When Lindsey Timek attended the National Tanning Expo in Nashville last November, she expected to explore the latest tanning equipment for her business, Abbronzatura Tanning in West Pittston, PA. She had her eye on a new LED hybrid unit, but as soon as she entered the exhibit hall, something else caught her attention: the SmartSun Therapy SST28.

“They let us in, and I saw it in the corner lit up red. We walked over there, and I said, ‘I don’t know what it is, but I want it.’ I was standing there listening to the salesman talk to another pair of owners, and all I heard him say was ‘medical-grade near infrared and red light therapy.’ He was talking about all the ways it helped people, and I looked at my manager and said, ‘I’m sold.’ I just asked him for the pamphlet, and I called the next night and purchased it,” Lindsey says.

The SST28’s appearance immediately stood out—it looked less like a tanning bed and more like a device you might find in a medical setting. Then, the term “medical-grade” really resonated with Lindsey both personally and professionally.

“It’s new and up-and-coming—something that we knew nobody in our area was going to have. It sets us apart from every other tanning salon and wellness or med spa around here. Every other tanning salon has a tanning bed with red light, but nobody has an actual medical-grade red light therapy bed. I’ve been a cosmetologist for 12 years, so taking care of the skin and the body is my top priority, so that lit my fire as much as anything,” she says.

Since introducing the SST28 in January, the response from Abbronzatura clients has been just as enthusiastic as Lindsey’s own first impression.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.