Eye Pro, Inc.

Eye Pro, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protec- tion for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, is offering salon operators a selection of fun ads they can use to promote their businesses and enhance their pro-tanning presence on social media.

“With today’s world driven so much by social media, we want to help support the salons and our industry in any way we can,” stated Eye Pro President, Brenda Fishbaugh. “We have created a ton of positive and fun seasonal tanning memes that salons can have at no cost to post on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts to help promote tanning during spring sales season.”

“Social media has changed the way businesses communicate and relate with their customers and tanning memes are a way to make an immediate connection,” sug- gests Jackie DeWald, Eye Pro Office Manager. “Spring is a great time to extend your sales season and stay in front of your tanners as they start going outside to get tan.” (more…)

I’ve asked salon operators this question: If you run out of everyday bed/goggle-cleaning solution, do you have a substitute product? “Cleaning” solution is a misnomer – since it kills pathogens, you really need to call it disinfectant. With COVID-19 still a daily concern, we all need our facilities to be as clean as possible.

Robert Ashe, owner of Sun Seekers in Stratham, NH says that he always re-orders bed disinfectant when his supply is about half gone. “I would not consider being out of tanning bed disinfectant!” he exclaims, citing three main reasons: 1) he doesn’t want to use any chemical on his acrylic shields that would harm them and block UV transmission; 2) he doesn’t want to risk irritating his tanners’ skin with products not made for skin contact; and 3) he wants to ensure the solution is killing any pathogens and other possibly transmitted diseases. Perfect answer, Robert!

Many salon operators are unaware that acrylics can’t be exposed to any product containing alcohol or ammonia, as these agents (and many similar compounds) will cloud the material and affect the transmission of UV light to the tanner. So, using Lysol, rubbing alcohol, vinegar with water or Barbicide (a common beauty salon disinfectant) could ruin an acrylic shield, even if the solutions are diluted. Many products might sanitize a surface, but they don’t meet hospital disinfection standards and aren’t meant for contact with skin or acrylic material. And keep this in mind: you are required by law to use a hospital-grade disinfectant certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on any surface in the salon that someone will stand on with bare feet or lay down on naked, and you can be subject to local fines if you don’t.

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March 2021 – Eye Pro, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, is offering even more support to salons to help them beef up their professional social media presence. 

“Salon operators love to display our personalized ‘Eye Protection Expert’ certificates in their facilities and show guests that each staff member has been trained in all aspects of eye protection,” states Eye Pro President, Brenda Fishbaugh. “Now, salons can receive a FREE ‘Eye Expert Salon’ badge to post on the salon’s website and social media pages, letting potential and current tanners know the professionalism of the salon before they ever step foot in the door!” (more…)

I’ve been in the indoor tanning industry for 30 years pushing the importance of eye protection. I thought I’d heard all the excuses tanners gave for not wearing it … but a few of these even surprised me over the years!

Dana Branson, District Manager at The Tan Company in Columbia, MO had a guest tell her that she didn’t need eyewear because she SMOKED SO MUCH WEED. “I told her, ‘Ma’am, that’s good for glaucoma, not preventing cataracts,’” Dana laughed.

Kelly Priebe, of Sun Spa UV & Spray-Tanning Studio of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, had a tanner claim after her session that she had forgotten her goggles, and USED A SOCK over her eyes instead of hollering for Kelly to bring her some. But Kelly doubted the tanner was able to use even a completely inadequate “UV-blocking sock” … for a stand-up session!

Salon operators have used some creative methods to combat tanners’ crazy excuses. Crystal Martin, of Sun Spot Atlantis in Colorado Springs, CO offered a once-a-year goggle exchange.

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February 2021 – Eye Pro, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, is all about providing salon support.

“With COVID-19 still a top concern,keeping salons clean and sanitized has to be a top priority to protect your guests and your business,” stated Eye Pro President, Brenda Fishbaugh. “Many salon owners and staff have tanners who don’t want to wear eye protection or believe they can wear disposable eye protection multiple times. Re-using disposable eye protection is NOT allowed by the FDA and we can provide you proof to share with your tanners. If you’re a salon owner or manager, we can send you our “One Time Use” letter indicating that our disposables are licensed as a Class One Medical Product. Since disposable eye protection cannot be properly cleaned, it can only be worn ONCE,” Fishbaugh continued.

