Red light therapy has grown in popularity to the point that a fair comparison could be made between the service’s significance in the tanning industry and the role of spray tanning in the early 2000s. Around that time, spray tanning gradually progressed from a form of diversification to an integral aspect and money-maker for any and every tanning business. While red light is still just starting to take off, it’s about time to start considering it a fundamental element for tanning businesses.

While much of the overall popularity and reputation of red light is being developed outside of the tanning industry by other types of establishments like medical offices, “med spas” and gyms, tanning businesses are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the hype. The concept of a red light session is more familiar for UV tanners, and you know your customers are already coming to you because they want to look and feel good. Even better, the advent of hybrid tanning equipment, such as the KBL models like the P9S, P9, 8000 series and more can provide a natural introduction to red light.

“People who patronize tanning salons are the most appearance-conscious consumers in the world. They’re looking for anything and everything that can make them look better,” says Jerry Deveney, who is President of SunForce Marketing, a distributor of POLY Pro Rejuv LED, and also acts as Director of Sales in a consulting position for POLY.

“The thing that made red light so popular so fast is that it appeals to all skin and body types and not just Caucasian people who want to tan. The tanning market for years was tanning, tanning, tanning, and now all of a sudden you have this technology that allows everybody to look good and feel good. Tanning, we’ve always believed, appeals to about 10 percent of the population. Salons have been reaching out to a limited market and done very well for a long time. Now they’re realizing they have to be more than just tanning.”

Red light is also becoming a far more profitable business because of advancements in equipment. We’re not talking about old-school units that look like a traditional tanning bed with red lights. The best equipment available from our industry suppliers is purposefully designed, features LED red lights, additional features and benefits, and is flashy and highly effective – so much so that it can warrant session prices higher than you’d charge for most any tanning session.

Given that this equipment will also bring in new customers that don’t tan, help you introduce them to other options and it’s virtually maintenance-free, investing in red light is a no-brainer for most tanning businesses today.

“Red light is still maybe in its late infancy, but it’s getting close to exploding. More and more people are learning about it. Red light is definitely an amazing process. It was developed by NASA,” says Micheal Londo, Founder and CEO of Body Balance System, manufacturer of the OvationULT Red Light Therapy Bed and other red light equipment.

“I want the best product on the market at the best price. We want that customer to get out and be like, ‘Wow, that was amazing,’ and tell their friends about it.”

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