Q: Can you help me explain to my tanners the differences between the Level-1, Level-2 & Level-3 beds in my facility?
Tara Schryver
Tan After Tan – Swansea, MA
A: This is a great question, Tara. As a consumer, how do you decide between a Honda Fit, Honda Civic or Honda Accord? All three cars will get you to your destination. Are you more concerned with price or mileage? What about comfort and style? It’s a matter of personal preference, and what you are willing to invest for the experience you desire.
It’s the same thing with tanning equipment – all tanning systems, regardless of timer interval or lamp type installed – may produce a maximum of four MED (Minimal Erythemal Dose) during a session. An MED refers to the least amount of UV radiation a tanner can receive which will induce a distinct erythema (“pinkening”) of the skin within 7-24 hours following exposure. Factors such as the transmissive quality of the acrylic shield, the distance of the lamps from the tanner, the ballast type used, bed design/geometry, electrical current/voltage, number of lamps and the distance between them, and the effectiveness of the unit’s reflector system all influence what the exposure schedule and maximum timer interval will be.
Typically, the more lamps there are and the more spacious the bed, the shorter the exposure schedule will be. Also, the higher-end beds tend to have more “bells and whistles” – body contour acrylics, air conditioning, premium quality sound systems, and much more.
Factors to consider: Is your customer on a tight budget? Are they a Type A personality and wanting to get in and get out in a hurry? Or, are they like me and like to take a nap while tanning? Is comfort more important to them? All these factors come into play when choosing a tanning package.
Also, humans are creatures of habit. You have customers who will only tan in “Room #4”, even though you have the same bed in two other rooms. It’s your job to entice them to “upgrade” their session to a higher-end unit. You might offer a special for one week to tan in any bed for one low price. Or, if they spend a certain amount on lotion, they get a tanning upgrade. Rental car companies offer free upgrades all the time, hoping that if you drive off in their full size car, you’ll never go back to the compact or mid-size.
Of course, a 20-minute bed can still provide a great tan, but the tanning experience will not be the same as one in a higher-end bed. Since I’m from the lamp company side, let’s get back to lamps. It doesn’t matter how expensive the bed is, if the lamps don’t tan your customers, you’re throwing money down the drain. For low-pressure beds, you want to install a lamp with just enough UVB to stimulate the melanin, lots of UVA1 for pigment darkening and less of UVA2, which causes wrinkles over time.
Tara, thanks again for your great question. If you have a question you’d like to ask in order to possibly be featured in an upcoming article, please email sales@wolffsys.com.
