Electric Beach Tanning vs Zoom Tan

Documented price lines, service by service

These 18 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 kept apart here.

Published prices change without warning. Check the review date above to see how current this set is.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

A quote well above these bands is not automatically bad value - it normally means a different scope, a senior provider, or an expensive 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.

What uv bed - level 1 costs in your metro tier

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.

The variables that move the number

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

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

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged on top of the monthly rate at many chains.

• Bed level+$8–$40

  Level 1 through level 5 is the primary price ladder.

• Membership tier+$15–$70

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

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

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

Related cost breakdowns: Airbrush Tan Cost, Spray Tan Cost and Automated Spray Tan Cost.

Five ways to overpay without noticing

These are the ones that generate complaints. All of them are fixed by a single question before the service starts.

1. 1Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

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

2. 2Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

3. 3Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged on top of the monthly rate at most chains.

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.

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

Read these out. They take about ninety seconds and it is the difference between a quote and a surprise. The final question matters most — a written quote settles any dispute at checkout.

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

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

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

Worked at a $25 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $16 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

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

Twelve months of uv bed - level 1, priced out

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

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

Before hunting a discount, check the cadence. Going from 40 to 32 visits per year keeps approximately $106 in your pocket at the same quality of work.

Break-even points for monthly plans

The honest test is your realistic visit count, not your intended one. Most people overestimate by 30–50%. Take the number below and check it against how you behaved last quarter.

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.

Gratuity, converted from percentages into money

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

• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by convention - though rarely refused.
• Assistants who shampoo or rinse are regularly tipped separately, typically a few dollars.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip each visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.

Where else to look

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

What people want to know before booking

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 and specials
4. Official membership store

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