Tanning Equipment Construction And Maintenance

The tanning equipment on today’s market offer a variety of technologically advanced options to tanners. Not only are they available in a variety of shapes and sizes, they also come in traditional bed or standup configurations. No matter what type of equipment you choose for your salon, an understanding of the basic tanning unit function and makeup is a necessity.

Deciding whether to outfit your salon with tanning beds or standups can present a dilemma to some salon owners. Do the majority of your customers want to lie down when they tan or would they prefer to stand up? Whether replacing or adding units in an existing salon or outfitting a new facility from scratch, it is important to weigh the benefits of each format and decide which best fits the salon’s goals.

There are a number of advantages to a standup. First, it takes up less space, and with quality retail space renting for up to $60 per square foot and more, that’s no minor consideration. Most freestanding tanning standups take up about 10-15 square feet of floor space, about half the room of a tanning bed. In addition, most manufacturers offer prefabricated dressing cubicles that attach to their standup units, making a completely private tanning area that occupies little more space than the average tanning bed. This is especially beneficial in an area not specifically designed with tanning in mind.

Another highlight of the standup comes from the principle that heat rises. Since the tanning lamps are located around the tanning customer in a stand-up unit and not above as in a bed, cooling of the unit is simplified. An efficient fan in the ceiling and vents at floor level keep the unit cool throughout the tanning session.

In addition to increased customer comfort, the standup also permits the use of more powerful tanning lamps, significantly shortening session time. Most tanning beds use between 30 and 50 100-watt lamps. The majority of the tanning standups on the market are made to use 40 or more 160-watt lamps. The result is an eight- to 15-minute session, compared to an average of 20 minutes for most beds. Obviously, a shorter session time means that more customers can be accommodated in the same time period, at best, more than twice as many. With a standup, salons can schedule about 3.5 sessions per hour. With a bed, about 2.5 customers can be accommodated in the same amount of time.

A seeming drawback to the higher-powered lamps is that their life is rated about 500 hours—half that of most 100-watt tubes. However, a salon can fit in twice as many customers in the 500 hours, making the lamps about equal in sessions per lamp.

Concern was expressed early in the development process that obtaining parts, especially the higher-powered lamps, could limit the growth of standup sales. Thanks to support from lamp manufacturers, that has not proved to be the case. The hygienic factor often is touted as another advantage. During a standing tanning session, a tanner’s body contact with the tanning unit is minimized. This makes cleaning between sessions almost unnecessary and also puts the minds of many customers at ease.

Also, the white spots, known as pressure points, are eliminated by using a stand-up unit. Pressure points occur where relatively small areas of skin support much of the body’s weight. In places where this occurs, such as on the bony edge of the shoulder blade, blood flow in the skin is reduced and the secretion of melanin is inhibited. In a stand-up unit, the tanner has no contact with the acrylic, so there is no problem with pressure points.