ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Vitamin D is essential to our health and luckily, it's one of the few vitamins that our body can create on its own, simply by synthesizing sunlight. It's responsible for maintaining calcium and phosphorous levels, improving bone growth and boosting the immune system.

Osteoperosis, Rickets, Osteomalacia and arthritis have all been linked to vitamin D deficiency. A recent 2006 study published in the American Journal of Public Health even determined that healthy vitamin D levels could reduce cancer incidence .

Recommended Vitamin D Levels

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin D is 400 IU for anyone over the age of 4.

How to Get Vitamin D

One of the easiest ways to get vitamin D is through UV-B ray exposure. In other words, via sunlight or artificial methods such as tanning lamps. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , "Most people meet their vitamin D needs through exposure to sunlight."

The NIH goes on to say, "It has been suggested by some vitamin D researchers, for example, that approximately 5-30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen usually lead to sufficient vitamin D synthesis and that the moderate use of commercial tanning beds that emit 2-6% UVB radiation is also effective. "

Vitamin D can also be obtained through dietary sources, with wild-caught fish having some of the highest levels in the food chain:

Cod liver oil, 1 tbsp: 1,360 IU
Wild mollusks or oysters, raw, 8.7 ounces: 794 IU
Salmon, cooked, 3.5 oz: 360 IU
Mackerel, cooked, 3.5 oz: 34I U
Sardines, canned in oil, 3.5 oz: 270 IU
Beef Liver, cooked, 3.5 oz: 30 IU
Whole Egg: 25 U

Many foods are also fortified with vitamin D. For example, most of the U.S. milk supply is fortified to the tune of 100 IU/cup since fortification became standard practice in the 1930s as a way of combating rickets.

The FDA does not endorse indoor tanning, nor does the National Institutes of Health. However, both organizations agree that vitamin D is critical to our health and UV-B ray exposure is a primary source of the crucial vitamin.

Last time, we discussed how to get members to upgrade to the next level of membership in your tanning salon by increasing the value of each level of membership , offering additional upgrades, additional passes, and even giving commissions or bonuses to your staffers who sell them.

So what are some other ideas to improve the value of membership, and get those revenue-generating upgrades?

When you get to Level 3 membership, the benefits should be about the prestige of being members, rather than saving/spending money. That is, when does a bigger discount on a bottle of lotion become just another gimmick? A tanner who has three different bottles of lotion won't be as jazzed by a fourth.

Customers who feel extra special will be extra loyal. They'll become raving fans who become your unpaid sales force because they're telling their friends about your salon. Your Level 2 and Level 3 members may end up being some of your best forms of advertising, so make them want to tell their friends about your salon. The best way to do that is to offer special benefits and programs that only the higher level members can get.

Improving the Value of Membership

Here are a few ideas other salon owners have used to add value to the upper levels of their membership. If you have any of your own, add them to the comments section.

• Offer a wine and cheese night for Level 3 members. Put a price on it. Let Level 1 and 2 members come, but they have to pay for the price.
• Offer a text club. Send texts about specials out in reverse order. Level 3 gets the first round, Level 2 gets the next, and so on.
• Open up during special hours that only Level 3 members can take advantage of.
• Create a referral program. Give rewards to people who refer new customers to your salon.
• Give extra gifts like iTunes or Starbucks gift cards.
• Offer free access to special equipment like the Rejuvasun bed.

Last time, we discussed how to get occasional customers to become members of your tanning salon by bundling services together, adding some discounts, and throwing in things like Free Friday Bed Upgrades or Free Friday Friends and Family passes. This will get the occasional customers to become members, and increase your cash flow.

But what do you do for the people who are already members, and you want to get them to bump up to the next level?

Getting Them to Move Up

In our last example, we were charging $20 a month for a customer to become a member. They were given unlimited tanning on the Level 1 beds, got discounts on tanning lotions, and one free upgrade and pass per month.

To get them to move to Level 2, $35 per month, give them unlimited tanning on the Level 1 and 2 beds. Give them bigger discounts -- say 15% -- on tanning lotions and teeth whitening services. Give them an extra Free Friday Friend & Family pass each month (remember, these are potential customers who are visiting your salon for the first time).

Level 3 could include unlimited tanning in any bed of their choice, a free bottle of lotion, a free teeth whitening session, and special Level 3 members-only events. (We'll discuss some of those next time.) Some salons even throw in free uses of their Rejuvasun beds . (We'll talk about the benefits of Rejuvasun beds for salon owners soon.)

Show Them the Money

After a while, explaining all of this can be rather difficult, and hard to keep straight. Build a menu board that shows the three or four different levels of membership. Divide it into as 3 or 4 columns, and show them what they get for each membership.

Your board can include number of visits, levels of beds available, lotion discounts, free passes, and even special events (more on that next time). Make sure you show them the value of each membership level, as well as the cost.

