With a love for rock music and rocks stars and a passion for indoor tanning, Michelle Helander opened Rockstar Tanning in 2011, and the salon has been rockin’ it in its Pinole, CA market ever since. Despite some personal hardships, owners Michelle and Fred Helander and their dedicated staff remained poised to keep the business rollin’ at full speed for the foreseeable future.

Even before opening her business, Michelle was something of a tanning superstar on the consumer side. She’s been tanning for most of her life and considers it a passion. So, when none of the local salons could give her the tanning experience she desired, she decided to start her own.

“I’ve been a tanner for 25 years, so I’ve used all kinds of beds and different kinds of spray tanning so I knew what I wanted,” she says.

It took a couple to years to build the business, but for most of the last six years, Rockstar Tanning has been busy from open to close, everyday. It’s an enviable position to be in and a testament to Michelle’s passion and dedication and also her staff’s commitment and willingness to take ownership of the business that they’ve helped to build and maintain.

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