ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Finding a tanning salon isn't an easy task. It's not like picking a restaurant or grocery store. Going to the most popular one is an option, but if you like to tan at certain times of day, chances are everyone else does too, so you're either stuck waiting or have to find a different time of day.

Remember, this is a place you're going to visit a few times a month. You want to find the best one that fits you, so there are a few questions you need to ask yourself.

It Starts With the Staff

The salon staff will make or break a salon. Are they friendly and outgoing and willing to answer your questions? Or are they sullen and unfriendly, and huff whenever you need something? The salon staffers should be knowledgeable about their equipment, the best lotions to use, and can tell you about your skin type and design a regimen just for you.

Did they take the time to understand your needs and budget, or do they want to fit you into their one-size-fits-all package?

What About the Tanning Beds?

There are four basic levels of tanning beds. Does your salon have at least three of them? Do they have more than one of each type to avoid scheduling backups? We've come a long way from one type of tanning bed, so hopefully your salon has too. It's important that you rotate between tanning beds to achieve and maintain your tan.

Get a tour of the place, and take a look inside the beds. Be sure to ask questions. Are the beds clean? How often do they clean them? (Correct: After every use. Wrong: Anything less.) Do they provide protective eyewear?

Basically a good salon will be able to answer yes to all of these questions. They'll have a number of different tanning beds, they'll have sanitary eye protection, they'll clean the beds after each use, and of course, the staff will be friendly and professional.

The short of it is if you're not happy with the salon, move on to the next one. The most popular or the cheapest salons are not always the best fit. You may get lost in the shuffle at the popular salons, and you'll get what you pay for at the cheapest. It's your skin. Make sure you're happy with what you get.

Buying an existing tanning salon involves a lot more than applying for a loan and signing a few legal forms. It takes research, an understanding of the business development, patience and a willingness to walk away from the deal (it happens).

I came across a recent article on the GlobalBX blog about buying an existing beauty salon or barber shop . Yes, I know a tanning salon is neither of those things, but the business development between the two industries can be fairly similar. Both are service-oriented businesses often geared towards individuals interested in improving their physical appearance. As a result, many of the tips and steps laid out in the article could easily be applied to the tanning salon business.

1. Check the Customer Stats

Regular customers are going to be your bread and butter, so before you buy a tanning salon, make sure they have them. Then, make sure the number of regular customers is either going up or remaining stable, not going down.

If the tanning salon you're interested in doesn't have a strong customer base, ask why? Is it the local competition? The existing marketing? Do you think you could really turn it around and if so, how? Is the lack of regular customers reflected in the sale price?

 2. Assess the Equipment Value

Most of a tanning salon's hard value is in its tanning beds. A salon with 15-year-old beds and no concern for current trends has little-to-no assets other than its customers.

If you're looking at a salon and thinking of upgrading the equipment, or even just need help assessing the current value of the beds, please feel free to drop us a line . We'd be happy to consult on the potential equipment needs, if any, of a tanning salon.

3. Get a Clear Financial Picture

Before you buy any business, you should be able to review their financial records. You're looking at more than just profits and losses though, you want to funnel down to their individual overhead costs, marketing expenses, staff costs and each and every source of revenue. Is there potential here? Are there revenue sources, like product, that they're not maximizing? Could you cut costs or will too-high rents keep this salon from ever achieving real profitability?

4. What About Staff Assets?

In terms of staff, will this tanning salon be a turnkey operation or will you need to spend the first few months overhauling and retraining the staff ? A quality staff can make a transition smooth and effortless while a problem staff is going to cost you profits.

A friend in Oregon owns a number of salons and before he purchases an existing location, he either scouts it out himself or sends a friend or staff member over to check out the level of customer service. It's a tactic that gives him great insight into how well the operation is really working.

5. Is there Potential?

Finally, buying a tanning salon isn't just about accepting the existing customers and existing revenues, it's also about recognizing the potential for business development. While you don't want to ruin a good thing, any solid investment should have some room for improvement.

Cancer Monthly , a cancer patient advocacy magazine, has published yet another article linking sun exposure (including UV-B exposure which can be derived from indoor tanning in tanning salons) to a reduced cancer risk.

The article, published in March 2009, cites a recent study published in the Annals of Epidemiology (Grant WB, Mohr SB. Ecological studies of ultraviolet B, vitamin D and cancer since 2000. Annals of Epidemiology, 2009) that found strong associations between vitamin D deficiencies (we get vitamin D from the sun and UV-B sources like indoor tanning) and various cancers, particularly colon, and breast cancer.

