Who: Steve Sterns, owner of Tans Unlimited in Northglenn, Colo.
What: SpaCapsule.
Most salon owners usually can find a way to boost their sales by selling ancillary products and services. But if you’re looking for more than a modest boost, take a cue from Steve Sterns—he has netted more than $40,000 since his salon added a SpaCapsule unit last October. In addition to hydrotherapy, Northglenn, Colo.-based Tans Unlimited—which has been in business in its single location for 18 years—also offers tanning, skincare services, hair services and a boutique featuring Crabtree & Evelyn lotions.
“We like to be extremely different,” Sterns says. And different was exactly what LF wanted to hear more about when we asked Sterns about his experience with hydrotherapy equipment in the tanning salon.
LF: Why did you decide to add hydrotherapy to your salon?
SS: We used to have massage therapists, but they weren’t dependable. Then I read about hydrotherapy in a past issue of LOOKING FIT and thought we would try it in our salon with a SpaCapsule unit.
LF: Why do you think hydrotherapy works in the tanning salon setting?
SS: People love to relax. By using the SpaCapsule, a person’s blood circulation is stimulated and they’re totally relaxed by the water-jet massage. As an added bonus, if they use the SpaCapsule prior to tanning, they will achieve darker results due to increased circulation.
LF: What types of marketing and advertising have you used for hydrotherapy?
SS: Right now, it’s been mostly word of mouth. We also have posters throughout the store, and every person that comes in gets a free, five-minute demonstration. This is perfect because it costs essentially nothing to run the SpaCapsule—just 18 gallons of distilled water—so, it’s not like I’m wasting electricity or my lamps by letting someone try it out.
LF: Does hydrotherapy appeal to a particular demographic?
SS: Actually, no. Everyone seems to like it. It’s easy and private—people don’t need to get undressed—and the music, aromatherapy and visual effects are a definite hit with any age group, male or female.
LF: What would you say to a salon owner who is considering adding this service?
SS: Do it! It is such an asset to the business and, with the economy as it is, adding hydrotherapy is a great way to boost your sales. Instead of investing in new tanning beds, hydrotherapy is a whole new concept to sell to clients. I have a friend in the business who told me, “I need to get more updated beds. I need the space-age look and all that.” And I said, “Your tanners are already tanning. What you really need is something different to sell to them—and something that will bring in clients that you never would have seen before.”
