Black Box VR hiring for Boise virtual reality exercise facility

Black Box VR is hiring in Boise for the first in a planned new line of VR gyms within fitness facilities.

Jim Bradbury, general manager of the Boise-based company, said this “box in a box” approach will launch at The Gym Eighth & Main in August. The Black Box VR portion of the facility measures 1233 sq. ft. in an existing room. It is expected to contain seven Black Box VR machines, each with its dedicated workout space, Bradbury said.

Black Box VR also owns and runs a gym that recently opened in San Francisco.

The company considered opening a corporate-owned facility in Boise, but when The Gym Eighth & Main opportunity arose, it chose to try the “box in a box” strategy for Boise instead, Bradbury said.

Bradbury wasn’t sure how many employees, known as “hero trainers,” the facility would hire. In Boise, Black Box VR employees will be responsible for maintaining the experience for the gym member, including keeping the facility clean and resolving minor technical issues. That’s different from the kind of hires in corporate-owned facilities, he said.

“In San Francisco, the ‘hero trainers’ are not trained on things like how to replace a servo motor,” Bradbury said. “Our general manager there has gone through training to allow her to make those kinds of adjustments that require maintenance.”

Because the parent gyms have their own managers, the “box in a box” model may not require a manager at that location, or might have a single manager responsible for multiple locations, he said. Black Box VR will use its Boise facility to test what sort of work the “hero trainers” will need to do, Bradbury said. Hero trainers in Boise may need to be more technical because they might have to perform more maintenance than in San Francisco, he said.

“That’s part of the reason for keeping it close to home,” he said. “Initially, Black Box VR executives will be very hands-on with developing how the process works and what the rules and responsibilities will be.”

Members of The Gym Eighth & Main can add Black Box VR as a supplement to their existing memberships or members can join just for Black Box VR, Bradbury said. Prices have not been determined.

Bradbury didn’t want to reveal the financial business model with The Gym Eighth & Main because, depending on the Boise experience, that may change. The company is planning to open another “box in a box” location on the East Coast later this year, he said.

Meanwhile, the company’s San Francisco flagship is getting international attention.

“The bottom line, and why I think Black Box VR could be successful, is that the workout was straight-up fun,” wrote Tommy Collison in a review in the Irish Independent newspaper. “I don’t feel like I spent a half hour working out. If a gym can make working out not feel like working out, they’re on to something big.”

The San Francisco facility is converting from trials to new members at a rate at or above the industry average, Bradbury said.

“We’re enjoying the burst of activity you get from being the new kid on the block,” he added.