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General Tanning Industry Discussions Tanning Salon Owners and Professionals in The Tanning Industry Discuss a wide Variety of Topics. |
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11-25-2014, 10:40 AM | #3 (permalink) |
Team TanTalk Join Date: Jul 13 2004 Location: Menomonie, Wi. Age: 82
Posts: 3,145
Rep Power: 22 | Re: Member then ? Opened in 1986.........................3 Klafsun Saturns, made of wood. Later that year added 2 SCA wolff beds, and a Heartland Standup. It was a 12 minute hotbox. I had the best of 2 worlds, My video store was a cash cow, and I had the first video/tanning combo in a hundred mile area. I did then, more in a day, then I do now in 2 weeks. I started my video operation 30 years ago. Last edited by parrot head; 11-25-2014 at 10:42 AM. Reason: add |
11-26-2014, 09:14 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Join Date: Apr 21 2004 Location: Frisco, TX
Posts: 1,502
Rep Power: 20 | Re: Member then ? In 1978 I designed a free standing tanning booth and had a van conversion company build it. It had UVB lamps in the 4 corners on a 3 minute timer and UVA lamps in three of the panels on a 60 minute timer. I put a token box on it and rented it to the gym where my wife trained as a competitive body builder. Other gyms came to me wanting the same deal so that was the beginning of my entry into this crazy business. |
11-29-2014, 11:32 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Join Date: Jan 30 2007 Location: Naples FL
Posts: 782
Rep Power: 18 | Re: Member then ? Opened my first salon in 1985 with 3 UWE 351 tanning BEDS. Clients could tan for an hour if they wanted. I wrote a POS program for my salon in 1988 and in 1989 I threw out the appointment book and went 24 hours during season. I expanded that store several times until I had 40 rooms in 1997. I sold it in 2001! |
11-29-2014, 12:03 PM | #8 (permalink) |
Join Date: Nov 13 2006 Location: Washington State
Posts: 172
Rep Power: 18 | Re: Member then ? I can't say about the owning a salon that far back as I didn't open my own until March 2008. I started working at a tanning salon in 1986. She had 5 28 lamp beds and 1 stand up bed. I worked for her part time seasonal in 1986-1990. In 1990 I ended up moving in with their family and started working at the tanning salon full time. They had moved to a new location by this time and now had 7 30 lamp beds and the stand up. Had a lot of consignment in the huge lobby. In 1991 she went to salon on the East Coast to try out a "New" HP bed that no one on our side had ever seen before. She bought 1 and it had to be shipped from Germany ($35K). Had it installed and we were open 24 hours a day. Bed was totally paid for w/in 30 days. She bought 2 more and a HP Facial within the next 2 months. They were all installed and the others had paid for themselves within 60 days of being installed. We were still open 24/7. They were the original Ultra Tan beds. This salon was the only salon on the West Coast (at the time) to even have HP. People flew in from all over to use these beds. California, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana - just to name a few. A year later she added the 2 Orbits and in 1998 she took over the space next to what we currently had. We were running 20 beds, had brought in some Omega's by that time and most people used the VHR or HP only. Very few people used the basic beds. I didn't work for her full time that entire time, but always was in it somehow. She is where I got my love for this industry and the desire to open my own. Good times to remember when you had to go and make 2 to 3 bank deposits every day so you didn't have so much cash at the salon. |
11-30-2014, 05:44 AM | #9 (permalink) |
Join Date: Nov 19 2010 Location: GA
Posts: 933
Rep Power: 14 | Re: Member then ? Good Story, Michelle...must have been the first 24/7 salon in the industry...and 35K for an HP bed back then was a lot of $$$...even today, to spend as much on a single bed is as ludicrous..but unlike then, most salons are not making the quick pay-off today..and carrying that overhead investment for some time. A good indicator of the state of the industry back when and where it is today |
12-01-2014, 08:53 PM | #10 (permalink) | |
Join Date: Nov 13 2006 Location: Washington State
Posts: 172
Rep Power: 18 | Re: Member then ? The interesting thing is that it technically wasn't a 24 hour salon at all. Posted hours were 6am - 10pm. But, we had so many people wanting to use this "NEW" bed that we ended up locking the doors at 10 and just letting people in and out all night long. Can't tell you how many times (countless) that I was letting people in and out at 2-4am to tan. Was insane. Big difference between then and now, for sure. Quote:
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