While many tanning businesses are gravitating toward a more wellness-focused business model, few, if any, have gone all like Baja Beach of Berks County, Pennsylvania. In just the past year, owner Bridget Coe\u2019s seven-figure investment in equipment and services for her four salon locations, in conjunction with a rebrand to Baja Beach Wellness, has completely redefined the operation. In a more direct financial sense, it\u2019s also allowed her to create an ultra-premium $299 all-inclusive membership level, a massive step up from their former top level, which is now their second tier, at $89 per month.<\/p>\n
The premium services that justify the pricey \u201cElite Beach\u201d membership are the SmartSun Therapy SST28 and Trident Cryo cryotherapy. These additions are not just ancillary pieces of equipment but substantial profit drivers that are pivotal to the business’s rebranding and premium pricing approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you there\u2019s no other salon in the country doing what we\u2019re doing and as big as we did it. We\u2019re completely rebranding to the point of changing signage at the locations,\u201d Coe says. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge expansion project, transitioning from a tanning club to a wellness club. The two biggest pieces of equipment that fueled the rebrand are cryotherapy and SmartSun Therapy. We\u2019ve had basic red light therapy years. We introduced Cocoon pods a while ago, and those have been very popular. But we needed something else to truly stop being just a tanning salon,\u201d Coe says.<\/p>\n
While cryotherapy is a whole new service offering for the business, SmartSun Therapy has been easily distinguished from their previous red light therapy offerings based on the immediate feel-good sensation Coe says it produces, the variety of significant results it provides, and simply the first impression it makes based on its design and appearance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe design of the SST alone was enough to know it would change the game. As far as the actual technology, I couldn\u2019t believe the first time I laid in it how much I felt the red light, as well as the fact that it combines with infrared. We\u2019re attracting a whole new clientele who are serious about wellness \u2013 people who would never have walked into a tanning salon before,\u201d Coe says.<\/p>\n
The addition of SmartSun Therapy, cryotherapy, along with WELLFIT Skin Care Solutions from VersaSpa, and more, has proven to be plenty enough to make the $299 membership level appealing. The strategy behind the level is similar to that for any membership \u2013 while the cost is higher, the value of the services combined still vastly exceeds the monthly fee. The other key for Coe has been limiting access to their most premium services, essentially making the membership the only cost-effective way to access SmartSun Therapy and cryotherapy. The Elite membership has also burgeoned their next level down, making the $89 membership appear more valuable in its own right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned over the years to keep it simple. We want customers to buy EFT memberships. I don\u2019t sell monthly packages or sessions. If someone wants four SST sessions, it\u2019s $99 per session. Our top tanning membership has grown because of this, too. For those who can\u2019t afford $299, they can still get basic red light therapy, Cocoon sessions, spray tanning, and all tanning services with an $89 Diamond-level membership,\u201d Coe says.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever did I imagine charging $300, but it\u2019s a great value. Our biggest competitor charges $249 a month just for cryotherapy.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the all-access membership is well worth it, customers aren\u2019t likely to commit to $300 per month without experiencing the high-end services for themselves, so Coe developed an introductory offer to give people a chance to try the high-end options. She\u2019s now adapting her offer to allow first-timers more time to experience the results.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we find is our tanning customers are trying our wellness services and then upgrading. We\u2019re doing a trial offer with three sessions for $99, but we\u2019re going to shift it to a week because we can get them in the door more. It\u2019s going to be a week of unlimited Elite access for $99. Then we give them that back if they purchase a membership,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
To support these changes and additions, Coe embarked on a major social media push to inform her community and build hype around the new services and brand image. With the help of a dedicated social media manager, Baja Beach has gradually and strategically launched their new services and brand image via brand via Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok. The feedback has been so positive that they\u2019re now looking to spread the word even further by delving into more traditional advertising media.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all starts with social media. That\u2019s growing significantly to the point where, with four stores, I hired a social media manager. It\u2019s been really successful. With the gravity of the launch, we strategically planned everything out \u2013 when we were going to roll this out, then this. Now we\u2019re doing billboards and bus shelters, and we\u2019re considering doing radio.\u201d<\/p>\n
With all the right pieces in place, all that\u2019s left to do is keep letting more people know about the new Baja Beach Wellness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While many tanning businesses are gravitating toward a more wellness-focused business model, few, if any, have gone all like Baja Beach of Berks County, Pennsylvania. In just the past year, owner Bridget Coe\u2019s seven-figure investment in equipment and services for her four salon locations, in conjunction with a rebrand to Baja Beach Wellness, has completely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26238,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n