Tanning Salon Owners' Best Purchases of 2009

What was the best purchase your salon made in the past year? LF recently ran a contest for salon owners about this very subject. We asked our readers to tell us what one thing they bought for their business in 2009 that they wouldn’t want to do without (and the “product” purchased could be anything — equipment, lotion, an upgraded salon Web site, marketing materials, etc.).

All those who sent in their best purchases were entered into a drawing to win a goodie bag, full of products from Devoted Creations, Eye Pro, EyeSwirls, Sole-O's, MT Industries (Mystic Tan and Versaspa) and NTTI. Congrats to those who were selected in the drawing and thanks to everyone who sent in responses.

Here are some of the top submissions we received:

“After much consideration, we purchased a Sundash Radius 252 this past February. We were nearly talked out of this purchase — I heard many stories about how stand-ups would sit empty — but I listened to what my clients wanted and the Sundash has proven to be the best purchase I made in 2009.”  Amy Swyear, Owner — Tan Lines (Freeburg, Ill.)

“I had tank tops and T-shirts imprinted with my salon logo and information, and gave them away to local high school students — I just asked them to wear their Tropix top to school every Friday and then come to the salon to tan after school in exchange for a free upgrade. It’s been great advertising — I have had a number of customers tell me they decided to tan because they saw so many people wearing the Tropix shirts. And, the teens are so excited, they keep asking me what can they do next! I have three high schools in a 1-mile radius and I have three or more people in each grade level to wear my tees and tank tops.”  Maggie Smith, Owner — Tropix Tanning Salon (Lilburn, Ga.)

“The best purchase that we made for 2009 was bringing in a Versaspa. During our slowest months (July-August), the Versaspa made a huge difference. Of course, traffic was slower, but the Versaspa really carried us through because people that were not tanning indoors because of the sunny weather still found that they needed an extra boost of color for weddings and parties.”  Shauna Mather, Owner — Tantastic Tanning Company Inc. (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

“The California Tan Turbo Bronzer has been a huge hit here in Soldotna. AK Rays is the only tanning salon on the Kenai Peninsula that has one, and I have people that come from Homer, Cooper Landing, Seward and even Kodiak Island to get a spray from us. I like the Turbo Bronzer because it provides extremely even color, and it is a wonderful bronze (not at all orange) shade. Customers, employees and even I have been asked “Did you just get back from vacation?” after being sprayed with the Turbo Bronzer — that, of course, makes me feel really good about the results.”  Kristine Denison, Owner — AK Rays Tanning Salon (Soldotna, Alaska)

“The best purchase we made in the past year would have to be our new location. We were previously located in a very small area in the basement of an office building, but have since relocated to our own building that is about three times the size of our previous space. It’s a wonderful location, and we could not imagine not being here!”  Stacey Burks, Manager — Bronzin On Broadway Tanning & Soda Shop (Peru, Ind.)

“This year, we purchased the Beaming White teeth whitening unit, which we learned about through an ad in Looking Fit. It has been a new great source of revenue, allowing us offer a $60 to $100 service to our clients in addition to our core tanning services and products. The additional revenue meant we did not have to reduce our key staff members’ hours during this past slow season, which is something we’ve had to do in past years.”  Kris Selvidge, Owner — Beach Bums Tanning Salon (Knoxville, Tenn.)

“The Australian Gold Laser Spray Tan System opened our salon to an entirely new customer base, especially because spray tan offerings are sparse here. It has also helped get me through an otherwise very slow off-season.”  Al Kaeding, Owner, The TAN Co. (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)

“Since we’ve purchased Constant Contact for our e-mail marketing, we’ve noticed a big increase in customer response to advertisements and tanning education. Using this marketing resource, our salon is able to inform clients about monthly promotions and community events that we are participating in, as well as provide important updates about tanning and the industry. The program is very user-friendly and allows us to create professional e-mails in just minutes. We recommend it to any salon looking to expand their marketing!”  Ashley Griffin, Manager — Paradise Tanning (East Stroudsburg, Pa.)

“My tanning salon moved to a new upscale location in 2009 — and new equipment just had to be part of the new look. After looking at many beds, I decided that the Sportarredo LP3 48 was one of the beds with the tanning power and the looks needed to bring what was once a simple tanning salon to a new level and class. And it did.”  Shawn Hamachek, Owner — Pacific Tanning Company (Green Bay, Wis.)

“I opened my salon in 2006 and steadily built my clientele — until local city planners decided to begin a seven-month construction project just outside my business. Devastated by the construction, I was looking for a miracle; I decided to spend $400 to run radio ads for one week, advertising a four-day FTW (free tan weekend). During those four days, I gained 50 new customers that had never stepped foot in my door before — and that was just the beginning. Through effective advertising, I have managed to continue growing despite an economic recession and am looking forward to the 2010 tanning season.”  Kelly Robbins, Owner — Sunsations (Topeka, Kan.)

“I purchased my salon almost 2 years ago and it had only eight base beds. I have been slowly trying to upgrade my salon and, this year, I added a Level 2 Sundash bed. As soon as I started selling packages and upgrades for the Sundash, it became a hit with customers — they love the bed and I love the extra income it brings in. I can’t wait to add more beds.”  Jill Galusky, Owner — D&D Paradise Tanning & Massage Therapy (York, Penn.)

“I spent about $7,000 with Clear Channel radio this year, along with another $1,500 for advertisements in newspapers, the local area and on-campus. Advertising is always my first priority — I think of it like this: No one automatically knows what you have or offer, which means you can't sell them anything until you get them in the door.”  Willie King, Owner — Perfect Tan Salons (Richmond, Ky.)

“My best purchase wasn’t exactly a purchase, but I am paying for something — their salaries. I hired my co-manager (Lyndsay) and another employee (Megan) this year, and I couldn't be happier. These gals have shown more enthusiasm for the industry than anything I have ever seen and they have really taken my salon to the next level. I took them to the JK North America Midwest Tanning Expo and they have since brought all of the product knowledge they learned from the vendors back to salon and are applying it to our everyday sales. I know I wouldn't want to be without either Lyndsay or Megan right now and I can't wait for 2010.”  Loretta Sue Meinel, Owner — Soleil Caffe (Elkhorn, Wis.)

Related Article:

Tanning Salon Owners' Best Purchases of 2009 - The Winners!