleanliness, and protocols followed. (HIGH TURNOVER = GYM DIRTY = PAY-DEDUCTION) 
•46 hours a week schedule/Always more with terminations and covering yourself.
•No growth = Regionals make around $45k/year, but are replaced every year & 1/2.
•Corporate Planet inspections & Franchisee inspection. Monthly...
(Never seen a 100% inspection rating which means = Pay deduction)
•No support - Always got the classic “We have 32 gyms now to take care of, we’ll get to you eventually.”
•Redundant paperwork; Save to computer Dropbox, email file, and paper file stored.
(Late paperwork due to customer relations = PAY DEDUCTION)
•High turnover of Managers mean employees don’t like changing their cleaning or working habits. Resulting in disciplinary actions & poor work environment.
•Use personal vehicle for bank runs and miscellaneous petty cash trips. Not reimbursed.
•No cell phone policy strictly enforced, must terminate on spot as per Upper management, but then no one to cover resulting in reprimanding. (PAY DEDUCTION)
•Upper management very friendly but overworked and under paid with no follow through.
•No Upper management support. Example: Cancelling membership due to VIOLENT THREATS, and they REINSTATE AND REFUND memberships behind you back undermining you.

Pros:
•Free membership.
•Hour Lunch.
•Pay is good when you get your first bonus, then 
•My RM & New hire boss were cute.
•Yeah, not much to say here which is shameful.

Final note: I gave a 30 day notice to be nice, I should of just walked out. I hope those regionals bail sooner rather than later, I’d never want to stress like they do over something so minuscule.

Preface for this review, each Planet Fitness is operated by an independent franchise group (number of clubs within one franchise group varies). Unless you are a corporate employee, the majority of your workplace culture, operations, policies, etc. are going to come from the franchise group. 

For the particular franchise that I worked for, a normal day would consist of doing any needed training/evaluations. Doing daily cleaning depending on what shift you're working, giving tours to prospective members and helping out members with any account issues or issues they are having within the gym. 

Management, in my experience, is very robotic and will almost never empathize with employees personal lives, schedules, etc. I have had fellow employees call in sick the morning of, but were instructed that if they didn't get a doctor's note right away they were not excused from work. The only time they would start to work with employee schedules changing was when they ultimately become shortstaffed, as the turnover rate for this position at most gyms is very fast. Management wasn't the best, but I guess they did their job to run a decent gym.

Workplace culture (again depending on the franchise) was pretty good in my experience. Fellow co-workers were amazing and planet fitness does a good job at ensuring they hire some of the friendliest people around for this position. I enjoyed working with all of my peers here.

There were a couple things that I would say were the "hardest" part of the job. As a "member service representative", you really have many job descriptions under one job title. You will be a janitor at times, so you will be cleaning a lot. This is not a "just front desk" type of position. Some of the members can be really nasty and leave a huge messes. Furthermore all interactions with prospective members is done through a "tour script" that has to be memorized and given almost verbatim. This includes in person tours and over the phone when a prospective member asks about the gym. This is probably the strangest and most awkward part of the job as the script itself doesn't really allow for interaction on the guest/member side. You will run the risk of going off script and getting in trouble to assist the prospect/member as best as possible, or stick to the script and have members/prospects scratching their heads and wondering why they're talking to a human robot. 

The most enjoyable part about this job was the team. Everyone here was very friendly and helpful. I was never bored on any shifts, whether they were super busy or very quiet. Everyone was supportive and inclusive. 

Pay could be better. Especially given the fact that you're doing multiple "positions" at once. 

My typical day will start with me coming in and making copies of all the paper work and getting it ready for the day. I enter members into the computer as they come in and wait for my co workers to arrive. Once they do we switch off leaving the desk to clean the areas of the club that we are responsible for. Most days I will do 3 or 4 tours for prospective members where I show them the facility and possibly sing them up for a membership. I will also answer the phones whenever someone calls and wants information about the club or their account. When a member accumulate a balance on their account I handle their payments and get their account up to date. I have learned so much from my time at Planet Fitness and have grown as a professional. I have learned what it takes to keep members happy and coming back satisfied. I have also learned a lot about managerial duties from my manager teaching me how to do everything that the club needed to be done including running reports and scanning documents. The management themselves are very knowledgeable on everything that is needed for the day to day operations for the club. I enjoy my co workers very much, they are all very nice and fun people and I get along with all of them. However sometimes they can become a little distracted in socializing and slack a bit on the cleaning. My manager would often look to me to get the team focused and on point to get everything finished. The job can get stressful at times. we have been understaffed for a while now and it becomes very difficult to leave the desk to clean because so many people are coming in and it becomes to much for one person to handle. Disgruntled members are a very common occurrence as well, they have little to no patience when it comes to billing mistakes and it makes it difficult to keep them satisfied. We are also very underpaid for the amount of work that we are responsible for. Between cleaning, checking in members, answering the phones, taking people on tours, new member sign ups, signing people up for the tanning beds while being understaffed it can be incredibly stressful and when that paycheck comes every two weeks and it just barley enough to get by it can damper moral. However I do enjoy parts of my job like getting to know the regular members and building a relationship with them, it just adds to the level of customer service we offer and if the members are happy everything goes smoother. Overall I have taken so much from my time at Planet Fitness such as how to stay organized, how to manage my time efficiently, and how to rally a team and be a leader. All of these things I will bring with me for the rest of my career.

I worked for a Planet Fitness franchise for just over 7 months, and unfortunately do not have much good to say. I worked exclusively in a rural franchise with 13 employees, max. Upper management was "not allowed" to hire more than that number of employees.
From the beginning, I was never fully trained. I was left alone for the first time on a shift within a month of being hired, before I was even finished being trained. Over time, I fortunately was able to pick up a lot of knowledge on the job, but my formal training was never completed.
In order to work here, they wanted me available all the time. I was hired on for weekends only with the opportunity to move up with more hours, which turned out to be a complete lie. I made it known that I would love to work more consistent shifts, go full time, or pursue the trainer position, but was overlooked for all opportunities that came available while I worked there. There were many opportunities for this request to be met because turnover is high. Like...really high. When I left the franchise I worked for, almost all of the staff was new from when I was onboarded.
After being overlooked for all advancement opportunities, I ended up maintaining up to two more jobs at one time in order to pay the bills, and even then, I would receive texts and calls from my GM while I was unavailable to ask me to come in outside of my availability.
The work/life balance was trash. When I had to take emergency time off, or requested a vacation or day off, I would often receive messages asking me to work or asking questions about work, even though management knew I'd be unavailable.
During the ongoing pandemic, corporate never took anything seriously. At the time of my resignment from the position, the gym I worked in had at least two positive cases and almost all employees were exposed, with no acknowledgement to any of the employees. No new cleaning/sanitizing procedures were put in place, no social distancing, no masks, no closure. 
Despite all this bad, my coworkers were a dream in the face of this, and my AGM was the best manager I have had the pleasure of working with in my entire working life. The GM, however? I would not recommend working under her.
To top it all off, after I resigned, my manager made a point to tell me I was missing out on a fifty cent raise that was going in effect same day, a huge slap in the face to someone who has given so much for so little payoff up until now. As of just over 12 hours after I resigned, I received email notification that my raise was processed.

Stay away from PF. You will not go anywhere.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Member services representative 1587 salaries reported	$13.86 per hour
Front desk agent 896 salaries reported	$13.93 per hour
Customer service representative 1097 salaries reported	$14.25 per hour
Assistant manager 280 salaries reported	$18.09 per hour
Trainer 349 salaries reported	$15.60 per hour

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