I was invited to present at a Canadian industry trade show for the first time since 2020, thanks to Uvalux. The excitement in the air was amazing. There were salons from as far as Ontario that made the show in Surrey, BC. That shows the want and need for Canadian shows. The gang at Uvalux again put on a fabulous show. The new equipment they displayed, like hybrid tanning, infrared to spa equipment, shows how far this industry has come. The innovation and the diversification were incredible. The number of salon owners that were interested in purchasing hybrid equipment reminded me of the old days. Salons are excited for the future of this industry. Owners were talking about how the perception of sunlight/ all spectrum of light has started to change to the positive, understanding there are many benefits that outweigh the negatives of overexposure. That UV exposure is a necessity and not an addiction but a requirement for life. Along with other wavelengths – Red, Blue, IR. Red light therapy is now really starting to take off; it’s been a long time coming. Uvalux went all out and even had JWOWW out at the event and live streamed the event as well for those that could not make it.

The JCTA Exclusive Member Insurance Program which started in March 2020 (wrong time, thanks to Covid) has had its fastest growth in the last year. The program has evolved and is highly competitive with great coverage. We had the lowest rate increase we’ve ever had for 2023. The program is a little different since everyone renews on March 1st of every year. This means you could have a prorated policy for the first year. Negotiations with our underwriter went well this year with no increase on deductibles and an overall increase in premium of $115. This was mainly to do with our claims ratio being low the previous year and the majority of our claims were no fault of the salon itself. With the JCTA professional standards being followed and all staff and owners required to be certified, this has reduced our risk ratio and kept our premiums low. FYI, this policy is not just for tanning – spray or UV – it includes the beauty industry; spas, hair and nail salons that have tanning equipment. The program can cover just about everything, and if the program can’t cover it, Brokerlink has other coverage to help out. Our agent, Kelly Guard has taken the time to understand the needs of the industry and all the different types of businesses that have sunbeds and spray tanning.

You don’t have to be a member to get a quote on insurance. The JCTA is working with Brokerlink Calgary ( broker for the exclusive program) on having every salon in Canada contacted to do an application over the phone. Brokerlink knows you’re busy and they’d made the application easy and only take 5 minute to do over the phone. If you’re interested in getting a quote, please contact the JCTA at info@TanCanada.org or 1.800.915.0367 or check out the Salon Owner’s website. I have always said, the best insurance policy is the one that lets you sleep at night, meaning it protects you for all types of equipment and downtime.

According to salons across the country, the majority have had an impressive start to the season and the number of new clients coming in has been outstanding. New clients to the industry means growth and them having a better understanding of the indoor tanning community and the professionalization of salons. We’re teaching Canadians to do it right. That we follow professional standards to reduce risk. More and more, customers are looking for this type of salon. They want to learn how to do it right.

Sales at salons have rebounded to post-Covid revenue. The salons that seem to be doing better than others are offering more than just tanning. They’re now sunlight centres. Yes, their main revenue is still tanning, but they are getting more money per client then ever before. Not only is the client getting a great tan, but they’re also getting a spa experience. No longer are they coming in for just a 20minute tan, they’re using services like IR sauna and skin rejuvenation equipment. Not only are they using more equipment each time they’re in, product sales are going up as well per client. They’re purchasing products per different types of equipment as well, so the more diversified you are, the more product sales you have.

The JCTA continues on with it marketing program to make sure our side of the story is heard. I remember getting a call from a salon owner trying to figure out why she was getting calls on her mobile phone for her salon services. So she talked with one client that called and the girl said it coming from a Google search. The owner asked the client to send her a screenshot of where the number was showing up, it was coming from JCTA TanResponsibly.ca consumer website. When the owner became a member, she had put her mobile number as the salon number and forgot to check all the information on the website to confirm it was correct. It was fixed, but this is a great indicator that the JCTA consumer website was working and driving consumers to member salons. The marketing campaign has moved in to its lifestyle portion to promote tanning year-round. Our hope is this will help promote monthly packages (not unlimited packages) and create off-season clients. Always try to see the travel season as gravy, and build your year round tanner/spa users.

Hope you’re all having a turnaround year!!

Steve Gilroy, Vice President of Smart Tan Canada and Executive Director of JCTA