Dr. William B. Grant, Director of the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center (SUNARC) and a prominent researcher on vitamin D, says there are 14 different types of cancer that can be linked to UV-B exposure deficiencies. And since vitamin D is rare in the food supply, often added as a fortified supplement, most people can only obtain about 200-300 IU of the vitamin on a daily basis through diet (a fraction of what’s needed). Meanwhile, even just a small amount of UV-B exposure (5-10 minutes) can produce 1,500 to 4,000 IU of the crucial vitamin.

According to the article, there are also strong links between vitamin D deficiencies and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and kidney cancer. As we have also detailed in our blog, researchers have also found connections between vitamin D and "a reduced incidence of other diseases," such as colds and flu, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

Though Dr. Grant recommends taking a vitamin D supplement during the winter months, indoor tanning in tanning salons can actually replicate those same vitamin-D providing UV-B rays as the natural sun.

You can read the full article Cancer Monthly article here.

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.

Salon owners, are you educating your customers on the importance of a good moisturizer as a part of their tanning regimen?

Like tanning lotion, moisturizing lotion is an important part of the indoor tanning process.

It's important because the UV lights can dry out your skin. Moisturizing preserves and extends tanning results, enhances the appearance of an existing tan, and moisturizes the skin so it looks and feels better. Moisturizing makes the skin soft, smooth, healthier-looking, helps prevent peeling and flaking, and won't clog pores.

Even after the tanning bed shuts off, the tanning process is still going on. That means it's vital your customers keep their skin moisturized during and after this process. A good moisturizing lotion like Australian Gold's Moisture Lock Tan Extender .

Finally, it's easier to tan moist skin. That's because dry skin, as it turns white from the dryness, will actually reflect some of the UV rays. On the other hand, moist skin will absorb those rays, making them tan easier.

Customers should use moisturizing lotion to get that better tan and to make it last longer. Skin dries out and exfoliates and the more you moisturize the healthier your skin becomes and you don't lose your tan.

For salon owners, the message to relate to your customers is to moisturize the skin one way or another to help protect the skin and to enhance the tan. It's good to ask your customer how important their skin is and once they answer, then you can make the recommendations.

This also becomes an extra revenue stream for you, because you'll recommend your products, which will benefit them.

By having a customer talk to a professional, the tanning pro can recommend the best type of moisturizer to use. There are several, varying lines and they represent different prices and ingredients.

Whether you have your own personal tanning bed or you run a chain of tanning salons, one of your primary concerns is going to be the cleanliness of your machine(s). A clean tanning bed is more than just germ free, it'll last longer too.

When an indoor tanning bed gets dirty, that grime can become fungus. Not only can this fungus spread to other users, it can affect the operation and functionality of the bed. Good tanning bed cleaners won't just keep your beds disinfected, they'll improve their tanning power by as much as 20-40%.

When To Use Tanning Bed Cleaners

Salon staff should clean tanning bed acrylics after every use. The outside of the beds and handles should also be sanitized. Remember, users touch more than just the acrylics.

In addition to regular cleaning after every use, a commercial tanning bed should be thoroughly cleaned inside and out at least once a week . This will help maintain the appearance of the unit and its performance.

Popular Tanning Bed Cleaners

Ultra-Clean Tanning Bed Cleaner: Ultra-Clean comes in citrus and unscented. To avoid overwhelming your users with a citrusy scent, we recommend the unscented version. It's EPA registered in all states and acts as a cleaner, polisher, deodorizer and sanitizer.

Australian Gold Tanning Bed Cleaner: Australian Gold's tanning bed cleaner is a one-step cleaner with no fuss and no mess. There's no leftover film and no need to rinse. It's a disinfectant with a neutral pH AND it acts as a sanitizer, deodorizer, virucide and fungicide. This is one of the best cleaners out there.

Lucasol Tanning Bed Cleaner: Lucasol is another one-step brand of deodorizing disinfectant. It's hospital-grade and free from any dyes or scents.

Novus Tanning Bed Cleaner: This disinfectant is part sanitizer and part polish. It leaves behind a protective sheen that repels dust and minimizes static. Some users complain that the film is too obvious and a tad sticky. I'd recommend trying a sample before you invest in a full order of this product.

How Clean Are Your Indoor Tanning Beds?

You may require your staff to clean them after every use, but just how clean are your tanning beds? Are they meeting the highest standards for cleanliness? Are you changing your acrylics regularly based on usage?

Acrylics gradually degrade and limit the amount of UV light that will pass through to the tanner! Be sure to check with your manufacturer as to the expected life of your acrylics so you know when to change them.

Remember, if you're noticing that the tanning beds in your tanning salons maybe aren't up to the highest standards, your customers are definitely noticing. Require your staff to not only clean the beds after every use, but to always do a double check before sending a client into a room.