One Voice, One Purpose

If you haven’t heard the buzz surrounding this year’s Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) Tanning World Expo in Nashville, then you are not dialed in to your industry. For the first time in a long time, the entire industry—salon owners, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and allied companies—came together to form one voice with one purpose: To take a proactive approach to our critics.

For years, anti-tanning critics have cast a negative light on indoor tanning. As an industry, we have fought back with rebuttals and information on the latest science that supports the benefits of controlled exposure to sunlight. However, the attacks have become more aggressive over the past few years, and the truth about tanning more distorted.

While our industry has many leaders trying to unite the masses against the dermaterrorists; we need more. Too often, the industry has relied on a handful of advocates; however, all that changed on Oct. 12 after a presentation left those in the audience feeling something that has been seriously lacking in the indoor tanning industry for far too long—hope. If you were in the room, you could feel the momentum shift. It was exciting and we will be talking more about it in the coming months. Be sure to turn to page 30 to find out how the industry raised more than $400,000 to help spread the good word about tanning.

For now, I urge you to become an ITA member by calling (888) 377-0477 or visiting www.theita.com. The ITA’ mission is to protect one’ freedom to acquire a tan, and to strengthen and advance our industry through research, education and partnerships with organizations whose efforts further its mission.

Next month marks the beginning of a new year and the start of another tanning season. Be on the lookout for the 2008 Annual Buyer’s Guide & Directory, a daily tool that provides salon owners and operators with the most current listing of manufacturers and distributors of tanning equipment, products and services.

As always, I remind you to promote sensible, moderate and responsible tanning and encourage your clients to reap all the positive benefits of sunlight. The LOOKING FIT staff wishes you a joyous and safe holiday season and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2008,

Judie Bizzozero
Group Editorial Director

The ladies of LOOKING FIT wish you a happy holiday season! From left: Stacy Woolf, Danielle Maheux, Judie Bizzozero and Jenny Bolton