Four out of five indoor tanning businesses say May was as good as or better than expected, according to a SmartTan.com poll conducted the last week of May — another sign that indoor tanning businesses are enjoying a strong season.

According to the survey, 61 percent of tanning businesses say May was better than they expected. Only one-in-five — 19 percent — felt May was weaker than they expected, while 20 percent felt May went as expected.

That’s even stronger than a first-quarter 2011 SmartTan.com poll, where 49 percent said business was better than expected for the first three months of the year, with 26 percent saying it was worse than expected at the time. Following that poll, an April SmartTan.com poll reported that 56 percent of salons said customer counts were up in 2011 — another strong sign that clients are coming back to tanning in a gradually improving economy.

“It’s clear that tanning businesses are once again getting traffic through the doors, and the best businesses are set up to convert those customers into loyal customers,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “Exactly how they’re doing that is one of the main focuses of Smart Tan’s 2011 Convention, Smart Tan Downtown, Oct. 12-14 in Downtown Nashville — the trade show and conference are built around making over your tanning business to be a winner in the future.”

For more information on Smart Tan Downtown visit www.SmartTanDowntown.com or call your Smart Tan team member at 800-652-3269 or 866-795-3755 in Canada.