Giving The Best Its Due
by Rick Mattoon
The staff at LOOKING FIT® magazine distinguishes some of the most innovative, professionally committed and well-educated salons in the United States in this, the fifth consecutive Top 250 Salons issue. Salons on the following pages were chosen from a collection of thousands of surveys submitted over the past few months.
Considerable work and attention was put into the selection process. First, LOOKING FIT® invited industry manufacturers and distributors to provide a list of salons they would recommend as some of the best in the country. Magazine staff then added names of impressive tanning salons found during annual LOOKING FIT® Tanning Tours. Those recommendations were combined with an inspiring collection of in-magazine and online surveys sent in by salon owners and managers.
In addition, hundreds of phone interviews were conducted to gather and validate information for the most accurate Top 250 listing possible.
As in years past, LOOKING FIT® relied on the sincerity of those who provided information. For that reason, staff took extra care to inform survey participants how important it was for them to provide straightforward information about their tanning facilities and the kind of business they do year-round.
Also, LOOKING FIT® paid critical attention to those salons that advanced the image and professionalism of indoor tanning by way of professional training and certification as well as involvement in various community charities and benefits. Staff also took into consideration those salons that operated under a set of standards consistent with accepted and required procedures for the professional operation of an indoor tanning facility.
Those Considered
The magazine always has known since launching its first Top 250 Salons list five years ago that no listing could include every salon that would merit an inclusion among the best. However, the staff feels this special issue of LOOKING FIT® is an accurate record of those who took the time and effort to participate in the survey.
Due to the competitive nature of our industry, occasionally it was difficult to get salons to participate and share their success; in most cases, however, they were more than cooperative. The editors relied on the salons to present truthful information for the purpose of this project. Even with the growing difficulty in completing such a project, the magazine editors believe it is important to continue to publish the list, since no other organization within the indoor tanning industry successfully pursues this information.
The survey asked participants to provide in-depth tanning business information. It 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, the survey asked participating salons to provide their salon’s 2003 gross revenue and projected revenue for 2004, along with the percentage of monthly income their salons generate in lotion sales, tanning and other services. All information was factored into the rankings.
Staff took into account and ranked accordingly the salons that participated in certification programs and ongoing training. This was factored more appropriately in states where certification was not mandated but voluntary. Additionally, a salon’s community commitment was determined by its participation in charities and other public-service activities.
In the end, LOOKING FIT® evaluated the fine distinctions among the salons firsthand by examining hundreds of salon surveys and speaking to hundreds of salon owners and managers. It was a long and tedious process to evaluate each salon’s strengths and weaknesses based on surveys and interviews.
The editors at LOOKING FIT® congratulate the thousands of tanning facilities nationwide that have helped contribute to the expanding level of professionalism and education in the indoor tanning industry.
