Each issue of ist Magazine features a cover story filled with valuable and relevant information gathered from experienced salon professionals across the country. This month, the following group of tanning operators – who represent over 150 years of combined industry experience – were kind enough to share their expertise:
Maggie Curran, Director of Sales
Supre Tan – Dallas, TX
15 years industry experience
Donna Evans, Distributor Sales Manager
Four Seasons Sales & Service – Paris, TN
17 years industry experience
Greg Henson, President/CEO
Heartland Tanning, Inc. – Lees Summit, MO
30 years industry experience
Lewis Henry, President/CEO
Devoted Creations – Oldsmar, FL
8 years industry experience
David McFarland, National Sales Trainer
Performance Brands – Sunrise, FL
5 years industry experience
Rick Norvell, President/CEO
Norvell Skin Solutions – Alexandria, TN
38 years industry experience
Chris Shaffer, Director International Sales
New SunSHine LLC. – Indianapolis, IN
22 years industry experience
Leif Vasström, Principal
Supra BrandS Group – Napa, CA
35 years industry experience
Whether similar to our salons here in the U.S. or something different, the tan biz is alive, well and flourishing all around the world! While indoor tanning continues to thrive here in america, the industry, itself, isn’t completely red, white and blue. The truth is, there wouldn’t be an indoor tanning industry if not for efforts of a few forward-thinking German scientists. in the 1970s, Friedrich Wolff began studying the beneficial effects of ultraviolet light on athletes when he noticed that it also produced tanned skin. realizing the appeal of a beautiful tan, Wolff’s research led to development of sunlamps created specifically for cosmetic tanning, and he brought this technology to the U.S. in 1978. as a result, the tanning industry was born … in both america and Germany.
Have you ever wondered what the product manufacturer representatives are doing when they’re not attending industry events in the U.S. and Canada? in some cases, they’re travelling around the world to establish their products and services in emerging tanning markets … and then return home to talk about it. and oh, what interesting tales they have! if you’ve ever wondered about indoor tanning “over there” – wherever that might be – then read on!
During the early days of indoor tanning, the first country that was considered an emerging foreign market was none other than the good ol’ U.S. of A. And no one knows the business of tanning in America during that era better than the man who was there from the very beginning.
Leif Vasström, Supra Brands Principal, began opening tanning salons and importing high-end, European tanning equipment to the U.S. as early as 1977.
“I had come to America from Finland to race sailboats and ended up selling hot tubs and spas before I returned to Europe looking for the next big trend to import,” said Leif. “I was very impressed with the modern tanning salons I saw in Denmark, which featured aluminum units with 24 sunlamps, two facial tanners and electric canopy lifts. When we brought this concept to America, salons offering wooden sun-beds equipped with 20 low-pressure lamps were considered the norm. That changed over time, of course, and I’m honored to have played a part in that evolution.”
Reflecting on tanning’s early days, Leif laughs about how much things have changed. “We opened a salon on Madison Avenue in New York City in 1979, and I would stop by a nightclub after work and hear men talking about tanning,” he laughed. “At that time, indoor tanning was associated with beauty salons, so there were few men willing to admit that they did it, so there were all these tanned guys sitting around in the clubs, whispering to each other, ‘Are you doing it?’ It’s quite humorous when you think about it!”
Despite its differences from the American industry, one sunless product manufacturer continues to enjoy big success in the “land the down under.”
In Australia, it’s not indoor tanning salons that make up the majority of businesses offering sunless airbrush tanning. “There are just as many if not more hair and beauty salons offering airbrush tanning as there are tanning salons,” said Rick Norvell, Norvell Skin Solutions President. “In fact, the beauty industry has such a large influence on sunless tanning there that we display our products at Australian beauty industry shows because it’s the closest that country comes to having an indoor tanning trade event.” Rick also says that, because of the Australian tanners’ love for sunless products and their discriminating tastes, he and his team debut all Norvell products there before introducing them to the American market.
Since Canada shares more than 5,000 miles of border with the United States, some might think that the business of indoor tanning is similar between the two countries. Truth be told, things are done a little differently in the “Great Tan North.”
The business of importing and exporting has never been an easy one, especially in today’s world. With the help of a sub-distributor, Four Seasons Sales & Service continues to enjoy success in Canada. “As an American company doing business in Canada, there’s always an extremely large amount of paperwork that needs to be completed,” said Donna Evans, Four Seasons Distributor Sales Manager. “Because of this, we do all of our Canadian business with Sunwest in Kelowna, B.C. rather than supplying individual salons. We’ve been working with them for nearly 20 years, and everyone there is so friendly and helpful that we now have selling and shipping products into Canada down to a science.
We’re very thankful for all they do!” Having had the privilege of travelling to British Columbia on many occasions, Donna says she’s in love with the scenic, Canadian countryside. “Sunwest is located nearly two hours from the airport, so travelling there has given me the opportunity to experience the beauty of that area,” she said. “Of all the places I’ve travelled, it’s definitely at the top of my list of those I’d love my family to see someday. It’s breathtaking!”
