If you’ve been in the tanning industry for any length of time, you know that once we welcome a new year, the advent of another prime-time season is just around the corner. Once considered a “fad” back in the 80s, our industry now enters a fifth decade of operations in the U.S.
For most of my adult life, I’ve travelled during the early spring to tanning trade events around the country spreading the gospel of indoor tanning and the importance of certified salon operator training. The face-to-face interactions of thousands of hardworking folks every season employing one or several of the nuggets of wisdom they gleaned from the Sun is Life® Training is something of which I’ve always been proud.
Though the tanning salon industry is reduced in size, I still enjoy providing quality education. For the last several years, Sun is Life has been the preferred training program at the major events. From Boise, ID to Kansas City to St. Louis, the shows still went on – and then came COVID. Over the decades, our industry has withstood incessant pounding by the media, anti-tanning zealots, overzealous restrictions, overbearing taxes and crazy economic bounces. However, nothing has brought many small businesses like our salons to the brink of doom like this virus. And yet, we continue to adapt and overcome.
This season, veteran industry distributors Heartland Tanning and Four Seasons Tanning created virtual expos for salon operators wanting to get primed for the busy season. From their home in Lees Summit, MO, Heartland hosted “RESET” (February 4-5), a virtual expo that included the online Sun is Life Training program. Next up, Four Seasons Tanning will host the “Brave New World” event (March 2-3) with Yours Truly providing the first-ever presentation of Sun is Life in a virtual format. The topics of understanding UV light, the skin’s reactions to UV, photosensitivity, skin cancer, skin types, state and federal regulations, eye protection, types of tanning lamps, cleaning and sanitization standards, lotions and sunless tanning, equipment maintenance and salon operations will be presented in a truly unique fashion. In any format, Sun is Life Training is a “don’t miss” opportunity for sure, especially if your staff needs to get up to speed on these core areas of salon operation.
So, we adapt and overcome. We’ll get through this roadblock (surely, soon!) and emerge stronger. So be it. I really do look forward to getting back to the face-to-face format again soon at these industry events … hope to see you in the future!
In any format, Sun is Life Training is a “don’t miss” opportunity for sure, especially if your staff needs to get up to speed on the core areas of salon operation.