“COVID and the flu are really impacting our daily lives this season, so extra precautions are an essential part of today’s service business environment. Offering disposables is an easy way to make sure tanners use CLEAN eyewear for every session,” explained Office Manager, Jackie DeWald. “However, tanners need to understand that disposable eye protection is in the same product class as cotton balls and tongue depressors, and you surely wouldn’t use a tongue depressor more than once.” (more…)

In last month’s IST Magazine, I shared some eyewear inspiration from a dedicated salon owner. This month, I thought I would share some ideas from tanning centers in England, as well as input from three tanning product distributors.

From Kristin Jackson, Marketing Director at Heartland Tanning: “I think it’s a great time for tanning centers to run an ‘Eye Love’ campaign to create awareness of the importance of eye protection. Invite your tanners to snap a selfie while they’re in the bed showing them wearing eyewear then share the photos on your social media pages with a creative hashtag. This will show followers that people are still tanning and creates a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) situation. Your customers’ selfies promote your salon, your equipment and the different eyewear options you offer. At the end of the campaign, you could even draw one guest’s name to win a bottle of lotion or free eyewear for a year.”

Sarah Sahin of Body Tan, shares her happiness that due to COVID precautions, she does not have to allow kids in her store. “It’s bliss!” she exclaims. “No more babysitting! We also no longer put goggles on each bed, since it wasn’t sanitary. But, I quickly learned I can make money selling our guests a pair of goggles or disposables every time they enter the salon – a COVID silver lining!” adds this Gosforth, England salon operator.

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January 2021 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, continues to be committed to the tanning industry and supporting salons in every way possible.

“2020 has been filled with challenges with salons forcing to close, reduce staff, implement new cleaning procedures and find ways to keep client feeling safe enough to come back in,” explained Brenda Fishbaugh, President of EYE PRO. “Everyone seems to be looking forward to 2021, not only to get 2020 in the past, but also to approach the year with a fresh start. It’s a wonderful time to come together, support each other and find creative business solutions to keep communicating to our tanning clients, while assuring them to find ways to stay relaxed, comfortable and safe.”

“The possibilities are endless,“ echoed Jackie DeWald, Office Manager for EYE PRO. “Along with re-merchandising, why not take this opportunity to review marketing and social media efforts, customer relations, and make sure your staff is well-trained on all lotions for each skin type, as well as the various types of eye protection available?”
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With 2020 now in the rear-view mirror, let’s start fresh and make some quick and easy changes to move into a sparkling 2021! 

I asked PA salon operator, Kristin Smithers of Sunny Shores Tanning on Lake Erie, what changes have helped her salon improve their service. “The one thing we have implemented that really has helped us build our business is offering OPTIONS! We have instilled trust in our customers by allowing them to have the option of walk-ins, appointments and/or curbside check-in for appointments. Our curbside check-in allows customers to check in when they arrive via a mobile link and we text them when their tanning room is ready. This helps us engage more one-on-one with customers when it is their time to tan, as well as gives our guests the peace of mind to safely wait in their cars or outside,” explains this new salon owner. 

“I worked at the salon for four years, then bought and renamed it Sunny Shores Tanning,” Smithers continues. Soon after the one-year anniversary of the business, she had to shut down the salon due to COVID. “Now, we are running on ‘new salon’ energy,” she shares. “I asked myself, ‘where can we improve?’ So, when we re-opened, we had a new bed in place, a HEPA filter on our air unit and UVC filters in the salon. We even added mini room-cleaners that plug into the outlets in every room, hoping our efforts would boost our tanners’ confidence in our cleanliness. Just like lots of tanning centers, we added retail hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.”

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December 2020 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, is committed to helping salons help tanners understand the importance of wearing eye protection when tanning. And they’re helping save the planet while doing so.

Brenda Fishbaugh, President of EYE PRO and a 30+ tanning industry veteran, is as passionate about animal advocacy as she is about eye protection. This is not the first time EYE PRO and salons have sponsored a donation to help save an endangered species, and it will not be the last. “Photo Ark is a 25-year project documenting every species on earth, some that are already threatened with extinction,” explained Fishbaugh. “The WINK-EASE team has worked with various organizations to help support endangered animals for nearly three decades, and I’ve recently traveled the world photographing animals in their natural habitat. My $2,500 donation will help get us started, and when you think about the thousands of people taking this salon training worldwide, together we can really make a difference.”

 For each salon staff who takes the NEW 2021 training, EYE PRO will be donating $1 to the National Geographic Photo Ark, a project with the goal to document every species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore started Photo Ark in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2006. Since then, he has visited more than 50 countries and recently photographed the güiña, the smallest wildcat in the Americas, marking the 10,000th species in Sartore’s quest to create this global photo archive.
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