When purchasing fitness equipment you have to know what your customer wants, what your personal needs are and what will work best with the layout of your facility. These three things are extremely important when choosing the right tanning equipment for your facility. If these three things are done right you will not only see an increase in your profit and customer base, but you will also gain a competitive edge in the industry.

So this leads me to the first question you are probably asking, "What do my customers want when it comes to tanning?" There are many things that a tanner looks for that will keep them coming back. Five important things to consider when making your purchases are; timeliness, comfort, convenience, variety and results.

By making your facility a one-stop-shop for fitness and tanning you are already saving your customer time, so why not save them as much time as possible. Tanning equipment sessions can range anywhere from 8-30 minutes. If you add only one piece of equipment, choose one with a short session time. Studies have shown that people who want to tan but don't have a lot time will choose not to tan at all instead of tanning 20 minutes. However, the tanner who has plenty of time will almost always tan for shorter time. A short session time also lets you tan more people per hour. The more people you tan per hour the more revenue you bring in daily.

When looking for convenience and comfort the tanner wants to be able to easily operate the unit, get in and out with ease, visibly see the timer (even during the session), have access to a cooling system and have plenty of space to relax. The tanner should only have to push one button for the session to start and the timer should be digital so they can see how much time they have left anytime during their session. The bed should be big enough for all of your tanners to tan comfortably and they should have access to a fan that they can control from inside the unit.

Tanners also like to have a variety of beds to choose from. Variety of tanning equipment you offer includes number of lamps, beds with/without face tanners or lay down vs. stand up units. The more options you have available to your customers, the more likely they will tan.

The second question is, "What are your personal needs?" The beds' maintenance is very important and can be very costly if not evaluated before you finalize your equipment decision. Ask your tanning consultant about the ease of cleaning, changing the lamps, service, warranties, and availability of replacement parts. Asking these questions will save you time and money in the future.

Another question you must ask yourself is, "What units will work best with the layout of my facility?" Most fitness owners decide to add tanning to their facility as an afterthought so determining how to accommodate these tanning units can be tricky. Some tanning bed manufacturers have trained experts that will help you design a floor plan to incorporate your tanning equipment at no charge. Standup units take up the least amount of room so if you have little space, look into adding a standup unit. Many standup units have an optional dressing room, which lets you take advantage of an empty corner or lobby area.

With the ever-increasing number of people wanting to feel good and look great, tanning is a great money making opportunity for your fitness center. By adding the right type of equipment to your facility you will be able to increase the revenue from current clients and bring in new customers. Just make sure that you select tanning equipment the same way you would pick your fitness equipment…know what the customer wants, what your personal needs are and know what will work the best with the layout of your facility.

Bill Pipp is the CEO of ETS, Inc. He can be contacted at 800.668.5193, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it