It’s All About Atmosphere

by Scott Eric Barrett

Atmosphere is the dominant tone or mood of a work of art associated with a particular place. Most consumers probably wouldn’t consider tanning salons to be works of art, but in the business arena, an establishment’s decor takes on major visual image considerations, says Nancy Geoghegan, president of One Day Décor in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“The basic idea behind design themes is to make customers believe they are leaving reality outside and walking into a beach, a children’s playground, a jungle, etc.,” she says. “It doesn’t take an artist and it doesn’t always require a ton of cash to craft a unique atmosphere, but it’s almost a necessity in a competitive market.”

Geoghegan says customers will choose the business that makes them feel good or feel like they truly are getting away from their everyday routine. Small-business operators who think creating unique themes and atmospheres isn’t an extremely important ingredient to their success probably won’t be in business very long.

Creating A Buzz

By their very nature, typical tanners appreciate attractive qualities. That doesn’t mean every salon has to look like The Ritz- Carlton Spa, but it’s important to understand that in addition to a golden tan, clients want to enjoy the entire tanning-salon experience, says Bobby Smart, owner of Razorback Video & Tanning in Russellville, Ark.

“Salons must offer something different and unique, something their clients don’t see every day,” he says.

Smart chose a tropical theme because his clients never see tropical trees or tropical plant life. Arkansas has lots of greenery, but not the kind that people would see at a beach.

“Many of our clients tan prior to going on vacation,” he says. “People respond very well because our decor heightens their anticipation of the actual event or location they plan to enjoy in the near future.”

Visiting a salon is all about time well spent. Customers will spend an average of five to 10 minutes waiting for a tanning room to become available, Smart says. During the busy season they may have to wait as long as 30 minutes. Whatever theme a salon operator chooses, the clients need to walk away with a feeling of satisfaction and not fuss about the wait, says Brian Hibbard, president of South Beach Tanning Factory in Orlando, Fla.

“You want clients to tell their friends how incredible your place looks,” he adds. “We have people stopping by the salon who have never tanned before just because they heard about our cool, South Beach theme and wanted to see it. I can’t think of a more valuable form of advertising than an overwhelming endorsement from an existing client.”

Inspiring Ideas

Frankie Burrell, owner of Silver Sun Tan USA in Athens, Ga., owns six tanning salons. Recently, she had the opportunity to move one of her stores to a better location near the University of Georgia in Athens. Since the salon caters to quite a few college students, she decided to do things a little differently.

“Football is very big in Athens, and everyone around here is a fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs,” she says. “The school’s colors are red and black and the football team often wears silver pants. Since my salon is Silver Sun, I chose red, black and silver for the primary colors.”

The salon features red walls with black and silver trim and silver doors. Burrell also designed an archway just like the arches at the university. She spent around $100,000 for the entire project. Burrell acted as the contractor with her husband and son-in-law doing a lot of the work. She hired out the ceramic tile, air and electrical portions of the job.

“I saved a lot of money by doing the build-out myself,” she says. “We used white columns at the entrance to give it a more upscale look. I also decided to use brushed metal around my counter with black granite for the countertop.”

Many salons choose a tropical or beach-themed decor. In Smart’s case it was a good call.

“As soon as clients enter the lobby, they get the feeling that they aren’t in Arkansas anymore,” he says. “We have palm trees in our sitting area and tropical plants surrounding our waterfall fountain. We also have greenery hanging from a ledge above the fountain, flowing down the wall.”

Along the top ledge of the partial walls that divide the tanning rooms, Smart hung green vines with leaves hanging over the edge. Each room contains a potted plant to continue the theme, along with framed outdoor scene pictures on the walls.

“Clients enjoy just sitting and watching the fountain as they wait for their appointment,” he adds. “They often are reluctant to leave their chair when the room becomes available. It’s not uncommon to have clients fall asleep in the tanning beds and require a reminder that their time has expired.”

Hibbard chose his South Beach art-deco look because running off to South Beach for the weekend is the “in” thing to do in Orlando.

“We wanted to be associated with that trend,” he says. “The inside of our salon looks and feels like a club on Ocean Drive in South Beach. We keep the music turned up with club tunes, which adds to the South Beach atmosphere. Even the magazines we carry are magazines normally only available in South Beach.”

Art deco features stark lines, bright pastel colors and zigzag architectural features. This style greatly appealed to Americans who were going through the Roaring ’20s and loved the eclectic look. South Beach has an entire district of art-deco buildings that have been modernized with lots of neon, stainless steel, curved furniture and strong, vibrant colors.

“It is a constant party in South Beach,” Hibbard says. “Everything is very high end. Every hotel and club tries to outdo each other by making their places look wilder and wilder. Our salon features a lot of funky-looking furniture, brushed aluminum and neon that makes it feel more like a nightclub.”

Taking Action

Choosing a particular theme depends on what kind of customers a salon is targeting. Once that is determined, it’s all about planning. Most salons can’t afford to just change their atmosphere overnight, but there are options.

“If you can’t do it all at once, put your whole plan together and slowly build on the initial phase of your game plan,” Smart says. “For our tropical theme, we started with the plants in each room and the pictures on the walls. Next we added the vines on the partial-wall ledges, and later added the palm trees. The final phase was the addition of the waterfall fountain.”

Sometimes a creative salon operator can handle the actual design but, more times than not, it requires outside assistance.

“I definitely am not an artist, but I’m a good improviser,” Smart says. “I can paint with a roller or wide brush and there are a lot of new painting techniques, like rag rolling, sponge painting, stripping, etc., that most people can tackle themselves. If you are not blessed with detailed, freehand graphic abilities, then hire a professional or find a very good friend willing to donate or trade out their time.”

For salon operators who don’t have friends or family members who fancy interior design, the Internet and the Yellow Pages feature a wealth of options. Most companies and consultants will provide initial estimates, which allow salon operators to shop around. Established companies also will have Web sites featuring examples of past projects. It’s important to find a company that has done work for tanning salons and has the photos to prove it, so the shopping may take some time.

Whether salon owners try to do it themselves or hire an outside consultant, it’s important not to have too many hands involved in creating a theme, Hibbard says. He found it incredibly successful to have one company who understood what he was trying to achieve.

“Everyone is going to interpret your vision differently,” he says. “If you have five companies working on different aspects of the project, you may come up with five different feels that don’t necessarily tie everything together. I have a friend who owns an advertising agency and also is an interior designer and artist. One of the things that made our look so successful was that his company had a hand in everything. From our logo design and advertising material to the color layout of the interior to the furniture and light-fixture selection, his company offered guidance to keep continuity throughout all aspects of the salon.”

Even indecisive salon operators have options. “If all else fails, get ideas from other salon themes,” Smart says. “Look at magazines that feature salon decor. There are great shows on TV like “Trading Spaces,” “Clean Sweep,” “Monster House,” or “While You Were Out” that can spark great ideas for creative interiors.”

“My advice would be to go all the way with whatever theme you choose,” Hibbard says. “Our art-deco South Beach theme not only carries throughout our decor but also through our advertising and print material.”

In his renowned book, A History of Interior Design, John Pile states that interior design is a field with unclear boundaries in which construction, architecture, the arts and crafts, technology, and product design all overlap. For tanning salons, the process doesn’t have to be that daunting, but with a little bit of thought, a little bit of effort and a little outside assistance, salon operators can offer their clients an escape to a topical paradise, a college football wonderland or uptown South Beach nightclub.

The choices are many and the financial benefits plentiful in the long run because customers offer the cheapest advertising of all: word of mouth.