Radiance Wellness Studio

Owners Travis and Katie Goodwin

Years in Business 10 Total (previously Tan-A-Rama)

Staff 8

UV Systems 9

Lotions Designer Skin, Ed Hardy, Cal Tan, Hempz

Software Sunlync

Other Services Massage, Teeth-whitening, Hotworx Yoga, My-Lipo, Wellness Pro Cocoon, Red-Light Therapy, Fit3D Body Scanning, Norvell Sunless, Ionic Foot Detox

Distribution Partner All Hours Distributors

Most Popular Tanning Package Wellness VIP (EFT) Program: Unlimited Massage, Red-Light, UV Tanning (5 levels), Hotworx, Wellness Cocoon, My-Lipo. $109/month, 6-month contract

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I recently had a great experience traveling to Boise, ID for All Hours Tanning Distributors’ West Coast Tanning Expo to teach our Sun is Life® Certification course. I always enjoy meeting folks who have a passion for our industry and found some great ones at this event. Katie Goodwin of Walla Walla, WA (say that three times and grin) was one of them. It was my second visit to Boise for Brook Taylor’s event and I sure hope that I’ll be asked back for more! Let’s move on to my interview with Katie.

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KG: On a whim, my husband and I purchased a tanning salon in 2004, thinking it would be a great business to own while we raised our sons. The salon was booming, life was great and growth was good. However, our eldest boy got very sick and was hospitalized for months in Seattle (about five hours away) and I couldn’t leave his side. When he was well enough to come home, I had lost the passion I once had for owning a business. I knew if I wanted to continue to be successful, I needed to put in my time and at that point, I needed to focus my energy on family. We were able to sell the salon in 2009, but unfortunately, the contract lapsed after six years. After lengthy court battles, lease negotiations, legal name changes and all the other fun stuff that comes with it, we opened Radiance, a wellness studio. Travis and I knew this was our opportunity for a rebirth of the business from the ground up with a new mission – we were back in our niche!
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KG: We started by asking people, “what does Walla Walla need?” Travis spent months researching what services compliment tanning. It was during his research that we learned what the word “wellness” means. While tanning can’t be marketed in that aspect, we knew that more than 75% of our clients tanned for health and wellness. Our distributor partner, Brook Taylor from All Hours Tanning, had virtually the same shared vision. Her industry knowledge and the resources she provided reassured us we were on the right track. Thankfully, we were able to purchase and open with all the new equipment and services we wanted to add.

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KG: Joe, I would definitely recommend Sun is Life! My biggest takeaway is to ensure (as an owner) that my staff has the resources they need to confidently answer any questions our guests might have. I plan to make this course a requirement for all my staff, not just the manager, because my staff members are often the face of our business and they need to be just as educated as we are.
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KG: It’s hard to get exposure for the business. It seems that no matter how much we hit social media or try advertising, we still get comments from new customers that they had never heard of us.

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KG: Growth! We hope to grow our offerings through updated equipment and new services. But most of all, it will start with always improving our guest experience through staff knowledge and passion for the business.

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