Deciding to go into the tanning business was the last step in a progressive chain of life events for Rayz Tanning owners Scot and Cyndi Miller. A native of sunny Florida, Cyndi was diagnosed with osteopenia (lower than normal bone mineral density) after she moved to Virginia as a young adult. She explained that while growing up in Florida, her blood calcium and Vitamin D levels stayed elevated, but a few years after she moved to Virginia, medical tests showed decreased levels of calcium and Vitamin D in her system. Cyndi believes that the lack of daily sun exposure significantly factored into her diagnosis of osteopenia. She was diagnosed after she fractured her finger when trying to catch a soft Nerf football while playing outside with her son.
Her doctor advised her to take vitamin supplements, but Cyndi experienced complications. “I ended up with a tumor in my thyroid from the supplements and had surgery,” she explained, adding that her endocrinologist told her she could benefit from UV exposure. “I started working part-time in a tanning salon and decided to complete operator certification.” Cyndi said she enjoyed the short training sessions available through Sun is Life and appreciated learning about how UV exposure affects the skin.
The Millers enthusiastically opened up their Staunton business first. “We got our license and permits in 2007 and built our own salon,” explained Scot. “We designed it with a ‘beachy’ theme without being tacky, and we wanted to keep it fun.” The salon grew quickly during the next five years. When a larger tanning facility opened across the street from Rayz Tanning, the Millers continued to work hard to maintain their tanners’ trust and keep their salons competitive. “We’re a family-run business,” Scot said. “We’re pretty well-known and we have loyal customers.”
One of the things they do that keeps their customer base consistent is charging a higher club initiation fee which includes free lotion samples, and then charging a lower monthly rate so that tanners can easily maintain their memberships over time. “This works well because people don’t want to pay the sign-up fee again,” Scot said. “Our SunClub Members Also get free upgrades every Thursday.”
The Millers hope to expand their business and are happy that their salon is successful. Their goal is to purchase a third or fourth salon in the near future. If they do grow further, they want to maintain the same high standards of service and products – and keep their staff projecting professionalism to the community with ongoing training. “Customer satisfaction is the most important,” Scot said. “Tanning salons in Virginia are not regulated, but we do make sure our entire team is trained.”
