Spray Tan Of America
New Franchise Melds Business, Fun
by Matt Morgan
 Larry
B. Jones identified a HOT, NEW TREND SWEEPING THE SPA INDUSTRY—SUNLESS SPRAY
TANNING—and carved his own unique piece of the market share. Rather than simply
selling equipment and solution to buyers eager to appease the tan-starved masses,
he founded a franchise that trains entrepreneurs to be in business for themselves,
not by themselves. Aptly named Spray Tan of America, having just completed its
first full year of operation, has touched each U.S. coast and plans to continue
growing backed by quality products and customer service.
Rather than owning multiple salon chains himself sprinkled in different states—and
inheriting the staffing headaches that go along with it—Jones decided to award
franchises, let individual entrepreneurs be in business for themselves and lend
them support along the way.
Federal Way, Wash.-based Spray Tan assists franchisees in everything they need
to get their businesses off the ground, from creating a business entity all
the way to the cash registers ringing at the grand opening, he says.
“It gets intense, and we go A to Z,” Jones says. “We guide them on how to get
their state tax licenses and their federal tax ID numbers. We guide them on
how to get a local business license and how to set up a business account.”
For example, in late October, Jones was in Tampa, Fla., to hammer out details
for his newest franchisee, Kelly Hartman. He wanted to make sure Hartman secured
a location with good exposure to ensure a successful business operation.
Why all the work? “The success of Spray Tan of America depends solely on the
success of the franchisees,” Jones explains. “We do everything we need to do
above and beyond the call of duty to make them successful, because if they’re
not successful, then Spray Tan of America is not successful.”
In October, Spray Tan of American had eight operating salons— in California,
Montana and Washington—and three more in the developmental stages.
The prototype opened in Federal Way in November 2002. After a slow start due
to the unknowns of a totally new concept, business began picking up. By the
heart of the tanning season, the first Spray Tan was spraying 600 people a month.
Next, the company opened a company store inside a Vision Quest Sport & Fitness
in Auburn, Wash.
The first full-fledged franchise opened in Billings, Mont., on July 1. Jones
says he’s gunning for upward of 100 salons nationwide by next year.
 Lani
Corley, owner of a Spray Tan of America store in Bonny Lake, Wash., plans to
start up two more locations in the next year. Her business sprays an average
of 19 to 25 customers per day—or about four per hour. Corley, the only certified
spray technician in the salon, has to set her limit at 30 per day—“I can only
handle so much,” she says. She is in the process of having another technician
trained to help with the demand.
“We have all the elements and attributes of this being a very hot franchise,”
Jones says. “It is non-labor-intense, it is affordable to get into, it is a
very simple franchise to run. It is targeting a market of people who are new
entrepreneurs—say the 25-40 age bracket. This is something in a price range
that they can afford. And the potential’s phenomenal.”
As the only airbrush tanning salon franchise in the country, Spray Tan of America
has its pick of the 20 million people—by Jones’ estimates—who seek alternatives
to traditional and indoor tanning. Of course, as spray tanning continues to
grow in popularity, those 20 million people will have their choice of spray-tanning
locations. Jones likes to think it will still be Spray Tan.
“Spray Tan of America’s focus is on one thing and one thing only, and that’s
airbrush tanning,” he continues. “We found that when you focus on a few other
things, you become kind of a buffet. If you’ve ever eaten at a buffet, the food’s
good but none of it is knockout. Whereas if you were to go to a steakhouse that
does steaks, obviously their steaks are going to be a lot better than what you
can get at the buffet.”
Higher Education
Recognizing the importance of certification, Spray Tan requires all new franchise
owners to spend a week at Spray Tan of America University. There, certified
spray technician candidates are put through courses on the origins and reactivity
of DHA. They’re also prepared to answer a list of frequently-asked questions.
Next, the technicians-in-training make their way to the spray rooms to be taught
about PSI, air-gun hookup and compressor operation. Afterward, they’re ready
to spray. “It’s more of an art form now,” Jones continues. “They’re going to
gain their own techniques, but we show them the basics on how to spray the human
body and how to interact with the client.”
