Electric Beach Tanning vs Image Sun Tanning Centers

Documented price lines, service by service

9 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. Verify at the location you book.

What the same service costs across the U.S. market

Use this as a sanity check. If a quote lands well outside the national band below, ask what is included before you assume it is a bad deal — scope differences explain most outliers.

Market ranges are planning estimates compiled from published U.S. pricing data. They are not quotes and are not attributable to any brand named on this page.

Regional price bands for this service

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.

Bands scale the $11 national median by published metro cost multipliers. Planning ranges, not quotes.

What actually changes your price

Ranking these matters. Most people compares the headline price of two salons and overlook the next few lines below it that actually decide the bill.

• 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.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged on top of the monthly rate at many chains.

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

What people get wrong here

These recur constantly in pricing disputes. Every one is avoided by asking once before the service starts.

1. 1Joining before checking the freeze policycosts $60–$300

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

2. 2Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged in addition to the monthly rate at most chains.

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

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

4. 4Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

   Higher-level beds are typically an upgrade in addition to the plan.

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

What to say on the phone

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. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
2. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
3. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed on a separate line?"
4. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
5. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
6. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
7. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"

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

What the bill looks like at checkout

This is the gap that surprises people. Starting from a $16 base, here is where the money goes by the time the card is out.

Illustrative. The 6.3% tax figure varies by state - several states do not tax personal services at all.

Takeaway: budget $30 when the board says $16. The difference is $14.

You can try it with your own figures rather than doing this by hand.

Twelve months of uv bed - level 1, priced out

Most budgets break at the cadence, not the price. UV bed - level 1 maintained twice weekly in season works out to approximately $528 annually once gratuity is included.

Assumes 40 visits per year. Adjust the visit count and every figure here shifts with it.

The lever most of us reach for - switching salons - is usually the weakest one. Moving from the $11 median to the $6 budget end saves $240 a year, but so does just stretching the interval by a quarter.

When a membership actually beats paying per visit

Ignore the marketing and do one division. If the plan costs more than your realistic monthly visit count × $11, it loses money. The table shows the crossover for common plan prices.

Break-even = monthly fee / per-visit price. At $11 a visit the maths is simple enough to do at the counter.

Use the quoted rate rather than the market one and test this against your real visit count.

How much to tip on this service

Percentages are awkward to compute at the counter. These are the dollar amounts at the low, middle and high end of the national range.

• Holiday tipping is a separate convention from per-visit tipping and is usually a one-off larger amount.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip per visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Cash is the most direct route and is still preferred in most independent studios.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though seldom refused.

Where else to look

Before deciding, it is worth seeing where this sits against the nearest alternatives on both price and what you get for it.

Regularly asked - with the maths

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 Iowa prices and memberships
2. Official service overview
3. Brick NJ official VIP Sunclub
4. Brick NJ official services

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