Location: Diamond, IL
Number of Stores: 2
Years in Business: 13
Owners:Jodi Dennison & Mary Glagola
Staff: 27
Tanning Units: 15 (ETS Inc., Dr. Kern & Pro Sun)Tanning Levels 4
Lotions: Australian Gold, Designer Skin, Devoted Creations & Supre Tan
Software: Sunease
Other Services: Boutique sales, body wraps, hair services, makeup, massage, nails, pedicures & sunless tanning (VersaSpa)
Training: Sun is Life®
Distribution Partner: Four Seasons Sales & Service
Thanks to its dedicated mother-daughter team, Naked Sun seamlessly blends tanning and beauty services with two successful salon locations.
Sometimes, a person just has to “go for it” if they want to succeed, as the creation of Naked Sun can attest. Mary Glagola recalled, “One day, my mom (Jodi Dennison) told me that she wanted to open a tanning salon. Since she’s not one to do things on a whim, I thought she was joking at first.” Once Jodi convinced her daughter that she was serious about a career change, it was Mary who produced the next surprise. “When I was driving home one day, I found the perfect location for a salon, so I began talking with the property owner,” she explained. “Then I called my mom and told her to meet me at our new salon and we signed the lease that day!”
The first Naked Sun opened as a small, two-unit salon on Division Street, with Jodi handling everything on the tanning side while Mary worked as a nail tech. Even after adding three more tanning units and additional beauty and spa services, they still needed a location to accommodate the demand. Jodi recalled, “Mary and I agreed that we needed to relocate so my husband, Charles, built us a new, 3,600 square-foot salon in Diamond. There, we have enough room for nine tanning units, a sunless booth and our full range of hair and beauty services.” In September 2013, Jodi and Mary expanded again with their second store – a 1,300 square-foot, six unit salon in nearby Braidwood, IL.
The decision to treat their staff to Sun is Life™ certification was a solid investment strategy for Jodi and Mary. Salon employee Terri Wiklak said, “Since taking Sun is Life, I’m much more confident when I’m behind the counter, and our customers pick up on that.” Tanning consultant Ashley Schumacher also found the training helpful. “I learned so much,” Ashley said, “and I now feel a lot more confident when explaining things, such as why tanning lotions will improve our clients’ results.” Amy Katzmarek, the third Naked Sun employee to earn Sun is Life certification, also says she enjoyed the experience.
After 13 successful years as tanning spa operators, Jodi and Mary are happy with their two thriving Naked Sun locations. They’re so happy with what they have that they don’t plan to open any more locations; but there’s more than one way to grow a business. Said Jodi, “We want to upgrade some of our tanning units, and we’re also always looking for new spa and beauty services, such as the eyebrow bar we’re adding. We love being able to offer these services to our clients and having so much under our roofs keeps us busy throughout the year, just the way we like it!” ■
