For 26 years, I’ve been an industry advocate for wearing eye protection during all UV tanning sessions. Promoting the importance of using eye protection while tanning is my career – I’ve never branched out into lotions or other tanning products, because eye protection is too important to dilute my safety message. I’d like to tell you why eye protection is so critical to me and is critical to you and your salon.
Monday, April 3rd, 2017
Wednesday, March 1st, 2017
In my 26 years in this industry, I’ve seen things over and over that ruin a salon’s professionalism. You may have great equipment and a great location; but if your beds have leftover lotion goo where someone swung their legs to get out of the bed (and hand prints on the top acrylic), I’m grossed out and not tanning with you – your salon is clearly NOT CLEAN! How many other things do you or your staff overlook?
As I approach your front door, I hate weeds and cigarette butts and dirty sidewalks. Does your door have fingerprints and old, peeling credit card stickers? Yuck! Along with homemade signs hung with scotch tape on the door and counter, it assures me you don’t run a clean or professional salon. It feels more like a gas station – not a place where I’d be comfortable lying down naked.
Wednesday, February 1st, 2017
Sunless, Inc. is promoting safety in sunless tanning. “We want salons to be more safety conscious when it comes to sunless,” says Brandon Cardinal, VP of Sales and Marketing at Sunless Inc. – the largest sunless company in the world.
There is no such thing as “safe” tanning and sunless should not be defined that way, but it should be defined as an alternative to UV tanning. “Sunless, Inc., like the FDA, suggests spray-tan techs wear face ventilators and eye protection during a session,” Cardinal explains. “And, we encourage tanners to wear a disposable thong garment, nose plugs, and our disposable eyewear to protect sensitive mucous membranes.” He points to an example with which many of us are familiar. “When you get your nails done, the tech wears a mask,” he says. “She doesn’t give you a mask, and we understand why: she’s exposed to the chemicals several times a day, you are exposed once a month. Spray-tan techs need to be aware that if they are sneezing or coughing up brown discharge, they need to start wearing a ventilator.”
Sunless, Inc. now offers printed signs that salons can post in spray-tan areas recommending that guests wear protection. The company’s safety packages also include nose filters, tech goggles, mouth filters, and disposable garments. “Our goal is customer safety and we want to safeguard our guests’ health,” Cardinal says. He recommends that every salon post signage about protection and make the disposable thongs, eyewear and nose filters available to each tanner.
Sunday, January 1st, 2017
Crystal Martin, owner of Sun Spot Atlantis of Colorado Springs, CO, is a spectacular salon owner. Her family has been in tanning for 21 years. She joined the business on full-time when she retired from the Air Force ten years ago. Sun Spot started offering sunless tans 18 years, when they purchased an early Mystic Tan blue-box auto spray-booth. The menu now includes two VersaPro spray units, two custom airbrush rooms, FIT Bodywrap, teeth-whitening, a Hydration Station, and 18 UV tanning systems. “I was a military medic for 20 years, so I’m very conscious about health and safety,” explains Crystal. “I want my guests and my staff to be healthy.” She knows that the FDA strongly recommends that mucus membranes be covered during exposure to DHA solution. “As a nurse, I understand how easily the body absorbs through mucus membranes; so, we provide every guest with nose plugs, eyewear, single-use lip balm, and disposable bikini bottoms as protection.”
Thursday, December 1st, 2016
I only had to chat with Melissa Latimer for a few minutes to realize she is very serious about eye protection at her salon. Heck, she’s serious about every- thing that has to do with tanning! This 38-year-old has built a successful tanning salon – Soleil Tan – an elite spray-tan salon, her own sunless solution distribu- tion company, and her own high-end skin care line.
Melissa’s business is based in Carters- ville, GA. We met online, and she wowed me with her grasp of the importance of eye protection. Says Melissa, “We educate clients on the why of why eye protection is important. If guests forget or have misplaced their goggles, we give them a free pair of the deep-lash disposables. We like the style that allows for long lashes because so many of our clients wear lash extensions and they don’t fit in a normal pair of goggles or disposables. We simply say, ‘Hi Julie! We have you ready in Bed 2 – I just need to see your eye protection, please.’” Most salons do that, right? Read on for the difference!
Monday, June 1st, 2015
June 2015
I talked with two salon operators in different parts of the country about their eye protection policies. Read on to see how Sonya Lovell, Owner, AWESOME TANS in Cedar Springs, MI and Keith Klemow-Gurley, Owner
TAN UNITED, Phoenix, AZ make policies that work best for them and their guests.
Click here to read more or download PDF of entire article
Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
May 2015
At this season’s trade shows, I heard from a lot of salon operators that very few of their tanners were wearing eye protection, even the ones who had always worn eye protection. The reason? Smart phones! Everyone is busy texting or Candy Crushing during their tanning session. Don’t believe it? Think about how many phone calls you hear from your tanning rooms – your guests’ phones are definitely being used. If a salon owner didn’t believe me, I asked their staff members … yep, you guessed it … they are the worst culprits, catching up on texts and not wearing eye protection so they can see their phones!
Wednesday, April 1st, 2015
April 2015
I 
asked two salons on opposite sides of the country about the eye protection policy in their salons. Click on the link below to read our Q & A.
Click here to read more or download a PDF of the entire article
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015
March 2015
Interestingly, in salons that require tanners to buy their own eye protection, MORE tanners wear it – about 70 percent! Why the increase? The answer is two-fold: 1) They feel their own eye protection is cleaner, thus safer, and 2) Before buying their own, they were educated about why it’s important. If you decide to only sell eye protection, more of your tanners will actually wear it; so you’ll be providing a great service AND limiting your liability if their eyes were damaged during unprotected UV sessions because of lack of eye protection.
Is it time YOUR salon switched to making money on eye protection?
Click here to read more or to download PDF of entire article
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
February 2015
Take this 10-question quiz to find out!
Click here to read more or to download PDF of entire article