Spray Tan’s new headquarters, which is scheduled to open at the first of the
year, will include a fully functional mock salon. “It’ll be like they’re in
a regular salon, with the POS system, the training and all that,” Jones says.
The keyword is consistency. Jones is aware of the vulnerability of a new brand
name in the marketplace. For that reason, Jones asks all franchisees to be consistent
in following the corporate philosophy. “We are about providing a high level
of quality and customer service, and providing an alternative way to tan,” Jones
says.
The Spray Tan higher-ups are not dictators, but they are very controlling—“in
a positive way,” Jones adds. “We can’t have anybody flying by the seat of their
pants or acting on a whim. Anything they bring into their store has to be approved
by the home office.”
The Spray Tan franchise model is based on royalty—not of kings and queens,
rather a portion of gross sales paid to the parent company.
“That allows us to get the best products and the best equipment for the franchisee
at mass-volume purchasing prices,” Jones says. “We deal direct with the factories
so we have very good pricing. Whether franchisees buy 1 gallon or 10 gallons
of solution, they get the same price so they’re able to really capitalize on
retaining cash flow.”
The compressors used in all Spray Tan stores are manufactured by Houston-based
Silent Aire Technology. The spray guns are made by BearAir Express of South
Easton, Mass.
Then, there is the linchpin of the spray tan business: “The solution is key
to having the best,” Jones says. “Obviously that’s the actual product being
applied. You can find different ways to apply it—different airbrushes, different
compressors—but the end product is what you really need to focus on.”
Jones and his team tested some 25 different spray solutions, and kept coming
back to the same company: St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Biddiscombe Laboratories.
The two companies are talking about private-labeling the product for Spray Tan.
The franchise also struck a deal with Airbrush Tanning Solution Manufacturers
of Federal Way for its Paradise Mist airbrush solution.
Soon-to-be private-labeled tan extenders and exfoliants are required of all
franchisees. Spray Tan owners will have the option to carry other retails items
as well. The company is working out deals with commercial brands such as Banana
Boat and Neutrogena.
Corley carries St. Tropez and Spa Luna products in her Bonny Lake salon. “They
have this vitamin E that I really like and a lot of my clients like,” she says.
She also carries Biddiscombe’s Revive after-tan extender as well as an exfoliator.
‘Intimate Environment’
Interpersonal interaction is so important in service-based businesses. Clients
meet with their favorite technician on a certain schedule, and a bond is formed.
Word of mouth thrives, and regular business is established. That is where Spray
Tan of America aims to separate itself from other sunless salons.
“This is a very personal and intimate environment,” Jones says. “Seventy percent
of women don’t want tan lines, so they’re going to go fully undressed. That
means they need to feel that they’re in a safe, secure, professional and clean
environment. People need to get into that element of comfort and feel good about
themselves and where the process is taking place, so they will continue to come
back and incorporate it as part of their vanity schedule.”
Airbrushing, as opposed to automatic spray booths, lends itself to what Jones
calls the “gab factor,” where a client can chat with the technician while being
sprayed.
“When people come in for a service, they like the gab factor that goes along
with it,” Jones says. “That enables the salons to gain a loyal customer base.
As time goes on and the industry expands, they’re going to be able to go get
sprayed anywhere. They’ll enjoy going back to that person. That spray tech,
that franchisee, they know them. They know what the client expects, what they
want, what they don’t want. They know how to act and how not to act.”
Corley knows this firsthand. There are customers who drive an hour to be sprayed
by Corley in her salon, sometimes passing closer spray-tanning locations. “I
have a lot of people who request me,” she says. “I think a lot of it is my personality.
They like me. I think they like to be treated like I’d want to be treated. I
think that’s the main key of servicing people.”
Spray Tan is about living a healthy life and having fun while doing it. This
point hit home while Jones walked by a salon’s rooms one day. “I heard some
people in the rooms laughing and giggling,” he says. “It’s a good feeling that
you’ve brought a good thing to somebody’s life. Not only are these people getting
a great-looking tan, they’re having fun when they come here.”
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