The TanWall Blog

Less than two weeks ago, we unveiled some exciting new products at the Smart Tan Downtown 2010 show. Let’s talk about some of the brightest ones!

Our new Light Wall is generating a lot of buzz among salon owners for its colorful glowing lights, which makes for an attractive, attention-grabbing addition to any tanning salon.

What is the Light Wall? Well, the Light Wall is basically made up of inserts which are comprised of translucent blocks that have low-voltage LED lights inside them. The blocks themselves are made of frosted Plexiglass lens that are framed in aluminum. These custom-designed, hand-manufactured inserts are fitted right into our 4” thick modular wall system, so installing a Light Wall in your salon is almost as easy as our standard wall systems.

The LED lights, which are controlled with a wireless remote, emit a vivid, colorful glow through the blocks. Using the remote, you can change the colors at will or even set the lights to change colors over time. You can also have the lights blink in a pattern.

Worried about that power bill? Well, LED lights on average consume over 66% less power than your typical compact fluorescent of comparable value. That means, you won’t see a big difference in your electric bill, compared to the big difference you’ll experience in the ambiance of your salon.

What brought about the idea for the Light Wall? We noticed that salon owners are very interested in establishing just the right kind of ambiance when constructing the interiors of their salon, which we talked about in the last post. So we came up with a modular wall that provides some of the best ambiance around: colored lighting.

The great thing about the Light Wall is that you can alter the ambiance of your salon with the click of a remote, or even have the ambiance steadily change throughout the day. Some of the hippest night clubs on the scene attract flocks of crowds because of their ambiance and the way they make the customer feel with strategic use of light and color. With the Light Wall, the salon owner can use these very tactics to attract more customers. Not only that, but you can set the Light Wall to glow in a pattern to attract passersby at night when your salon is closed. The wall continues to work for you.

Another product of note is the Lightbox. Our Lightbox is a slim, 1″ deep box with an LED blacklit surface that is used for back-lighting laminated marketing material.

Your marketing message is sure to be noticed all the more when there is light glowing from behind it. The Lightbox is part of the new wave of in-store marketing technology that enables business owners to advertise their products in new, exciting ways.

Both of these new products certainly add a new level of visual appeal to the salon interior. Light can be used in subtle, and even not so subtle ways to attract customers and really make your salon stand out.

Many tanners wonder what method of indoor UV tanning works best: standing up in a tanning booth or lying down in a tanning bed. This article will outline the pros and cons of both methods and then you can decide for yourself which method is best for you.

Tanning Booth Pros

• More sanitary. The tanner is standing up in the booth, so the only point of contact of the tanner’s body is the soles of their feet on the booth floor. Less body contact means less chance of encountering unsanitary conditions.
• Less points of skin contact mean a more even tan. In a tanning bed, skin is being pressed down onto the acrylic, possibly causing folds and obscuring regions of skin. All of the tanner’s skin is evenly tanned in a tanning booth, and the tanner can raise their arms and get harder to reach regions to tan.
• Faster tan times. A tanning booth usually features more intense UV bulbs, so you get the same tan as a bed but in less time.

Tanning Booth Cons

• Possibly uncomfortable. The tanner has to stand for the duration of the tanning session, possibly becoming tired.
• More intense UV bulbs could increase the risk of burn if proper tanning guidelines aren’t followed, though most tanning salons are very stringent about following safe tanning guidelines.

Tanning Bed Pros

• Tanning beds are said to be more relaxing. The tanner can lie down in an air conditioned bed and listen to music for a highly relaxing tanning session.
• Less intense UV bulbs mean less of a chance for burning, and if the tanner prefers, a longer session for enduring relaxation.
• Closer to the traditional outdoor method of tanning: of lying down, relaxing, and soaking up the rays.

Tanning Bed Cons

• Because a tanner’s skin makes contact with the acrylic on the beds, there’s the possibility of an uneven tan due to skin creases.  
• Skin contact from previous tanners on the tanning beds could provide health concern, though any legitimate tanning salon will thoroughly clean and disinfect their tanning beds, catching any bacteria that weren’t already killed by the UV.  

So as you can see, each method of UV tanning is different. In the end, each method will cater to two main types of tanners with different central aims. The tanning booth will cater to the first type of tanner, the tanner who is primarily at the salon to get an even, effective tan in the smallest amount of time possible. The tanning bed is going to cater to the second type of tanner, the tanner who has come to the salon not only to get a tan, but to lie down and relax and reap the psychological benefits of a tanning visit.