ETS Tanning Bed Blog

For stars like American Idol judge Simon Cowell, true privacy means having their own indoor tanning beds right in their homes. Instead of a trip to the tanning salon (think Britney Spears), it's a trip down the hall.

Whether it’s outdoors or indoors, tanning is a very relaxing and a great way to escape the everyday problems and stresses life throws at you. But safety must be followed, not only for the skin, but the eyes. Like outdoor tanning, you must protect your eyes while using a tanning bed . It’s very important to use some sort of protection and closing your eyes isn’t the answer.

“Why? What’s wrong if I just keep my eyes closed?"

According to several health experts, eyelids offer limited protection from ultraviolet (UV) rays. This can cause short term damage to your eyes. Red, itchy or watery eyes may be an indication of short-term damage. Long-term damage can include dangerous problems, like cataracts or even blindness.

Most tanning salons provide eye protection while using their facilities. On the whole, tanning salons offer customers strap on goggles with highly tinted viewing holes, while others will give you a disposable aluminum eye shield for each eye. Some may even offer sun glasses or allow the customer to bring their own. But regardless of what you use, it’s vital you use some form of protection.

Using eye protection while in a tanning booth is just as important as wearing sunglasses outdoors on a sunny day. UV rays can severely damage your eyes and cause many problems later in life. Nobody in their right mind would stare at the sun. And although not as powerful as the sun, looking at the lights in a tanning bed without protection is also dangerous. Like sunglasses, goggles block 100% of the UV rays, and keep your eyes safe and healthy.

If you're concerned about sanitation from using the salon's goggles, you can buy your own. Many tanning salons sell eye protection directly to their customers for just this reason. This can help assure that the protection you are using is completely free of germs and other eye related diseases that can be spread from customer to customer.

Believe it or not, using a single tanning lotion is not a good idea when trying to tan at an indoor salon .

Tanning lotion was first used in the 1960s and has evolved from one basic lotion to many different varieties. There are two main varieties, outdoor and indoor tanning lotion. Indoor tanning lotion is designed to amplify the effects of ultraviolet light rather than block them. This is usually done by using ingredients that promote tanning by increasing the blood flow to the skin, thereby increasing the amount of melanin that is brought to the top layers of the skin.

But why should a customer consider rotating tanning lotions? Not all tanning lotions are the same and not all are made with the same type of ingredients. By using different tanning lotions, they can help you obtain a better, well-rounded tan for your skin and who better to help the customer than the trusty pro behind the counter? Your tanning salon Professional is trained to identify your tanning & skin care needs and direct you to the lotion products that will meet those needs and your budget.

By rotating lotions, you actually enhance the tanning process because you are changing the active ingredients and each ingredient is designed to enhance the tanning process in different ways.

Some of the active ingredients found in common tanning lotions include melanin, L-Tyrosine, tea oil, copper – which is in many different chemical compounds – green tea extract, and many types of natural oils. Ingredients vary widely from brand to brand. What goes into one brand is different than what goes into another brand; and thus the competition begins. Lotions contain a mix of tanning enhancing ingredients and skin care ingredients which dictate the cost of each lotion. When selecting a tanning lotion your salon professional can help you to identify which ingredients best meet you objectives and then guide you to the correct lotion at a price that will fit your budget.

Tanning lotions and moisturizers come in many different fragrances and fragrance free alternatives are available for those individuals that have allergies or sensitive skin. Much like perfumes & colognes tanning lotions and moisturizers allow the customer to choose the fragrance that matches their individual style.

Indoor tanners should apply between a half-ounce to a full once of tanning lotion per tanning session, spreading liberally over all exposed areas to properly moisturize their skin so as to maximize their tanning session. When selecting a tanning lotion it is best to purchase your lotion from a professional tanning salon as brands sold at other retailers may include ingredients that will damage the acrylic surface you lay on in a tanning bed. Many tanning salons prohibit the use of brands not specifically manufactured for indoor tanning due to the potential for damage to the tanning bed acrylic. Your salon professional can provide you with a list of brands that are specifically manufactured for use in indoor tanning beds.

After solving the economic crisis, immigration issue, and all crimes and poverty, the Texas legislation is now considering a bill to make it harder for Texas teens to use tanning beds . Supporters of the bill have compared its importance to the law which makes it illegal for teens to buy cigarettes.

Naturally, this bill is getting a strong reaction from both sides--the ones trying to enforce the law and the ones against it, the teens and not surprisingly, the tanning salon owners.

House Bill 1310 seeks to restrict teens younger than 18 from using tanning equipment in Texas without written consent from a doctor. The bill was introduced by Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, after he became concerned about skin cancer among minors, according to the Lufkin Daily News. Current Texas law states children under 13 need to have a doctor's permission prior to tanning and anyone age 15 or younger must have a parent present in the salon while the child is tanning.

Evidently Rep. Solomons has been listening to doctors at M.D. Anderson, who claim that keeping kids away from tanning beds is a potentially life-saving idea much like keeping them from purchasing cigarettes.

"I can't imagine a good reason a teenager needs to be in a tanning bed. The truth is there isn't a good benefit and there is lots of potential harm, for teenagers using tanning beds," said Dr. Hughes.