Tanners in Dubai aren’t much different than those in America – they want what they want, and they want it now. What some people in that part of the world can afford, however, is an entirely different story! 
Heartland Tanning’s experience with a client in Dubai taught the company’s president, Greg Henson, a valuable lesson — if money is no object, there’s no limit to what can be done. “A person in Dubai of considerable wealth and influence wanted to buy some tanning equipment,” said Henson. “After speaking with him, he decided on three of our tanning booths, and he didn’t want to wait the two months it would take to ship them by ocean freighter. To accommodate him, we contracted with an air freight company making non-stop flights to Dubai, and shipped the units in a gigantic 767 freighter so the customer could have them as soon as possible. In all our years in business, I can honestly say that this was one of our most interesting sales!”
If you think selling tanning lotions in Europe is the same as it is in the U.S., you might be surprised. The differences in how lotion sales are done “across the pond” are quite interesting.
“If we employed the same in-salon sales techniques in Europe as we do in the U.S., we would actually probably sell less,” said Maggie Curran, Supre Tan Director of Sales. “First of all, the entire retail culture is just so different – salon staff members are less inclined to be as ‘forward’ as we Americans can be, and many European tanners tend to ask many questions about ingredients, and take longer to decide on a product. Since the perfume and skincare industries began in Europe, the expectations for packaging and product display also tends to be high.” Maggie says that in Europe, the feel of the lotion and its fragrance tend to be more important to tanners, in terms of purchasing than the size of the bottle.
While attending a distributer meeting in the UK, Maggie and the Supre Tan team enjoyed a “royal” surprise. “We received a visit from the ‘Queen of England’ – an impersonator who was spot-on in both appearance and voice,” she said. “It was great fun to pose for pictures with her and listen to her welcome speech. Best of all, once she was finished, she sat down at our table in her full Queen regalia and had drinks with us. It was truly a fun and special moment!”
With nearly 30 years of doing business in Europe and other countries, one manufacturer has developed an interesting cache of observations on the differences overseas.
“Each country has its own culture and customs, and they can be vastly different from the U.S.,” said Chris Shaffer, New Sunshine Director International Sales. “For Example, the biggest difference, as a whole, is usually the size of the facilities – in Europe and other countries, a very large tanning studio is 5-6 units, and a salon with ten units is considered huge. Also, a large portion of the business in many countries still remains in beauty salons offering one or two beds.”
Shaffer says it’s fun to learn how names of tanning products, which can be considered fun and edgy in the U.S., translate in other languages. “It’s not unusual to find that a product can’t be sold in another country because its name communicates something negative or rude in that culture’s ‘urban slang,'” he said.
Located just west of Germany on the shores of the North Sea, The Netherlands is a small, European nation that has a big taste for tanning … even if its citizens are limited in the amount of indoor UV exposure they can get.
“Because The Netherlands is governed by the ‘0.3 law’, which limits the number of tanning sessions tanners can have each year, people in this nation tend to be very results-driven and want to get the most out of each session,” said Lewis Henry, Devoted Creations President. “Because of this, tanning lotions that contain bronzers tend to be very popular.” To ensure its success in markets outside the U.S., Lewis says Devoted Creations seeks input from its overseas partners. “One of the most important things about doing business overseas is being aware of how our product names will be interpreted once they’re translated,” he added.
Even in places where sunshine and warm weather is vibrant and abundant, indoor tanning continues to remain a popular pastime for many. Such is the case with Puerto Rico, a lovely island paradise filled with beauty … and bronzed skin.
“Tourism is one of Puerto Rico’s biggest industries, and a lot of people who live there work at the many resorts and hotels,” said David McFarland, Performance Brands International Educator. “Unlike the guests, the employees don’t have time to lay by the pool and get a tan, but they still want to look the part, so tanning at salons is how many busy Puerto Ricans achieve this.” David added that beauty and sunless products are just as popular with Puerto Rican tanners as indoor tanning lotions are, and Performance Brands conducts a healthy amount business in all three of these market sectors with their distribution partners in that country.
During one visit to Puerto Rico, David and Stacy Kaufman (Performance Brands President/CEO) had a unique and adventurous experience. “We were walking to the convention center to set up our expo booth one morning and, as we were crossing a bridge, we saw these young kids jumping off the railing and falling about 25 feet down into the most beautiful, blue water I’ve ever seen,” David said. “Stacy and I walked on for a bit before we stopped and just looked at each other, and we both knew what the other was thinking.” Without a second thought, the two tanning lotion professionals joined the young daredevils by jumping off the bridge into the ocean. “We walked onto the convention floor dripping wet, but it was so worth it!” he exclaimed.
Happy Travels!
Between the number of companies in this wonderful industry and the amount of emerging markets out there, there are sure to be many more american companies seeking business overseas. if we didn’t include you, we’d like to extend our most heartfelt apologies; but, if you think about it, such an oversight speaks to the fact that the industry as we know it continues to grow, thrive and evolve … all around the world. and that’s exactly what the indoor tanning industry needs to help it continue to thrive, allowing everyone who earns their living selling sunshine – in one way or another – a piece of the american Dream!
