- Salons: 1
- Location: North Ogden, UT
- Years: 10
- Owner: Julie & Whitt Woods
- Tanning Units: 9 (ETS, Inc.)
- Tanning Levels: 4
- Staff: 15
- Other Services: Body-Waxing, Custom Spray-Tans, Eyelash Extensions, Massage
- Lotions: Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer Skin, Devoted Creations & Pro Tan
- Software: SalonTouch by Interactive Designs
- Training: Sun Is Life® Training & Certification
- Distribution Partner: Four Seasons Sales & Service
SunTouched Tanning Salon & Spa started out as an upscale tanning salon and it just keeps getting better.
Julie Woods was inspired to open a tanning facility of her own after working at another salon in her hometown of North Ogden, UT. “I kept thinking about how I would love to own a salon,” said Julie. “My daughter Brittney (Woods) Wimmer also got a job there and said we should open one because we would keep it extremely clean, make it inviting and warm, and offer great customer service. We got serious about the idea and almost overnight decided to pursue our dream.” With the goal of creating her area’s premiere tanning salon, Julie and her husband Whitt purchased an empty storefront in their North Ogden community and gave it an overhaul that included painting the walls bluish grey and installing white oak floors. “We were very satisfied with the finished product,” she added, “and felt we had created exactly what we envisioned.”
Cleanliness, results and top-notch customer service helped build the SunTouched client base, and by April 2013, Julie and Whitt were ready to take the business to the next level. “My wife, Alisha, works at SunTouched,” said Ryan Abriel, “and I had gotten to know Julie and Whitt through her. They were looking for ways to improve the business and I agreed to come on as general manager for six months to show them what I could do.” Ryan made several contributions to the salon’s success, including webpage redesign, expanding its marketing efforts and training and motivating the staff to increase sales numbers. His immediate contribution was putting a team of spa providers together, as well as discovering new, modern ideas to market and promote the spa and its services. “They liked what I did so much,” he added, “they brought me on full-time!”
In the staff’s continuing quest for high-quality training and education, Ryan recently began Sun Is Life® certification process. “The program has shown me the importance of asking our tanners about their natural hair, eye and skin color, as well as their tanning habits,” he said. “This is a great way to assess each salon guest and provide them with tanning programs that will best fit their needs.” Ryan added that he’s very impressed with the quality of the program’s educational modules and is eager to have all SunTouched employees participate in Sun Is Life® training. He’s confident that what they learn will help them continue to providing professional advice to their tanners and community.
“Onward and upward” seems to be the theme for SunTouched’s future. The salon’s continued success is expected to make possible the opening of a second location, which would be a huge benefit to its tanners, some of whom travel as much as 30 minutes to enjoy the salon’s tanning and spa services. “Our guests are the best part about what we do,” said Julie Woods. “I’m a people person and I enjoy getting to know everyone individually so I can better understand their needs. People seem to feel so much better after they tan and I love being able to provide that to them.”