Finally, be sure to train your staff to sell the value of the membership to the customers, and the value of upgrades to your members. Offer your staff incentives and commissions for selling memberships and upgrades. Their success means success for you. Reward them accordingly.

Next time, we'll discuss some different bonuses you can add to your different membership levels.

Are you running a membership program now? What are some things you offer your members? Leave us a comment or ask a question. We might even turn it into a blog post.

Membership has its privileges.

Or so says the famous slogan. The question though is how to show the value of membership in your tanning salon to help you grow business and sales. And it's not as bad or difficult as it seems.

A tanning salon without members is like a Web site without visitors, a stadium without people, or a meatloaf without the meat: pointless. And having just a few dozen members, while nice, just won't do. To improve membership, you need to increase exposure, and do some work. It can be done without spending a lot of money on advertising or marketing. All it takes is some creativity and having a solid plan.

For the next three blog posts, we'll give you some ideas on increasing the value of your membership, including Getting Them to Join, Getting Them to Move Up, and Improving the Value of Salon Membership.

Getting Them to Join

Owning a tanning salon is no different than a country club, buying club, or movie theater. If you are going to give people a value, you need to offer them an incentive to join. Take some of your services and bundle a few of them. Sell this bundle to your customers as the membership so it becomes even more valuable.

For example, if you normally charge $7 for a single tanning session, and the customer only visits once a month, offer a membership of $20 per month for unlimited visits on Level 1 tanning beds. The client is now free to visit whenever they want. Not only are they getting an increased value for their membership (which comes in the savings after they visit that third time), they're going to keep coming back because they've paid for it. This gets them into the habit of coming, and continuing their membership, which increases cash flow. (Of course, this also means they're using more tanning lotion, which you'll also sell them.)

The benefit to you is that $20 per month will nearly triple your cash flow for that once-a-month tanner, and you'll turn a sometimes-tanner into a regular. The benefit to the customer is that they start seeing the extra benefits of tanning.

But don't just increase tanning frequency and call it a package. Create some more value. Add discounts on a couple items like a 10% discount on tanning lotion and teeth whitening. Give away a Free Friday upgrade per month to the next level bed, or a Free Friday pass for friends and family.

Now, instead of just getting extra tans, they're getting additional value, and the membership makes a lot more sense. The customer sees he or she will get all kinds of great benefits and will sign up to be a member, because for just three times their original amount ($7), they're getting more than three times the value.

Next time, we'll talk about how to move members up from Level 1 to Level 2 or Level 3 by increasing the value of each membership level.

Vitamin D is critical to our health. It helps us build strong bones, absorb calcium, and ward off diseases. But are we getting enough of this wonder vitamin and how do we know?

Finding Your Optimal Vitamin D Level

Your optimal vitamin D level depends on a number of factors, including your age, weight, skin color and even surrounding environmental factors.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should be getting 400 IUs (international units) of vitamin D per day as a way of achieving healthy bone development during a period of growth. The National Institutes of Health has also released this chart, breaking down optimal vitamin D consumption by various age groups (assuming the individual is not receiving vitamin D from sunlight exposure):

 

First Texas, now Arkansas.

Arkansas, like Texas, is one of more than a dozen states considering such bills. Texas also has bills that go a step further and require a doctor's note.

Currently, Texas is seeking approval on House Bill (HB) 1310, which restricts teens younger than 18 from using indoor tanning equipment.

While the politicians of Texas are pondering that law, Arkansas lawmakers are also working to restrict teen tanning. Governor Mike Beebe says he plans to sign a bill requiring salon owners to get waivers signed by parents for clients under 18.

Representative Bruce Maloch sponsored Arkansas' tanning bill, he says, as a way to raise awareness about the possible harmful affects.

For now Arkansas teens can walk into any salon and tan, provided they have their parents sign a waver before getting into a tanning bed.

The waiver will have warnings about the possible dangers of repeated exposure to indoor tanning. And Arkansas lawmakers are trying to raise awareness about tanning safety.

The bill, HB1920 is still waiting on Governor Beebe's signature. The bill applies to tanning salons, apartments and gyms any businesses offering the service. There is no penalty or enforcement for the requirement.

And like the bill in Texas, this bill is getting a strong reaction from both sides – the ones trying to enforce the law and the ones who oppose it: the teens and, not surprisingly, the tanning salon owners, who have said they alert all teens of the potential dangers of overexposure.

Persuading teens to stop tanning could be a hard sell as many are concerned about physical appearances at that age. Another factor is a teenager's quest for independence at that age. A law like this will take away that freedom, something teens value as they assert themselves in the world.

Texas legislators seem to be ignoring the fact that they're already well-known for outdoor tanning on their beaches. They're ignoring the most popular tanning method in favor of curtailing the business practices of local business owners.

Other states considering similar measures include Florida and Hawaii, two other very popular outdoor tanning locales.

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

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.