Just more than half of all indoor tanning facilities added new equipment into their mix in 2008, according to a SmartTan.com survey conducted in December. According to the survey, 53 percent of salons purchased new tanning equipment in the calendar year. The results are not scientific.

“We continue to be impressed with the quality of indoor tanning facility management,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “There is a commitment to retooling, but there is much more fiscal responsibility with how that’s taking place today as compared to years past.”

In polls earlier this year, 69 percent of salons said they planned to make major changes in their tanning businesses prior to the 2009 tanning season. Another poll indicated that 61 percent of salons planned to purchase new tanning equipment in the coming year.