by Judie Bizzozero

WE LIVE IN A FAST-PACED SOCIETY focused on immediate gratification and super-sized appetites. Americans are used to getting what they want, when they want it.

When it comes to obtaining a beautiful bronze tan, patience sometimes is not the best virtue.

While the majority of tanners prefer the relaxing and soothing tanning experience, others pressed for time opt for sunless to jump-start their tan or enhance their existing tan.

SUNLESS is a natural extension of spa services because it completes the overall body treatment experience. Spas and salons that add sunless services can attract a new base of customers who either cannot or do not want to tan indoors or outdoors.

The Golden Touch

For the past few years, the main delivery systems for sunless tans have included sunless stand-up units and handheld airbrush systems that spray the customer with a fine mist of sunless solution or “juice” as it’s known to those in the industry.

Emerging from the airbrush concept is one of the fastest growing segments of sunless tanning—turbine-powered tanning that allows for a full-body sunless application in less than five minutes. The concept is vastly different than the airbrush units on the market today—in fact, it’s not an airbrush at all. The machine is driven by a turbine motor rather than a compressor seen in most airbrush systems. The turbine motor delivers a high volume of low-pressure “soft” airflow instead of a concentrated high-pressure blast found in compressor-based airbrush systems.

One of the first companies to recognize this growing sector was California Tan. In mid-2003, the company debuted its Suddenly Sun® Collection that includes a booth spray solution, barrier cream, sunless primer and sunless tan extender. This season, the company expanded its sunless foothold with the introduction of the TurboBronzer™ 3000 Spray Tanning Center and complementing new Suddenly Sun consumer products.

“The combination of high volume and low pressure results in a faster application time, which is what tanners want, as well as quicker returns on investment, which is what a spa, resort of skincare facility wants,” says Wolf Heim, the company’s vice president of sunless products. “It is a very soft kind of air that deposits the solution much more efficiently on the skin. This allows a customer to receive a terrific-looking tan with incredible body detailing in less than four minutes.”

Because the solution dries almost as it’s being applied, there is no need for drying fans, plus any spots that need reapplication can be addressed right away.

“It’s an enveloping soft air that is helping to dry the solution just as it’s transferring solution particles to the skin,” he says. “You’re getting very fine and even coverage. It’s a coverage that’s very efficient with very little wastage and messiness.”

Len Savage, chief technical officer for 2- Minute Turbo Tan System, says turbine-powered systems also offer an advantage in that the high-volume airflow permits more of the solution to adhere to the skin thereby drastically reducing the amount of overspray.

“This technology really addresses DHA inhalation concerns,” he says. “Because it is a high-volume, low-pressure application it means a slightly larger droplet is produced that adheres better to the skin. Neither the customer nor the technician is standing in a cloud of material.”

He agrees that the turbine technology is the wave of the future because it allows a spa to move more customers through their doors and make more money.

“The No. 1 feature that the turbo system brings to the sunless table is speed. It produces a much larger fan pattern, puts out a lot more solution and gives salons the opportunity to make incredible profits,” he says. “Another driving force is the fact that a turbine-powered system dramatically decreases operator fatigue. “Some salons or spas report that they have to hire more employees to handle the volume of airbrush customers,” Heim says. “Facilities that have a turbo system can get by with a two-person staff with one person dedicated to sunless.”

Additionally, the cost of a turbine-powered system is not that much more than a traditional airbrush system. “When you show a spa director the profit potential, the decision is pretty clear. A system quickly pays for itself in very little time,” he adds.

Bob Russell, sales manager at BreeZe Products, says his company’s recent launch of the Complete TURBO Airbrush Tanning Package has made phones ring off the hook.

“Turbine-powered systems definitely are the next generation of delivery systems,” he says. “Obviously, the bottom line is that it provides a quicker coverage and a flawless tan. That translates to more money for the facility.”

It’s Personal

Offering a personalized and customized element to the sunless application adds an entirely new value element. “When someone steps away from the platform after being sprayed you have high confidence that there is no streaking, no mess, no spots missed,” Heim adds. “Imperfections can be fixed instantly.”

