Devoted Creations’ Five Star Diamond Program has been a huge success with salons throughout the world. Features include on-location sales and product training by DC’s team of experienced professionals including Lisa Parsons and Kandra Covert, a generous Welcome Kit and lucrative cash-back rebates.[gap height=”15″]
The program creates a win-win scenario, as everyone – including salon guests – can enjoy great specials on many of the industry’s best selling products.[gap height=”15″]
To highlight the program and its member salons, Devoted Creations and IST Magazine created an exciting new platform for them to share their stories and enjoy some well-deserved, national attention.[gap height=”15″]
This month, Devoted Creations Five Star Diamond Spotlight shines on Aspen Tan, a four-salon chain headquartered in Aspen, CO. I asked the owner, Adam Lang, to share his thoughts on the industry and his path to success.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
When did you open your (first) salon and what was your motivation to do so?[gap height=”15″]
It was in May, 2009. In Aspen, there are few opportunities to support a long-term livelihood if you’re not in hospitality or restaurant/service industry. I saw the demand for tanning since there wasn’t a salon in 25+ miles, so I attended the West Coast Tanning Expo – first time I met you, Jerry! Had a great experience, met several successful and motivated people within all sectors of the industry. [gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What do Aspen Tan customers like most about your salons?[gap height=”15″]
If I had to list three things: top-of-the-line equipment, friendly and educated staff, and cleanliness.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What do you enjoy the most about the tanning business?[gap height=”15″]
Being your own boss is not easy and not for everyone. It’s challenging, overwhelming at times, but at the end of the day, it’s incredibly rewarding and brings a level of excitement to life knowing that every decision you make, every single day, is 100% affecting the outcome of your future and success.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What sets Aspen Tan apart from other salons?[gap height=”15″]
We do a great job of creating an environment that fights the negative stereotypes of a tanning salon, and promoting our customers’ healthy and active lifestyles. Our tanners leave Aspen Tan feeling confident and with an improved sense of wellness.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What are some of your best-selling lotions/products – and what is it that customers like most about them?[gap height=”15″]
For the past eight years, we’ve gone thru several product changes to determine what sells the best and fits our brand image. In promoting the active lifestyle, we tend to steer away from lotions/products that aren’t aligned with that. So, lotions like the DC Tempo Line, Tan/Bronze Life, Limited Couture, etc. are all good fits for us. We also sell lotions for red-light sessions and teeth-whitening products.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
How many levels of UV tanning do you offer and what are your best-selling packages?[gap height=”15″]
We only have level 3, 4 and 5 beds – so, another big difference from our competitors is that our entry-level bed is priced the same as their entry-level, but we have a huge competitive advantage. For example, they sell a $15 single session in an old, 20-minute bed with minimal features, and at Aspen Tan, they get a high-end, 12-minute session in an Ergoline Inspiration 400 with facial lamps, satellite radio/iPod dock, face and body ventilation, etc. Our best-selling packages are our season passes – and now, having added the Cocoon Wellness unit, we offer great value by combining red-light/Cocoon with any level of tanning package or VersaSpa spray-tan package.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What are some of your most successful sales promotions?[gap height=”15″]
Over the years, we have tried pretty much everything, and probably wasted a lot of money in the process. One of the biggest things I’ve learned over the years, is being able to track ROI. If you’re a smaller tanning salon with limited competition in the area, focus your marketing dollars on what will reach not just the most people, but the most QUALIFIED people possible. Social media does this the best for us, hands down, and is what we spend the majority of our marketing money on.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
What are your plans for the future?[gap height=”15″]
We’ve spent the last couple of years really dialing in all of the little things to make our current salons operate as efficiently and profitably as possible. Most recently, this has involved diversifying our services to accomplish two things – bring new potential customers into our salons, and up-sell existing customers to increase our dollar per customer/per year averages. I’m extremely excited to be introducing Light Stim red-light therapy in all of our locations this summer and further transitioning from an average tanning salon to a tanning and wellness salon that’s at the forefront of where the industry is heading.[gap height=”15″][gap height=”15″]
The Aspen Tan service menu includes the Cocoon Wellness pod, and LightStim red-light sessions.[gap height=”15″]
