Originally Posted by Jeni and Mike

Jen,

Ok, I will ask you this question again. How many clients do you have that maintain their sunless tan for long periods of time i.e. come to be sprayed once a week for say a month or two? Repete business in a fashion tanning salon owners are a custom to with say an HP unit or a Vhr bed is non existent. Sunless tanners are “event” tanners.

Now as I have stated sunless “spray tanning” has its market and every salon should offer it in one fashion or another. What Jim was asking I believe was not how popular is “sunless tanning as a whole” but how popular is sunless as a “service”.

Do the numbers if the “average” sunless client uses the service say 5 times a year which I believe is a good figure according to our records over the last several years. (Actually since inception we have averaged 2.7 per client over a 4 year period.) To achieve the numbers the vendors suggest one would have to have about 400-500 repeat clients after the initial “first timers” have given it a try.

Now what this states is EVERYBODY tries it once hence the inflated numbers salons in the beginning were experiencing. In many areas the majority of curiosity sales has fallen off so the numbers have also. Second the service is changing in its perceived value. It would seam in upscale areas an “air brush” tan has more value than a “automated spray tan” in much the same way a Massage by a certified tech has more value than a massage with a water massage table. The reality is it must because of the labor factor.

Again I would never open a salon with out the service it’s a must for a full service salon, one of the things sunless brings to the table is “additional product sales” Sunless tanners are product freaks to say the least.