Additionally, because of the personalized, customized element, spas and resorts can demand a higher session price. With the push toward total body wellness, many facilities are adding to their service menus and combining full-body sunless applications with a full-body exfoliation, moisturization, etc.—all profit at the end of the day.

“Spas like to position themselves as a healthy oasis and provide clients with a vehicle to look good and feel good,” he says. “If you have a great product with an advanced delivery method, the end result is terrific. If a spa or resort offers a high-quality service the result will be outstanding loyalty from happy clients.”

The key to attracting aftermarket sales is education. The technician providing the service needs to explain that the sunless tan will last longer if a proper skincare regimen is followed. The technician should explain that while a sunless tan can last anywhere from five to seven days, the best way to get the tan to last on the upper end of the range of seven to eight days is to exfoliate beforehand, use a moisturizer with a low DHA content extender and avoid certain activities such as swimming every day.

“That dialog is created because the customer is receiving a personalized and customized treatment,” Heim says. “They become loyal customers because they not only get fantastic results, they also trust the spa to suggest a skincare regimen. They are happy with the results and they come back time and time again.”

Turbo-Style Tanning

The following turbine-powered sunless systems are spraying their ways into the hearts of spa-goers nationwide.

Introduced by the tanning and sun-care experts at California Tan®, Suddenly Sun® TurboBronzer™ 3000 is a revolutionary sunless tanning spray unit that delivers customized and flawless body detailing in under four minutes for that “just from the beach” tan, the company says.

TurboBronzer™ 3000 is a turbine-powered spray-tanning unit driven by a high volume of “soft” airflow, sprayed at a low pressure to ensure little overspray and even, flawless coverage of a sunless tan. Its easy-to-use spray gun allows for controlled spray-tanning and tailored client coverage.

(800) SUNCARE

BreeZe Products presents its new Complete TURBO Airbrush Tanning system that provides a full-body sunless application in less than five minutes. The turbine-powered unit includes a spray gun that provides a 4- to 5-inch spray pattern, a pressure cup and 10-foot hose.

The Complete TURBO Airbrush Tanning Package includes a TURBO spray gun and compressor, 1 gallon of Turbo #9 Solution, 1 gallon of Turbo #5 Solution, one 32-ounce Platinum Barrier Creme, six 8-ounce Platinum Green Apple Exfoliators, six 8-ounce Platinum Pink Grapefruit Exfoliators, six 8-ounce Extreme Tan Extenders, six 8-ounce Extreme Self Tanners, one instructional guide, and eight sets of gloves.

(888) 330-8570

The Turbo-Tan Turbine Tanning System from 2-Minute Turbo Tan enables salons to produce more satisfied customers in less time with less effort at a significantly lower cost in both labor and equipment, the company says. The gun can be adjusted to change the amount of spray for different areas of the body or for a client’s face. Turbo-Tan’s tanning solution has been optimized for turbine-gun application; it is less sticky and dries more quickly than standard airbrush solutions. Cleaning and care is simple, and the Turbo-Tan system should give many years of dependable service.

(858) 536-7960

NORVELL introduces the NT-2000 Turbine Powered HVLP Spray Tan System, which provides a golden spray tan in just five minutes. The turbine-powered system provides high-volume airflow at low pressure, allowing for fast, gentle and even application of solution. The system’s specially designed, lightweight clear polycarbonate air gun is adjustable for tight detailing or wide pattern spraying for full-body applications.

The NT-2000 system, combined with NORVELL’s fast-drying, low-fog formula, creates a milder experience for the customer and highly efficient product transfer with less overspray than any other system, the company says.

(888) 829-2831

Flavours new Turbine Airbrush System delivers a high-volume of soft, quiet airflow. When combined with its sophisticated gun, the system expels a fine mist of dark tanning solution that gently drapes a customer with a golden layer of quick-drying color. The end result is soft, smooth bronzed skin that lasts for days. The second-generation quiet machine has little overspray, so cleanup is a breeze, the company says. The 15- pound unit allows for easy moving.

(877) 603-9072

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