2000 Northeast Tanning Tour

2000 Northeast Tanning Tour
From Philadelphia to New York

by Scott Hoover

HEADING OUT ON THE ROAD TO visit salon owners always is an exciting time for me. Not only do I get to meet a ton of new people, but I also get to see firsthand what the new trends are in different geographical parts of the country.

The first stop on this year's tour took us to the City of Brotherly Love (Philadelphia) and continued through New Jersey and finished in New York. One of the most encouraging aspects of the tour was the response LOOKING FIT received concerning the National Tanning Training Institute, which traveled along and conducted a training session in Fort Lee, N.J. at the conclusion of the tour.

I would like to extend a special thank you to John Abaté International and PC Marketing, for all the incredible products and promotional items provided on this portion of the tour. The following are excerpts from interviews conducted at each of the salons that we visited. Check back in October as the Tanning Tour 2000 continues through New York and on to Columbus, Ohio.

The Beach Club Tanning Salon
Philadelphia
Manager: Stacy Levin
Years in business: 2
Services: Tanning and European Body Wraps
Number of units: 5
Number of employees: 4
Busy season: February to June
Average sessions per day: 70 during the busy season; 30 during the off-season
Average client age: 25-35
Average session price: $7-$9
Marketing Tip: Keep salon clean
Advertising Avenue: Word-of-mouth
Business Obstacle: Competition

Hollywood Tans (5 stores)
Philadelphia
Owners: Dolly McShana and Bob Johnson
Years in business: 5
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 10
Number of employees: 1
Busy season: March to June
Average sessions per day: 275-280 during the busy season; 60 during the off-season.
Average client age: 23-30
Average session price: $5-$6
Marketing Tip: Keep your salon clean
Advertising Avenue: Local newspaper
Business Obstacle: The slow season

California Tanning Salon
Philadelphia
Owners: Don and Kathie Dragonie
Years in business: 3
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 8 standups,
4 superbeds, 1 facial
Number of employees: 70 (12 per store)
Busy season: March to August
Average sessions per day: 200 during the busy season; 75 during off-season
Average client age: 20-30
Average session price: $10
Marketing Tip: Keep salon clean and know your products
Advertising Avenue: Coupons
Business Obstacle: The slow season

Salon Sabel
Philadelphia
Owner: Denise Fantini
Years in business: 13
Services: Tanning, waxing and nails
Number of units: 5 units, 1 facial
Number of employees: 6
Busy season: March to June
Average sessions per day: 100 during the busy season; 30-40 during the off-season
Average client age: 30-45
Average session price: $8-$9
Marketing Tip: Be friendly
Advertising Avenue: Word-of-mouth
Biggest Obstacle: Not having enough time in the day

Montego Bay Tanning Salon
Philadelphia
Owners: Kahlil Mir and Greg Young
Manager: Robin Miscer
Years in business: 3
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 8
Number of employees: 3
Busy season: March to June
Average sessions per day: 80 during the busy season; 40 during the off-season
Average client age: 20-35
Average session price: $7-$8
Marketing Tip: Be educated
Advertising Avenue: Local newspapers and Yellow Pages
Biggest Obstacle: Keeping good employees

Armando's 7-Island Tanning Salon
Collingdale, Pa.
Owner: Armando DiBonaventura
Years in business: 15
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 20
Number of employees: 12
Busy season: March to September
Average sessions per day: 350 during the busy season; 75 during the off-season
Average client age: 25-30
Average session price: $6-$10
Marketing Tip: Continuing education
Advertising Avenue: Crazy newspaper ads
Biggest Obstacle: Keeping good employees

Island Sun Tanning & Travel
Bensalem, Pa.
Owners: Debbie and Mike Burns
Manager: Tricia Guerva
Years in business: 5
Services: Tanning, travel, swimwear
Number of units: 24
Number of employees: 12
Busy season: Mid-February to June
Average sessions per day: 325-345 during the busy season; 80 during the off-season
Average client age: 25-35
Average session price: $7-$8
Marketing Tip: Make sure employees are trained and knowledgeable
Advertising Avenue: Yellow Pages
Biggest Obstacle: Finding good employees during the busy season

Le Soleil Bronze
Levittown, Pa.
Owners: Kelly and Don Reed
Years in business: 5.5
Services: Tanning and nails
Number of units: 5
Number of employees: 6
Busy season: January to May
Average sessions per day: 200 during the busy season; 40 during the slow season
Average client age: 22-32
Average session price: $6
Marketing Tip: Know your customers and keep the salon clean
Advertising Avenue: Local newspaper and brochures
Biggest Obstacle: The slow season

Tan Line Sun Studios
Bensalem, Pa.
Owners: Jim and Debbie Roth
Years in business: 10 (7 stores/3 franchises)
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 9
Number of employees: 30
Busy season: February to June
Average sessions per day: 85-100 during the busy season; 40-50 during the off-season
Average client age: 25-35
Average session price: $6-7
Marketing Tip: Be knowledgeable and don't undercharge
Advertising Avenue: Word-of-mouth
Biggest Obstacle: Salon owners who don't know about the industry

A Caribbean Tan, Inc. Tanning Center
Levittown, Pa.
Owner: Jack Magliore
Manager: Natalie Magliore
Years in business: 6
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 10
Number of employees: 9
Busy season: February to August
Average sessions per day: 300-400 during the busy season; 100-150 during the off-season
Average client age: 25-40
Average session price: $8
Marketing Tip: Keep the salon clean and be friendly
Avertising Avenue: Local newspaper
Biggest Obstacle: Finding good employees

Sunny Days Tanning Salon
Ewing, N.J.
Owners: Christine Damysh and Jerry Silivendis
Years in business: 3
Services: Tanning
Number of units: 8
Number of employees: 9
Busy season: January to May
Average sessions per day: 200-220 during the busy season; 80-100 during the off-season
Average client age: 25
Average session price: $5-$6
Marketing Tip: Provide great customer service
Advertising Avenue: Radio, direct mail to customer base
Biggest Obstacle: Finding and keeping good employees

A Sincere Thank You

For the 6th straight year the editors of LOOKING FIT continued their mission to promote responsible tanning with Tanning Tour 2000.

This year, LOOKING FIT visited salons throughout the northeastern portions of the United States in an effort to communicate responsible tanning, investigate industry trends, promote new and valuable promotions and spend time with the people who define the indoor tanning industry--salon owners. This type of one-on-one communication with salon owners provides invaluable information that LOOKING FIT uses throughout the year in doing research for articles, analyzing trends and providing the most up-to-date information, facts and figures about the indoor tanning industry for your use.

In addition, LOOKING FIT would like to extend a sincere thank you to its official Northeast Tanning Tour sponsors

• John Abaté™ International
• PC Marketing

Without whose continued support, the Tanning Tour would not be possible. To find out more about our sponsors, please log on to their Web sites at

• www.johnabate.com
• www.pcmarketing.com.

Finally, make sure to check out upcoming editions of LOOKING FIT for complete details and photos of all the salons on the Tanning Tour.