At PC Tan, we see a very bright and positive path ahead for our sun spa industry. Through continued creation and innovation at all levels – salon, distribution and manufacturing – we are confident that the valued products and services offered now and the wonderful new things we all will be offering in the years to come will broaden the market appeal bringing a rising tide for all.
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A New Year often prompts reflection on the past, so here goes. I came into the industry straight out of college in 1982. Indoor tanning was virtually unknown. I had been interviewing with pharmaceutical companies. An uncle and his brother who had other successful businesses offered an opportunity in indoor tanning. It sounded interesting – so, I jumped in! A shocked friend said, “That’s a fad and it won’t last two years.” Meanwhile, 37 years later … wow!
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Several of us at PC Tan, including Founder/CEO, Susan Miller, have been in this business since 1982-83. We remember when a 24-lamp sunbed with 100-watt lamps ruled at salons. And, indoor lotions did not exist. It all changed quickly! I’m sure that in 2019, more new, top-level sunbeds were sold into sun spas than new entry-level units.
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With many things in life, we only know by what we’ve seen. We are blessed that our industry has always been filled with creative and innovative entrepreneurs – true visionaries, hardworking risk-takers, explorers and trailblazers. That is still true to this day. I used the word “path” in the first sentence with intention. As an industry, we are not on a smoothly paved, five-lane interstate moving along with the flow. Rather, we have always been forging a path. But that path is leading more and more to a mainstream, thanks to the continued introduction of creative and innovative products to the marketplace.
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It’s so inspiring to hear the lotion manufacturers share the latest science to explain how they are developing and improving the products they are bringing to market with which salon operators can grow their businesses. We see continued technology development from the sunless sector in their solutions and delivery systems. And, we are certainly seeing tremendous new technology from UV equipment and sunlamp manufacturers with the incorporation and integration of more and more red-light attributes in the new “hybrid” systems that have recently been cleared for the U.S. market after being offered in European salons for some time. Then, there are the spa-focused products like cryotherapy systems, sauna pods, red- and blue-LED light therapy systems that have FDA OTC clearance, body wraps, teeth-whitening and more.
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At PC Tan, we truly believe that with each year moving forward, the number of cars in a sun spa parking lot will grow. They will be there for all the benefits of the great additional services being offered along with those provided by responsible UV exposure. This should put a smile on all our faces for 2020 and beyond.
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Keep on creating. Keep on innovating. And find your sunglasses – because it’s a very bright and positive path ahead of us.
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