I recently saw a marketing piece on something pretty unique: sleeping pods. Perhaps you’ve heard of these or maybe even tried one in Asia where the concept originated. For a minimal fee, you can tuck yourself into a small, cocoon-shaped environment to rest your weary bones, typically much cheaper than a hotel room. I surfed the internet a bit and found some that looked quite roomy, while others seemed just big enough to slide your body into. Some companies charge by the minute, others by the hour. One advertised “Only $9 for 15 min” which briefly summoned images of what might be considered some nefarious activities taking place in the “sleeping” pod. Those images were somewhat erased when I also noted that the pods are intended and rented for “solo” only, meaning no double (or more) occupancies. I will admit that my mind taking that turn was the result of watching too many steamy Netflix shows during COVID lockdown. But I digress. “Joe,” you ask, “what does this have to do with the indoor tanning business?”
Well, the parallel I drew was that while a tanning salon’s per-session pricing may be slightly higher than a “pod nap,” salon tanning delivers a trip to a mental Xanadu that comes with a resultant bonus bronze glow. Nice!
So, what are the “rental times” for our “pods?” Typically, tanning sessions are somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 minutes. Have you ever contemplated what those session times might be in, let’s say, the next five years? Will they be reduced to five-minute exposures? Or even just 1-2 minutes? Will we go to the tanning salon only to walk through something akin to an airport security x-ray machine and FLASH … you get your UV exposure? Geez Laweez!
It is widely accepted that one of the primary reasons why folks enjoy tanning indoors is for stress relief – no one is ringing your doorbell, no kids are crying, no crazy drivers – just your quiet slice of warm solace. Many multi-task by getting a power nap while they tan! Think about the importance of that. Our lives clearly keep becoming more stressful. Road rage, fights on airplanes, people cutting in line, stealing your parking space, griping about wait times at restaurants and more. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better these days.
You see, as a tanning salon operator, you and your caring staff deliver so much more to your patrons than just a tan. You are part listening ear, part confidant, part psychologist, part best friend; all rolled up into one and sold at a fantastically reasonable price. And, you deliver it to members of your community every day that you open the doors to your facility.
You certainly can’t fit that into a pod.
