Just a few short years ago, spray booths were considered a secondary service. Now they are a standard service offered by tanning salons across the country. Most salons seem to have at least one room dedicated to spray booths. This service helps bring in a wider clientele and provides a salon owner with an added revenue stream.
Any time you add an additional service, you are thinking of the added income. Your insurance agent, however, will be thinking of the potential risk. In order to evaluate the risk, you must look at the entire process and try to see the ways things can go wrong. Anyone who knows me well knows I am a worrywart. If something can go wrong, it probably will at some time. But that is how you want your agent to be – that way you are more likely to be covered for the “what ifs.”
Anytime you add liquid to a service, you increase the risk of slip and fall hazards. It becomes more important to constantly check your hallways to make sure they are dry. Also, most spray units are in a room with tile flooring – practical, but slick when wet. To reduce the risk of slipping, make sure you have a non-skid mat outside the booth entrance.
Make sure your clients are aware of the proper procedures for protecting their hands, faces, elbows, feet and knees from the spray product. Providing the correct lotion treatments – or offering them for sale – is a good idea. This will reduce the chances of someone claiming they didn’t get an “even” tan.
Anytime you are using a lotion-type product, you run the risk of your client suffering an allergic reaction to that product. It is recommended that you confirm the client doesn’t have any allergies. Show them the list of ingredients in the spray product if they do have skin allergies. People with sensitive skin are usually aware of their allergies and, hopefully, will be upfront with you regarding this.
An increasingly common event we see involving spray booths is flooding. If the booths are incorrectly connected to the water line, or improper or cheap valves were used, the lines often break. It is always best to have the equipment installed by a licensed and bonded technician – preferably one recommended by the manufacturer or distributor. This applies whether you are purchasing new or used equipment. Additionally, you should have a shut-off valve installed and add “turning the water off” every night to your closing procedures. It might seem like just one more thing for your crew to do, but these things usually break at night. That means you won’t find the water until the next day, and it will have had time to damage not only your salon, but possibly your neighbors’ businesses as well. Believe me, your neighbors will come to you to repair any damage done or reimburse them for any business lost. At the same time, you will be dealing with the possibly extensive damage to your business and loss of income.
Taking these proactive steps could help save you from suffering a loss involving your spray tan operations. The goal of adding this service is to provide more clients and income, not cause problems.
As a business owner, you should always make sure your policy will cover you for the types of exposures your salon has. Call you specialized agent to review your spray booths, and any other additional services you may offer.
Jenny Bortman is an account executive for Phoenix-based Universal Insurance. For more information or to get a quick, no-obligation quote, call 800.844.2101 or visit www.universalinsuranceltd.com.
