Tips For Adding Spray Tanning to Your Existing Salon or Spa

At anywhere between 30 to 70 dollars per service, the idea of adding spray tanning to your current salon or spa menu is certainly a lucrative one. When you’re looking to add spray tanning to your existing business, there are a few steps that you should take to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
First, you need to educate your clients (and your staff!) about spray tanning. You need to dispel the most prevalent spray tan myths, then you need to talk to your clients about the benefits of spray tanning and, lastly, entice them to try the new service.
We’ve broken out these three steps into their appropriate categories below, but please feel free to contact us at 781-209-1551 if you have any questions about how to add spray tanning to your existing salon or spa–we’re happy to help!

Dispelling Spray Tan Myths

Spray Tans look Unnatural/Spray Tans look Orange

There are so many misconceptions about spray tanning. Most of these stem from the early days of spray tanning when DHA was new and blended into self-tanners that turned out some very interesting colors or from spray tan booths that give a very fake all-over coat of heavy spray tan solution. The good news is that there are now spray tan solution manufacturers who actually know how to properly formulate DHA, and there are HVLP machines used by spray tan professionals to give spray tans that are so natural-looking you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from a sun tan.

Any company that markets a spray tan solution as “orange free”, or by saying that it won’t ever turn you orange is lying. Any spray tan solution or self-tanner in the world that has been blended with DHA has the chance to turn you orange, even ours. What’s important is understanding why DHA turns you orange so that you can prevent it from happening!

Dihydroxyacetone (or DHA for short) is the ingredient in a spray tan solution that darkens your skin. Too much DHA (also called DHA oversaturation) and your skin will instead react by starting to turn orange. The good news is that there is a tool, the Fitzpatrick Scale, that can help you determine which percentage strenghs of DHA your skin can “handle” so that you can get a spray tan and be worry-free. You can also check out our interactive Color Guide here for our recommendation on what solutions might work best for you!

Spray Tans are only for Women

Men do spray tan, often for the same reasons that women do: to appear thinner, feel more confident, and look younger and healthier. Some use it to even out their skin tone in the winter or look younger (kind of like hiding your grays) on first dates. While men may be more hesitant to try spray tanning, once they do they are just as hooked as everyone else! When it comes to spray tanning a man, there are certainly some questions that come up more than others. (Read the full article here!)

Spray Tans are only for young people

Spray tanning is actually very popular amongst the older generations. While mature clients might not want to look too dark, they always love the youth and vibrancy that lower percentage solutions give. A spray tan helps them maintain their youthful appearance, and makes them appear healthier overall.

The 4 Best Things You Can Tell Existing Clients to Get Them to Try Spray Tanning

“A spray tan keeps your skin even and smooth, in the summer and the winter”

If your client is willing to get a facial cleanse, use moisturizers, and is okay with milk or oatmeal baths and exfoliating scrubs, then why not suggest yet another way to help make their skin looking even, healthy, and beautiful? In the winter, clients usually don’t use a spray tan to “get a tan”, but instead to make their skin tones look more even.

The best way to address this is a classic upselling technique: show them results. Pictures don’t lie, and if you can convince them to just try it once then they will see the results firsthand.

“A spray tan will help show off all that weight you have lost”

A spray tan is a great way to accentuate the results from burning off that winter weight that somehow seems to find us. Consider a spray tan to be your skin’s favorite black dress. It’s slimming, it compliments your figure, and it makes you feel more confident and more attractive.

“A spray tan can make your skin look younger”

As we age, our skin turns grey because our heart cannot pump oxygen throughout our body as effectively as it once did—our skin is the first thing visibly affected by this. While this is a natural process of aging, it can still be a point of embarrassment for many.

A spray tan does not have to make you look like you just got off the beach. There are solutions that are formulated for older clients in mind; they are subtle and provide just enough color to do away with ash-colored skin and restore the appearance of a youthful glow.

Enticing Clients to Try a Spray Tan

Offer a “First-Timer’s Membership” Deal

Reward clients for their bravery! If you offer an exciting deal for clients who haven’t tried spray tanning before, you might be able to get them to sign up for future services. By the time the discount membership expires they’ll be hooked on spray tanning!

Tie into/add onto existing service

Discounts are always welcome, but unless someone is already familiar with, or interested in, spray tanning, offering the service at a discount might not be enough. Sometimes, they need a gentle push, like adding a free spray tan service to an existing menu item.

Show real life results

This is one of the best ways to convince someone to try a spray tan: show them there’s nothing to be afraid of! Feel free to log into the Aviva Labs Pinterest page, or create your own Before/After collection to show off to your clients. Once they see how fantastic the “After” results look, they’ll feel much more confident about trying out your new service.

Demonstrate a Spray Tan

Some clients will have a “see it to believe it” mentality, and that’s perfectly fine! If you have a staff member who is comfortable with demonstrating a spray tan service then invite the client in to watch so they can understand what the service entails, or host a demonstration class and invite several curious clients to attend.

Recommend a spray tan for a special event

Your clients are already coming to you for beauty services and beauty advice; this means that they trust your recommendations. If you know that your client has a special event coming up, like a wedding, anniversary, birthday, or class reunion, explain the many benefits a spray tan can provide.

Tell your client to bring a friend

If a client expresses some interest in spray tanning, but isn’t quite convinced yet, offer them a discount for bringing in a friend–this will give them the emotional support they need and might even win you a new client!

Practice what you preach

One of the most effective ways to convince a client to give spray tanning a try is to wear a spray tan yourself. They will see how great you look, and you’ll be able to show them the quality of your product and the skill of your service!

Please feel free to contact us at 781-209-1551 if you have any questions about how to add spray tanning to your existing salon or spa–we’re happy to help!