Selling Light Therapy: Salon Owner Tips (This Salon Owner Sells It ... And Here's How: Lumiere Light Therapie)

Who: Jim Barnes, owner of three franchised Planet Beach Contempo Spa locations in Idaho.
What: Lumière Light Thèrapie.

Jim Barnes’ salons have been in operation for about five years. Two years ago, he decided to add a Lumière Light Thèrapie unit to one of the locations. A year later, he added it to the other two.

“We had heard good reports about the Lumière from other franchisees both in the area and across the country,” Barnes says. “Our customers loved it while we were still considered a tanning salon—and they love it even more now that we have morphed into a Contempo Spa. People come to our salons to look good and feel good; the Lumière unit is a great fit because it appeals to both of those things.”

Because of his experience, LF sat down with Barnes to get the skinny on what salon owners can do to ensure that adding such a service will increase the salon’s bottom line—and not end up in the back room as an unused reminder of a bad investment.

LF: We get that light therapy is a good fit for a tanning salon’s appearance-conscious clients—but how do you sell it to them in the first place?

JB: Well, no one seems to make a lot of money selling a light therapy session by itself, but when you use it as part of your membership offerings, it is seen as a huge plus. Honestly, it’s an incentive for people to become a member. We had marked improvement in membership sales the minute the equipment hit our doors.

LF: So, you market light therapy as a package deal ... explain how that works.

JB: Basically, we market it as part of our spa package along with our hydromassage equipment, Hydration Station, Mystic Tan standup and UV options. It’s a very big part of the mix. People who purchase our top membership get unlimited use of all of our equipment, and we suggest personalized regimens to help them reach their goals.

LF: Any tips for getting light therapy services noticed in a salon?

JB: We always make sure that the Lumière brochures are in good supply in our salons and anywhere we go for promotions. We also run the Lumière promotional videos in our lobbies for added exposure.

LF: Who’s using it? Would you recommend that people target their marketing toward a specific demographic?

JB: Light therapy appeals to all ages; however, our middle-aged female members use it the most. We do have some young people who have been referred to us by doctors for acne treatment, and there are a few male clients who use it as well. And while I wouldn’t solely target middle-aged women, it’s a good place to start. It’s also a great mother-daughter option—mom’s there to hold off the wrinkles and daughter is there to get rid of acne. That’s something you don’t see when you are solely a tanning business.

LF: Do you have any suggestions/advice for salon owners who are considering adding light therapy?

JB: Again, I wouldn’t recommend that you sell sessions—light therapy services should be a part of a bundled package. Also, keep in mind that where you will really make money is in the retail products you sell in conjunction with light therapy. There will be resistance to buying sessions—package or not—but customers don’t bat an eye about buying a product that goes with the therapy once they’ve committed to purchasing the treatment. As a salon owner, you must be dedicated to learning what light therapy can do for your clients, as well as knowing the product lines backwards and forwards, just as you do with your UV services and lotions. If you don’t, you’ll just have another piece of equipment occupying a mostly unused room.