Looking Fit 02/2001: The Best of the Best Tanning Salons

The Best of the Best Tanning Salons

by Rick Mattoon

After the overwhelming positive response we received from last year's Top 100 Tanning Salons, for the second straight year, LOOKING FIT's editors have succeeded in identifying the most innovative, dynamic and fastest-growing indoor tanning salons in North America.

This year, in order to more accurately assess and categorize the salons that submitted their Top 250 Salon Survey, and because of the unbalanced densities of salons across the country, we have categorized them by region.

As hoped, the results of this year's survey was inspiring--reinforcing what we have expected all along: The indoor tanning industry is growing stronger in direct proportion to consumer confidence caused by knowledgeable tanning salon owners and operators who have the welfare of the tanning public as a priority.

Apparently, the increased technical competency regarding the "science of tanning," as well as the increased understanding of how to deliver quality customer service, has led to the strengthening of our industry.

Making The Cut

To assemble the large pool of salons, we asked industry manufacturers and distributors, as well as groups like the North American Alliance of Tanning Salon Owners (TSO), to provide us with a list of salons they would recommend as some of the best in the country. We then added names of the tanning salons with which we were personally impressed while conducting LOOKING FIT's annual Tanning Tours along with winners of LOOKING FIT's Salon Accomplishment Awards over the last 11 years. With those recommendations in hand, along with an impressive collection of in-magazine surveys mailed in by LOOKING FIT readers, we began our pursuit of excellence.

Every effort was made to gather precise information, to create an equal playing field from Seattle to Manhattan. However, in the end we relied on the sincerity of the salon owners who provided us with information. For that reason, we took extra care to inform participants in the survey how important it was for them to provide accurate information about their tanning facilities and the kind of business they do within a typical year-during both busy season and off-season.

Although we know that the listings are not necessarily inclusive of every salon that would merit a listing among the best, we feel it is a true listing of those who participated in the survey. Due to the competitive nature of our industry, it was sometimes difficult to get salons to participate and share their success; in other cases, they were more than cooperative. We felt it was important to continue to publish this list, since no other association or magazine tracks this information within the indoor tanning industry.

The survey asked participants to provide the number of salons they own, how many years they've been in business and the number of tanning units at each of their locations. We also asked owners what other services they offered, such as nails, travel, hair, day spa amenities, etc., as well as what retail products they carried in their salons. Although not published here, we also asked participating salons to provided their shop's 2000 gross revenue and the projected revenue for 2001, along with the percentage of monthly income their salons generate in lotion sales. All information was factored into the rankings.

Realizing that many factors contribute to a salon's success, we looked at each salon separately, judging them on the level of business they do based on the type of salon they run. We looked at the bed-to-tanner ratio at each salon, both during the busy season and off-season, and the number of additional amenities and services each provides.

We also took into account and ranked accordingly, the salon with four beds that serves the same numbers of tanners as a salon with 15 beds. We were careful to observe the differences between a salon stocked with countless retail items and services above and beyond a tan, and the tanning-only salons devoted to selling only retail products directly related to the indoor tanning service.

In addition, we factored in the amount of information provided by the owners themselves. Some listed information for only their top salon-others gave us information for all their salons combined.

It was a long and tedious process, evaluating the fine distinctions within the industry first-hand by examining hundreds of salons and speaking to countless salon owners.

The editors at LOOKING FIT congratulate the tens of thousands of tanning facilities nationwide that are committed to this industry. Therefore, if you have a salon or know of one that you feel should be considered for the Top Salon Rating, I invite you to contact me at (480) 990-1101, ext. 1665 or e-mail me at rmattoon@vpico.com and I will be glad to take the salon under consideration for next year.

Be on the lookout for announcements-and pullout surveys-so you can nominate your own or someone else's salon for the 2002 listing.