In addition to Texas, Florida, Hawaii and 16 other states are considering laws similar to HB 1310. Proposals would ban teens from tanning salons or require them to get notes from their parents or doctors.

But personal rights advocates and parents are concerned about the government telling them how to raise their children. One Florida Republican said parents should have the discretion--not states.

"I gotta tell you, you cannot regulate everything in this world," said Florida senator Mike Bennett (R), who voted against the bill in Florida. "I suppose we could say the same thing and outlaw tanning on the beach."

Persuading teens to stop tanning could be a hard sell as many are concerned about physical appearances at that age. Also independence comes into question and a law like this would take away more freedoms – something teens value as they assert themselves in the world.

If a bill like this does pass, where would it end? Tobacco and alcohol are certainly understandable as both have conclusively proven to be a major hazard on human health, but the jury is still out on tanning beds. Despite some doctors' claims, there are others who say there is no major proof that tanning beds are dangerous. Furthermore, some experts are beginning to show the connection between vitamin D deficiencies and all sorts of health conditions (like this, this, and this)

There are other, more dangerous things teens do, like skateboarding, participating in contact sports like football, wrestling, gymnastics and lacrosse, hunting, working on farms or factories and driving.

It's important that Texas politicians know all the facts and consider everything before voting on such a bill.

To learn more about legislation in your state, contact your local government or visit the Indoor Tanning Association website.

Bed hopping is (depending on where your loyalties lie) generally frowned upon in society.

However it's perfectly fine to do so in the tanning salon industry. In fact, it's encouraged and done without judgment of the moral character of the person who does it. Bed hopping is the norm and is highly recommended.

There are three great reasons why you should tan in a different bed--which does sound better than bed-hopping.

So why should you tan in a different bed?

1. Tanning beds typically have lamps which emit differing ratios of UVA and UVB light.

And the differing ratios do have a dramatic effect on tanning.

According to an article in Yahoo News from last year, the ''normal beds'' most likely have regular bulbs with more UV-B and they do not tan you deeply. As a result, your tan will fade more quickly than with beds with more UV-A bulbs. A different bed may have more UV-A rays which go deeper into the skin. Your tan will last longer, especially if you keep your skin moisturized. All salons are different and offer different brands of bulbs. It's wise to ask the owner what the ratio is of UV-A/UV-B in the different beds, what kind of bulbs they use and how often they change them. This information is vital in maintaining your tan. By rotating, you can take your tan to the next level.

2. Many beds have different acrylic shapes.
The acrylic is what the tanner lays on while tanning. During the tanning process, a person who lays on the acrylic will have pressure points at certain parts of their body, say, the shoulder blades. While laying on the acrylic, these natural pressure points inhibit the blood flow in that area, which means that part of the body won't tan well. By using another bed, the acrylic might have a slightly different shape and result in different pressure points elsewhere. By rotating beds your pressure points will tan along with the rest of your body.

3. Rotate by using a stand up booth.
This allows the tanner to get a fuller, all-round tan. If the tanner uses the stand up once or twice, this helps ensure a complete tan with parts of the body that don't normally see too much tanning like underneath the arms. Stand up booths have handles in convenient areas which allow you to comfortable hold your arms up for the full session. The arms are raised up and there are no pressure points. The UV rays get go all over.

It's like a line of dominoes. After Utah and Florida started banning teen tanning, other states have quickly been falling. In Arkansas, the state senate passed a bill, 34 - 1, that will require a parent or guardian's consent before teenagers can use indoor tanning facilities.

We found this one on our own local NBC station, WTHR.

A few months ago, we discussed a few ways to bring college students to your tanning salon, using things like Freshmen Welcome Packs, On Campus Bulletin Boards, and Free Weekly Papers .

These are great techniques, and we can't recommend them enough. But don't forget, most of these students are so plugged in to social media and the Internet, you're missing some valuable channels if you ignore the online world. Here are a few places you can find and attract college students.

Facebook - Facebook is one of the most popular social networks out there. You can find friends you went to high school and college with, join causes and nonprofits, or become fans of bands, actors, and even companies. Have your employees sign up for Facebook and friend the people they know from the local college or university.

Twitter - We talked about Twitter a few weeks ago as a way to reach customers. College students are using Twitter like crazy, and it's a fast and easy way to send out messages to your Twitter followers. Let clients set appointments through messages, or send out your own messages like "We have a cancellation for 7 tonight. First to respond gets it."

Text Clubs - Companies like Connective Mobile give you the ability to create opt-in text clubs. Send out messages wishing people a fun Spring Break, good luck with finals, and even special promotions you offer. (Make sure to balance the non-commercial/friendly messages with the commercial ones. See the important note below.) A lot of restaurants are using text clubs as a way to make special announcements, like "1/2 price appetizers from 5 - 7 tonight" to their text club members. Text clubs and Twitter are a great way to make customers feel like they're part of a special, elite group, which increases their loyalty.

One important note: Avoid blatant commercial messages like "We're having a sale on tanning packages this week only!" Today's social media users don't respond well to commercial spam, and will stop paying attention to you altogether if you do. Instead focus on the relationships with the people, and they'll become interested in who you are as much as what you do. This isn't true for text clubs, because that's what they're for. But social media users are about the conversation, not commerce. Make them like you with what you have to say, and they'll come to you for what you offer later.