While many tanning businesses are gravitating toward a more wellness-focused business model, few, if any, have gone all like Baja Beach of Berks County, Pennsylvania. In just the past year, owner Bridget Coe’s seven-figure investment in equipment and services for her four salon locations, in conjunction with a rebrand to Baja Beach Wellness, has completely redefined the operation. In a more direct financial sense, it’s also allowed her to create an ultra-premium $299 all-inclusive membership level, a massive step up from their former top level, which is now their second tier, at $89 per month.

The premium services that justify the pricey “Elite Beach” membership are the SmartSun Therapy SST28 and Trident Cryo cryotherapy. These additions are not just ancillary pieces of equipment but substantial profit drivers that are pivotal to the business’s rebranding and premium pricing approach.

“I can tell you there’s no other salon in the country doing what we’re doing and as big as we did it. We’re completely rebranding to the point of changing signage at the locations,” Coe says. “It’s a huge expansion project, transitioning from a tanning club to a wellness club. The two biggest pieces of equipment that fueled the rebrand are cryotherapy and SmartSun Therapy. We’ve had basic red light therapy years. We introduced Cocoon pods a while ago, and those have been very popular. But we needed something else to truly stop being just a tanning salon,” Coe says.

While cryotherapy is a whole new service offering for the business, SmartSun Therapy has been easily distinguished from their previous red light therapy offerings based on the immediate feel-good sensation Coe says it produces, the variety of significant results it provides, and simply the first impression it makes based on its design and appearance.

“The design of the SST alone was enough to know it would change the game. As far as the actual technology, I couldn’t believe the first time I laid in it how much I felt the red light, as well as the fact that it combines with infrared. We’re attracting a whole new clientele who are serious about wellness – people who would never have walked into a tanning salon before,” Coe says.

The addition of SmartSun Therapy, cryotherapy, along with WELLFIT Skin Care Solutions from VersaSpa, and more, has proven to be plenty enough to make the $299 membership level appealing. The strategy behind the level is similar to that for any membership – while the cost is higher, the value of the services combined still vastly exceeds the monthly fee. The other key for Coe has been limiting access to their most premium services, essentially making the membership the only cost-effective way to access SmartSun Therapy and cryotherapy. The Elite membership has also burgeoned their next level down, making the $89 membership appear more valuable in its own right.

“I’ve learned over the years to keep it simple. We want customers to buy EFT memberships. I don’t sell monthly packages or sessions. If someone wants four SST sessions, it’s $99 per session. Our top tanning membership has grown because of this, too. For those who can’t afford $299, they can still get basic red light therapy, Cocoon sessions, spray tanning, and all tanning services with an $89 Diamond-level membership,” Coe says.

“Never did I imagine charging $300, but it’s a great value. Our biggest competitor charges $249 a month just for cryotherapy.”

While the all-access membership is well worth it, customers aren’t likely to commit to $300 per month without experiencing the high-end services for themselves, so Coe developed an introductory offer to give people a chance to try the high-end options. She’s now adapting her offer to allow first-timers more time to experience the results.

“What we find is our tanning customers are trying our wellness services and then upgrading. We’re doing a trial offer with three sessions for $99, but we’re going to shift it to a week because we can get them in the door more. It’s going to be a week of unlimited Elite access for $99. Then we give them that back if they purchase a membership,” she says.

To support these changes and additions, Coe embarked on a major social media push to inform her community and build hype around the new services and brand image. With the help of a dedicated social media manager, Baja Beach has gradually and strategically launched their new services and brand image via brand via Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok. The feedback has been so positive that they’re now looking to spread the word even further by delving into more traditional advertising media.

“It all starts with social media. That’s growing significantly to the point where, with four stores, I hired a social media manager. It’s been really successful. With the gravity of the launch, we strategically planned everything out – when we were going to roll this out, then this. Now we’re doing billboards and bus shelters, and we’re considering doing radio.”

With all the right pieces in place, all that’s left to do is keep letting more people know about the new Baja Beach Wellness.