Three years ago, I decided to join the family business and run my own salon. Just days before I opened the doors, I converted an 8-foot by 6-foot closet in to an airbrush spray-tanning room based on the advice of my father, a 12-year veteran in the industry. He said that airbrush tanning was a great way to generate extra income in slow times. Little did I know, however, that my airbrush business would grow to account for nearly half of my annual revenues. Because of my experiences, I firmly believe that airbrush tanning is not an ancillary service—I think it can (and should) be a core part of every tanning salon.
Of course, it does take some work. If you want your sunless business to really take off, you must take it seriously—be prepared to dedicate the same amount of resources and time to this venture as you do for your normal tanning business. You also need to carefully consider the many options available when choosing your equipment, solution and spray-room setup, as well as develop of plan for hiring and training your airbrush staff. Then, once you get the logistics in place, marketing this new service must become your priority. Here are my suggestions for getting your airbrush business off the ground:
Sunless Equipment
When you went out and bought a salon, I am betting that you did a lot of research regarding the equipment choices—and you probably tested the equipment as well. So, it should come as no surprise that you’ll need to do with same with sunless airbrush equipment. Look for equipment that provides excellent results in a user-friendly and minimal-maintenance configuration. When I was researching units, I met with my distributor and tested every system they sold. I decided on the Norvell NT-2000 because it was easy-to-use and easy-to-clean—and after a few years and thousands of sprays, it has proven to be very reliable.
Sunless Solution
Over the past decade, my father and I have tried nearly every solution on the market. During those trials, we have found many solutions that work, but there wer only a few that we loved. We spray with the Norvell Dark solution, and have always been satisfied with the results and consistency of the product. Whatever solution you choose, make sure that you don’t settle—find the best product for your business. And, of course, use it before you invest in it—don’t hesitate to ask manufacturers to send you samples if necessary.
Sunless Technicians
Airbrush tanning will be a labor-intensive aspect of your business. It demands an individual to give customers his or her full attention during application—the difficulty is that many salons that are just starting their airbrush business may not be busy enough to warrant full-time airbrush staff. I know that I wasn’t . But then I began to notice that I was missing out on paying customers when I didn’t have someone available to spray, and it became imperative that I find a way to have staff available to spray at all times because customers want what is convenient for them. So, I decided that every one of my female staff members would be trained as airbrush technicians and I implemented an on-call system. If we had airbrush sessions scheduled, I would have a technician come in; if we didn’t, then the technician didn’t have to work (and I didn’t have to pay her). I still use this system and it allows me to have technicians available all day, every day at a relatively low cost. It can be inconvenient for the technicians at times, but I’ve found that their hourly pay—plus tips—makes it worthwhile for them.
Sunless Technician Training
Every one of my employees is thoroughly trained in our spray-tanning process. First and foremost, you want to make sure that every staff member in your salon can operate, clean, and maintain your equipment. Beyond that, our training program is really focused on building the technician’s confidence. We have new employees practice in supervised and unsupervised situations so they can fully understand and become comfortable with the equipment, the product and the technique. A well-trained technician will exude confidence, which will lead to better results and happier customers.
