Crystal Rooney, Sun Spot Atlantis

With 20 years of success, Crystal Rooney has committed to advancing her equipment selection as the industry changes. Frustrated with the negative press about UV tanning in the media, Crystal and her husband Ric began researching ways to shed a positive light on what the indoor tanning industry provides. It was during their research that the couple stumbled upon two products that would illustrate the benefits of indoor tanning – the SunFriend and instant vitamin D testing kits. In this Smart Tan exclusive interview, Crystal discusses the newest additions to her salon:

I was doing some research, because I was tired of the industry taking a beating in the media – there are good and important things that the indoor tanning industry provides! It was then that I discovered the SunFriend. The SunFriend is wearable technology that looks similar to a watch. This UV meter can be set for skin type and absorbs UVA and UVB light. When you have had a healthy dose of UV for vitamin D production the device blinks. I thought this could be a new way to attract new people to our business.

Soon after bringing the SunFriend into our salon, we received a call from an elderly woman in need of some help. She was severely vitamin D deficient, so her doctor advised her to try tanning. We decided to use the SunFriend to pace her tanning times. She was very fair, so we adjusted her skin type on the monitor and the SunFriend lets her know when she has received a healthy dose of UV.

She’ll receive her results in a few weeks and if they prove to the doctor that the UV sessions improved her vitamin D levels, the doctor said she had hundreds of other elderly, vitamin D deficient individuals whom it could also help. From a PR perspective, implementing the SunFriend as an aid in helping vitamin D deficient individuals is a great way to shine a positive light on our industry – look what indoor tanning salons are doing for people’s health!

We’ve also trademarked the concept of JETtanning to be paired with the SunFriend as a package for those looking to receive a healthy dose of UV for vitamin D production, but it’s not enough time to actually tan. This concept is marketed toward a new target audience and has the potential to draw in new customers who otherwise wouldn’t have visited our tanning salon.  

In addition, we’ve introduced the newest instant vitamin D testing kit to our customers. You take a drop of blood and put it in the test kit and in ten minutes it gives you an answer. Similar to a home pregnancy test, one stripe is sufficient and two stripes means your insufficient. Prior to this kit, people had to wait weeks for their results. The instant results are much more appealing to customers and have been a success.

We tested six people and four out of the six were insufficient in their vitamin D levels. Two of the people tested were members of ours that hadn’t been tanning in awhile. What was the first thing they did when they saw their results? They started tanning again! These kits can encourage people to see the benefits of tanning and can also garner positive attention to our industry.

For more information on Sun Spot Atlantis, visit their website at www.ssatlantis.com

For more information on JETtan, visit their website at www.jettan.us