Chameleon

My wife and I are looking at possibly opening a salon. We were ready to open in 2001, but 9/11 stopped us, as I was funding the venture with stock. My question is this, have we missed the boat? Is this still a good industry to get into? All the negative publicity and the bills to outlaw indoor tanning in states like California...is it a wise investment? Hard work is not an issue for us, but is their still realistically good profitability for a new salon owner?

Honest responses are appreciated. We are also considering a mixed use facility, Hair, skin care and tanning as my wife is a licensed cosmetologist...thoughts?

suntanztanning

I think the business is a good one when all things are considered. Many people open salons without enough capital or business sense. They also open up without any research on the area and very little education about the overall business.

Tanning just like any other business is just that, a business. You must approach it with a business mindset. Tanning is seasonal and requires a great deal of discipline with the money. The spring and early summer will produce a bounty of income. However, a good portion of that income will be eaten up by the slow months.

You mention Hair and Tanning. That can be a excellent combo when done right. However most hair and nail salons that do tanning as well allow the tanning side of the business to take a back seat to the hair and nails. They have a tendency to just put a few beds in the salon and start selling tanning services. They don’t give the attention to detail like the stand-alone tanning salons. They focus on the hair and nails and let the tanning almost run itself. This works when you don’t have any competition. But when a full service tanning salon moves down the street the hair and nail salon will suffer a loss of business.

In my area I have 3 salons within 3 miles offering hair and/or nail services. I’ve taken over 50% of their tanning business by taking a much more customer service approach. In other words by taking tanning as the primary, I was able to offer a cleaner environment and a more detailed approach to tanning. I’m also able to educate my customers on tanning and lotions on a much higher scale.

The bottom line is this. You can do well with hair and tanning but although together they need to be separate. Take the tanning as seriously as you do the hair and/or nail services. If you can, have the tanning in a completely separate part of the building. Separate Air Conditioning and a closed door between them. You also need to have a full time staff running the tanning side. When hair techs are forced to clean beds and educate the customers on tanning the level of service is decreased. Not because they don’t want to do a good job but because they don’t have enough time to do so. You can’t expect a person to be doing someone’s hair and waiting on tanning customers at the same time. Both services will suffer if that’s done. It will work on a small scale but never blossom into what it could be.

Ideally, a side-by-side situation would be best. Two separate locations with only a doorway connecting them. The owner and management can be shared but that’s it. Keep the hair and tanning as separated as you can. If you do that you will do well with both. If not, you then have just another so-so combo. Those are a dime a dozen. Do it different and right!


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www.suntanztanning.com
www.tanstats.com[ This Message was edited by: suntanztanning on 2004-05-11 09:08 ]

tanrep04

I work as a lotion customer service rep. And we are Distributors of Tanning Beds, Tanning Lotions, Salon Products, Supplies, Equipment & Service! We Provide & Install Remote Timer Systems! T-MAX and more! Conveniently located in Baltimore, Md.

I would love to be able to help you in any way debbie@sunbedservice.com