What’s in a name?

Shakespeare’s famous line from Romeo and Juliet suggests that a name is just a label – that it doesn’t define the true nature or value of a person or thing. But in today’s tanning industry, that idea doesn’t quite hold up.

While services and equipment are the foundation of any salon, your business name and brand representation must accurately reflect the experience, offerings, and atmosphere you provide. For most salons today, the term “tanning salon” no longer presents the right image.

Sunbeds are still the core service in virtually every business in our industry, but clients use sunbeds for a wide range of reasons beyond cosmetic tanning, and the proliferation of hybrid tanning is making that all the more apparent. The truth is, even the most traditional tanning businesses are offering more than a way to get a tan.

More importantly, diversification is no longer an exception; it’s the standard. Today, every major salon group and the vast majority of independent operators have integrated some level of wellness and spa services into their business models, with many of them having adapted their names and brand positioning accordingly.

So, in this article, we’re exploring a range of businesses from across North America that have embraced The Wellness Era in their own distinctive ways. Their approaches, equipment choices, branding strategies, and service mixes may vary, but they all reflect the same reality: success in this industry today requires rethinking not just what you offer, but how you present it – and what you call it.

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