“Fifteen minutes in our level one beds equal four hours on the beach,” says Glen Harrod, owner of The South Beach Tanning Company. “And we’ll make sure you don’t get a sunburn. We don’t want anyone to tan longer than their skin can handle comfortably.”
“We help our clients determine the length of time for an optimal tan,” says co-owner Jill Harrod. “It’s important for them to have a pleasant experience. Our initial discussion is designed to help prepare people for tanning. We go over everything, including their type of skin, expectations, choosing the best lotion and the right tanning equipment.”
South Beach Tanning offers five levels of ultraviolet tanning and also a sunless spray tan booth. “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better selection of equipment,” says Glen. “We’ve made a tremendous investment in equipment since we acquired The South Beach Tanning franchise for the Tampa market area.”
The Harrods bought a tanning salon that has been in the same location for eight years before converting to South Beach Tanning Company. This was their first foray into tanning. South Beach is a high quality, family-oriented company that has enabled them to create a salon that met and even exceeded their vision and expectations.
Level one tanning beds have built-in surround sound stereo, high-powered body blowers and a large tanning surface. These level one beds often surpass many other salons top-of-the line equipment.
Level two and three units feature wider tanning surfaces, additional cooling, higher output bronzing lamps and high-pressure UVA facial tanners. Level three units have adjustable UVA facial tanners. Stand-up units are included in the level three package.
Levels four and five shower your body with a unique blend of high output UVA bronzing light designed to maximize your tanning experience. These high-pressure unit bronzing lights emit nearly 99 percent UVA light to give you the darkest tan possible.
The sunless Versa Spa Pro spray tan unit allows clients to select a combination of solutions for an optimal tan. These stand-up units spray a heated, ultra-fine mist that penetrates and moisturizes the skin. It’s a full body spa treatment, not just a simple tinting.
People can tan for as little as $18.88 per month. “We use a membership model because it allows the client to come in as often as they like,” says Glen. “We use a boimetric fingerprint system to ensure no one else is tanning under your account. This also keeps us in line with Florida guidelines which prohibit a person from tanning more than once per day.”
“After selecting the proper tanning level, our second focus is making sure they have the right lotion,” says Jill. “Lotions make a big difference in tanning. Our lotions are made locally by Devoted Creations in Oldsmar. They are aloe based which increases the quality of the tan as much as 60 percent over water based tanning lotions.”
South Beach Tanning offers packages to fit anyone’s needs. Clients have complete privacy in every room, and every unit is cleaned and sterilized immediately after use. Each employee goes through training and is certified to ensure every client receives the correct advice and new clients don’t get overexposed.
“We have entire families that tan here together,” says Jill. “We get to know the entire family from grandparents to grandchildren. It’s a wonderful way to earn a living.”
Glen and Jill just signed a lease for a second location in St. Petersburg and are negotiating leases for two more locations in New Tampa and Lutz.
South Beach Tanning is located at 1221 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel (in the Target Shopping Center at the intersection of Bruce B. Downs and County Line Road). Their phone number is (813) 994-3050.
– Mike Matthew
This story is a feature of the advertising department.
