Best Mobile Spray Tan Services

What the brand actually publishes

These 22 lines come from published sources and are grouped by what they actually are. Folding fees into a service list is how misleading "average" figures are produced, so they are separated here.

Franchisees price within a corporate range rather than to a fixed card. Read them as examples, not a rate card.

U.S. market ranges for comparison

A quote well above these bands is not automatically bad value - it normally means a different scope, a senior provider, or an costly metro. This table tells you which question to ask.

National planning ranges. A quote outside these bands is not automatically wrong - check what is included before judging it.

The same service, four different markets

Before deciding a quote is high, check it against your own market rather than the national number. A $68 quote is costly in a tier-4 market and unremarkable in tier 1.

Bands scale the $45 national median by published metro cost multipliers. Planning ranges, not quotes.

The variables that move the number

Each of these is negotiable in the sense that you can turn down it — but only if you know it is coming before you are in the chair.

• Service complexity+$20–$120

  Length, density, area size and condition all add time.

• Geographic market+30–90%

  The same service swings widely between metros.

• Required add-ons+$20–$70

  Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted separately.

• Provider experience+15–60%

  Junior through master tiers are priced in bands.

• Tax and gratuity+20–30%

  Neither appears on the menu price.

Related cost breakdowns: Mobile Spray Tan Cost, Spray Tan Cost and Spray Tan Price Components Guide.

The expensive errors, ranked

These are the ones that generate complaints. Every one is avoided by asking once before the service starts.

1. 1Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add roughly a quarter to the menu price.

2. 2Comparing headline prices across different scopescosts $20–$70

   Two "haircut" prices can include entirely different work.

3. 3Not asking what is required versus optionalcosts $20–$70

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted on a separate line.

If you want the policy detail behind these: Prepare For Spray Tan and Spray Tan Aftercare.

What to say on the phone

Ask these at booking rather than on arrival. Once you are gowned and in the chair, declining an add-on becomes socially much harder — which is the reason they come up at that moment.

1. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
2. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
3. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
4. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
5. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
6. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
7. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"

Then do one thing at checkout: ask for an itemised receipt. If a line appears that you were not told about, that is the moment to raise it — not after you have left.

Menu price versus final bill

Every line below is standard and expected. None of it is a scam — but almost none of it appears on the menu board either.

Worked at a $86 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $41 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

Swap in your own base price and run the numbers for your own service.

The real annual cost of keeping this up

The per-visit price hides the real decision. At every 10-14 days in season, this service costs about $648 per year including gratuity if you pay national median rates.

Cadence comes down to typical maintenance intervals. Your own interval is the largest variable.

Before hunting a lower-priced provider, look at the interval. One fewer visit per year is about $54 kept; two fewer is $108. Neither costs you any quality.

Tipping: the numbers rather than the etiquette

Tip on the pre-tax service amount. If a reduction or promotion applied, the norm is to tip on the original value of the work, not the discounted price.

• Holiday tipping is a separate convention from per-visit tipping and is typically a one-off larger amount.
• An automatic service charge ought to be disclosed when you book. Spot one on the bill, ask whether it reaches the provider before adding more.
• Cash gets to the provider quickest and is still preferred in most independent shops.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by convention - though rarely refused.

Worth comparing before you commit

The number alone rarely decides it. Start with what is included — what is actually included — before you look at the figure.

Questions people actually ask

Sources and how we checked them

Brand-specific amounts on this page come from the pages below. A source covering one location is not used as evidence of a national price, and market ranges are labelled separately.

1. Official pricing and rewards
2. Official FAQ
3. Official pricing and specials
4. Official membership store
5. Official UV service
6. Official pricing
7. Official homepage
8. Risks of tanning
9. Sunless tanners and bronzers
10. Official Premier One page
11. Official membership freeze information
12. Official VIP membership terms

Spotted something out of date? Send a correction and we will re-check the source.