Frank Dimarco and John Bonamici have been business partners for eight years now, and while they might not actually finish each other’s sentences, they’ve always naturally complemented each other, which allows them to accomplish bigger and better things together. To put their dynamic simply, Frank knows what he wants, and John knows how to make it stand out.

“I would tell JJ, because I brought him in the industry, this is what we need to do, then he would take it three levels forward,” Frank says. “So, if I told him we have to plaint this wall black, he’d come back and say ‘We’ll paint it black, but with a white stripe in the middle and do diamonds on the edges.’ He would just take it up 3 notches, which is perfect.”

The culmination of Frank’s industry experience and John’s penchant for the finer things in life is three Solar Escape Tanning Lounge locations that probably look more like dance clubs than tanning salons at first glance.

“A client will come to the front door, take two steps in, look to the left, right and turn around and leave,” John says. “They’ll come back two minutes later and be like, ‘Is this the tanning salon? This doesn’t look like a tanning salon. It looks like a bar. Can I get a drink in here?’”

It’s not just about glitz and glamour at the New York salons though; high-end equipment and well-trained staffs ensure that the quality of tanning experience is every bit as exceptional as the plush salon environment. Along with scouting additional locations for expansion, they’re constantly looking at ways to improve their current ones, both aesthetically and functionally.

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