After more than two decades in operation, The Midas Touch achieved a remarkable milestone in 2023, celebrating its most profitable year to date. And, thus far in 2024, the Emporia, Kansas, salon is on pace to surpass last year’s numbers. Investments in hybrid tanning equipment and wellness diversification have been central to The Midas Touch’s surge, and the recent introduction of the SmartSun Therapy SST28 has perhaps been the most impactful addition of all.

Since introducing the SST28 in November 2023, it’s the salon’s most used piece of wellness equipment, and second only to their newest hybrid tanning unit in overall usage. “We book appointments on spa services, and every day it has the most appointments,” manager Amy Ringler says.

While most businesses opt to sell SmartSun Therapy via sessions, packages, or membership upgrades, thus maximizing the direct financial impact of the valuable service, The Midas Touch has chosen to incorporate it in their top-tier all-inclusive Ambassador’s Club membership. Ringler acknowledges that they might be leaving some money on the table, but the strategy is geared to prioritize long-term stability over short-term profits. Integrating the service with the rest of their offerings has maximized exposure to the SST28’s stunning results and further established their top-level membership as too good to pass up or give up. With this approach, SmartSun Therapy has become a cornerstone of success for the business as a whole.

“We encourage clients to use it frequently. The drop-in single session price is $30. That’s where people can initially try it,” Ringler says. “We didn’t want it to sit like a Ferrari on the showroom floor. By adding it to the all-access membership, it makes the perceived value so much better. Here is a phenomenal piece of equipment that you can’t find elsewhere in our community. It’s impressive. It doesn’t look like anything else we have. Clients are feeling and seeing the benefits, and they’re posting on social media sharing their experiences.”

Their selection of wellness equipment, and the SST28 in particular, have also opened new doors in regard to promotion and community outreach. For The Midas Touch, the SmartSun Therapy brand has done exactly what it was designed to do: It creates the opportunity to not just talk about red and infrared light, but to also remind people that those are natural wavelengths of light from the sun just as UV is.

“I was at a business in town that does a ‘Lunch and Learn,’ and the topic was wellness and self-care, so they invited me to come and speak about what we offer. I don’t know that the organization would have invited me years ago when we were mostly tanning. I got the opportunity to go in and share the different services that provide wellness and health and self-care, and it was so fun,” Ringler says.

“Some of the women I got to speak with were so excited to learn. They had questions, and we got to talk about the benefits of infrared and red light. The fact that it’s called SmartSun Therapy gave me the opportunity to talk about the benefits of sunshine and the difference between tanning and red light and infrared equipment.”

While SmartSun therapy provides a host of impressive benefits for users, Ringler, her team, and their clients have taken note of the SST28’s effects on the skin in particular.

“My sister said she’s never had softer skin,” Ringler says. “After using the SST, she said her skin has never been so soft and stayed moisturized for so long. I asked my staff what their favorite piece of equipment is and why, and they started talking about how their skin is just glowing after an SST session. Just from a vanity perspective, it has immediate gratification. You feel energized. When it comes to wellness, it’s just such a good piece of equipment to help you look and feel your best.”

Given their experience thus far, for Ringler, the question isn’t if they’ll add another SST28, but simply, when and where?

“We have so much fun with it,” she says. “It’s unlike anything else we have, and it has the ‘wow’ factor. We’re already trying to figure out how we can fit another one in the salon.”