Because tanning businesses used to be so focused on just UV, traditional thinking was that tanning beds that emit 95% UVA and 5% UVB were the most accurate representation of sunshine. That’s true when it comes specifically to UV, but the reality is today’s tanning equipment that incorporates different light spectrums is better at replicating the entire sunlight experience.

So, when you’re providing your customers access to a variety of light spectrums with their own unique effects, whether it’s in one unit at the same time or through the use of multiple services, you’re giving them a more realistic, enhanced sunlight experience, with all the different benefits they’ve learned about outside the salon.

Thinking has also evolved when it comes to the potential benefits of sunshine. While it used to be all about vitamin D, that’s not the case anymore. For years, reputable studies have shown results such as people that seek sunshine living longer and that sun avoidance is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Later, new research about the benefits of UV-induced nitric oxide provided a different perspective. Then, experts began to widely understand the likelihood that vitamin D itself may not be the only source of health benefits. Higher vitamin D levels in the bloodstream is simply representative of the fact that, in most cases, that person is receiving more beneficial sun exposure.

So, humans are literally starving for not just UV light, but sunshine, and as the people who have been providing UV light in a controlled environment for decades, we’re the ones best positioned to give it to them.

Of course, this entire concept depends on light therapy equipment that provides the results it’s supposed to in a manner that customers can see and feel, just like they can with UV tanning equipment. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case with most red light equipment in our industry as the service has gradually risen to prominence.

If you have owned or personally experienced prior generations of low-pressure red light equipment, there’s a good chance you or your clients were moderately impressed with the results. But equipment with LED red lights has changed the game. The keys to effective red light therapy are the delivery system, power and proximity. Red light LEDs (like beautyBooster red light LEDs and SunSphere UV LEDs seen in KBL equipment) provide the level of power necessary to provide the best results. Proximity to the skin is also paramount for red light. All the power in the world won’t make a difference if the source is too far from the skin.

When it comes to full-body red light units, compared to a typical 32-lamp low-pressure red light unit, the SST 28 SmartSun Therapy™ device, with 28,043 LED’s is a whole different category, emitting more than ten times the output of the low-pressure unit. And, when you consider the close proximity of the LEDs on the SST 28 to the user, it’s more like 20 times more effective.

Designed specifically for the indoor tanning industry, the SST 28 is certainly capable of becoming an important revenue stream for salons, but Smart Tan’s primary motivation for this venture is about much more. The SST 28 exists to take this industry from the suntan parlors of the last 40 years, designed to get you a cosmetic tan, to Light Therapy businesses of the future designed to teach our communities about the value of sunlight.

Click here to read more about the SST 28.

SmartTan.com news articles regularly report medical and scientific information to keep you abreast of current events related to UV light. This information is not intended to be used by any party to make unwarranted health claims to promote sunbed usage. Indoor tanning businesses are obligated to communicate a fair and balanced message to all clients about your products and services including the potential risks associated with indoor tanning. Contact your Smart Tan representative to find out more about what you can and can’t say in your tanning salon business.

© 2022 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.