Want to train your team for free and hang their “Eye Protection Expert” certificates in your salon? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com and I’ll send you the link to our 30-minute eye protection course.
In the July and August issues, I shared many ways tanning center operators coax guests into wearing eye protection during a UV session. Some, like Robert Ashe, Owner of Sun Seekers in Portsmouth, NH “smooth talk” their tanners. “I say to them, ‘You have beautiful eyes, I’d hate to see you ruin them’.” Others take the tough approach, like James Plummer, Owner of two Millennium Tan salons. “Eye protection is mandatory in my salons and tanners must have their own. No goggles, no tan!” he states. “We require tanners to physically show their FDA-compliant eye protection to our attendant at every single visit. My feeling is that this can save me from being sued years later,” this Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada operator explains.
Plummer brings up an important point about liability. The FDA reports that the No. 1 reason tanners seek medical attention after an indoor tanning session is eye (corneal) burns, called photokeratitis. It’s so easy for a tanner to prevent eye injury – all they need to do is use one of the goggle types or disposable eye protection products you offer! I recommend you check in with your insurance agent. They most certainly are going to require that you ask for eye protection every time your tanner enters the facility, as it is a federal law, and also a state law in most states. (Want to know your state laws? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com with your state and I’ll send you the latest.)
Zoe’ Buchmuller-Killeen of Forever Sunshine Tanning in Little Ferry, NJ and Hugh W. Colgrove of Paradise Island Tan both believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. Colgrove explains, “We use these great, free counter displays created by Wink-Ease. We place them in plain view for all guests entering the salon and getting their room selection, purchasing any product, or asking any question of the staff. It is a great visual aid to use when signing up new or returning customers,” this St. John’s, FL operator elaborates. (Want the completely NEW Wink-Ease counter displays you print and put in a clear stand? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com and ask for the new Wink-Ease counter displays.)
Gina Grassi of OceanRayz Tanning Studios uses a different visual aid. “I ask them to close their eyes and I turn on a flashlight held a few feet from their eyes,” she shares. “I ask if they can see it through their closed eyelids, and of course, they can. I explain that a flashlight is much less powerful than my tanning beds and that eyelids are not protection,” explains this Florida salon owner.
Zakara Shirley, owner of Lil’ Pink Electric Tan LLC in Leon, WV has yet another method for reaching her tanners. “I display my ‘Eye Protection Expert’ certificate in plain sight and I explain what happens when you don’t wear eyewear!” she exclaims. “When a tanner first comes in to buy a tanning package, I tell them they need to purchase eyewear and wear it every time – it’s not my law, it’s a federal and state law. They usually don’t hesitate, but if they do, we give them a pair of disposables every time they tan,” enthuses Shirley.
