I’m going to let you in on a little secret: men tan, too. OK, maybe that wasn’t such a big secret—but for many salon owners, the male-tanner demographic is difficult to target. If you’re having trouble marketing to men, it might mean that you need to broaden your views about male tanners.
Too many people make the mistake of buying into the stereotypes listed below—and that not only will prevent you from expanding your clientele, it also will allow your more open-minded competition to capitalize on the men you’ve overlooked.
Stereotype: Only a certain type of guy will tan indoors.
A common stereotype is that men who tan indoors are all bodybuilders or are metrosexual. Sure, those types of guys are big indoor tanners—but plenty of Average Joe’s visit salons as well.
“Men make up close to 40 percent of my client base—and they range from cops to firefighters to construction workers,” says Tiffany Thompson, owner of Glow Tanning Co. in Oroville, Calif. “Honestly, my ‘metro’ male clientele consists of only three guys. Most of the men that tan at my salon are in a ‘man’s man’ profession. As for the construction workers, I think it might have something to do with the fact that the union does not permit them to work without shirts.”
In addition, don’t make the mistake of ageism when it comes to men who tan—while you may think that the twenty-somethings are the most likely demographic to hit the tanning salon, that’s not always the case.
“A large amount of my year-round customers are middle-aged men,” says Meagan O’Rourke, owner of Bryantville, Mass.-based Just Tans, Inc. “They tan to feel good. I also have quite a few older men come in with their wives to get ready for vacation or get some color during the winter months.”
Of course, even a middle-aged construction worker might be intimidated by a salon that’s full of women and looks like a lingerie store. So, if you want to get more men in the salon, make sure that you are providing an environment that is welcoming to everyone—not just the ladies.
“Our clientele is approximately 50 percent male, but it didn’t start out that way,” says Kathe Ray, owner of Livonia, Mich.-based Absolute Salon & Spa. “In the beginning, we were at about 15 percent. We built that up by being male-friendly and by establishing an environment that makes men feel comfortable and respected. What I mean is that our place is not a girly salon—we treat men just the same as we do anyone else.”
