Electric Beach Tanning vs Glo Tanning

Published prices from official sources

14 documented amounts, split into services, add-ons, plans and policy charges. Each keeps the precise label it was published under so you can match it against the menu you are shown when you book.

A price documented for one location does not establish a national rate. Check with the location you intend to book.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

A quote well above these bands is not automatically bad value - it usually 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

Rent and wages flow straight into the menu. Applying published metro cost bands to the $11 national median for uv bed - level 1 gives the following planning ranges.

Derived by applying regional cost-of-doing-business multipliers to the $11 national median. Treat as a sanity check on a quote you have been given.

Six things that decide what you pay

Ask about these when you book, not at checkout. Every one of them is easier to decline before you arrive than halfway through a service.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged on top of the monthly rate at many chains.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

  The largest and least-expected line on a first visit.

• Contract term and freeze ruleschanges the contract, not the price

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

• Membership tier+$15–$70

  Each tier unlocks a different set of beds and spray inclusions.

• Bed level+$8–$40

  Level 1 through level 5 is the primary price ladder.

Related cost breakdowns: Annual Tanning Cost, Stand Up Tanning Cost and Tanning Lotion Cost.

What to tip, in actual dollars

Percentages are hard to judge in the moment. These are the dollar amounts at the low, middle and high end of the market range.

• If more than one person worked on you, check how gratuity is divided before assuming the lead provider receives all of it.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though seldom refused.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.
• Tip the same on a redo as on the original if the redo was not the provider's fault - and speak to management rather than the provider if it was.

The costly errors, ranked

Every one of these is routine, avoidable and costed. Not one requires negotiation — only a well-timed question.

1. 1Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged on top of the monthly rate at most chains.

2. 2Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

   Higher-level beds are usually an upgrade on top of the plan.

3. 3Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

4. 4Joining before checking the freeze policycosts $60–$300

   A plan you cannot pause bills through the off-season.

If you want the policy detail behind these: How To Compare Salon Prices and Prepare For UV Tanning.

Exactly what to ask when you book

You do not need to negotiate. You need the price to be stated before the service starts. These questions do that without any awkwardness.

1. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
2. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
3. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
4. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
5. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
6. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
7. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"

At checkout: check the itemised total against the quote before paying. Corrections are simple at the desk and nearly impossible afterwards.

Menu price versus final bill

Work it forwards once and you will never be caught out again. A $50 service does not cost $50.

An illustration built from the ranges on this page. Your tax rate and add-on choices will differ.

The rule of thumb: add roughly 51% to any menu price for uv bed - level 1 to get your sensible out-the-door number.

You can work this out for your precise service rather than doing this by hand.

Annual cost of ownership

The per-visit price hides the real decision. At twice weekly in season, this service costs about $528 a year including gratuity if you pay national median rates.

Cadence reflects typical maintenance intervals. Your own interval is the biggest variable.

Dropping one visit annually saves approximately $13. Dropping the cadence by a quarter saves about $132. Compare that against what you would save by moving to a less expensive provider before you switch.

Is the monthly plan worthwhile?

A membership is worthwhile above one number: monthly fee ÷ per-visit price. Below that visit count you are subsidising the salon. At a $11 per-visit rate, here is where each plan level breaks even.

Excludes enrolment and annual fees. Add those before comparing plans over twelve months.

Before signing, test this against your real visit count.

How this compares with the alternatives

The useful comparison is like-for-like: same service scope, same provider tier, same market. These pages set the comparisons up that way.

Regularly asked - with the maths

Sources and how we checked them

Every published figure above traces to one of these. Where a source describes a single location or a time-limited offer, that scope stays attached to the number rather than being generalised.

1. Official Iowa prices and memberships
2. Official service overview
3. Official pricing

Found an error? Report it here - corrections are logged and dated.