Glo Tanning vs Desert Sun Tanning Salons

Every published amount we could verify

These 8 lines come from published sources and are grouped by what they actually are. Averaging a penalty charge in with service prices is how misleading "average" figures come about, so they are listed on a separate line.

Individual owners set menus within a brand-set band. Read them as examples, not a rate card.

National price context for these services

This table is market context, not a brand price list. It exists so you can tell whether a quote you have been given is average, cheap or steep for the U.S. in 2026.

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.

What uv bed - level 1 costs in your metro tier

Location is typically the largest single variable. The national median for uv bed - level 1 is $11; the same appointment can land near $8 in a small market and $19 in a top-tier metro. That is a 2.5× spread on an identical service name.

Your own market may sit between tiers. The point is the 2.5x spread, not the precise figure in any one row.

Why your quote differs from the menu

Every one of these is optional in the sense that you can decline it — but only if you know it is coming ahead of time.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged in addition to the monthly rate at many chains.

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

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

• Bed level+$8–$40

  Level 1 through level 5 is the primary price ladder.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

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

• Membership tier+$15–$70

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

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

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

Ask these when you book rather than on arrival. Once you are gowned and in the chair, declining an add-on becomes socially much harder — which is precisely why they are offered there.

1. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
2. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
3. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
4. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
5. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
6. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
7. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"

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

The sensible total, worked through

Work it forwards once and you will never be caught out again. A $56 service does not cost $56.

Illustrative. The 6.0% tax figure varies by state - several states do not tax personal services at all.

The rule of thumb: add approximately 53% 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.

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 roughly $528 per year once gratuity is included.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is not optional in practice. Deduct it if you track tips apart from service spend.

Before hunting a cheaper provider, look at the interval. One fewer visit a year is about $13 kept; two fewer is $26. Neither costs you any quality.

When a membership actually beats paying each visit

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

Uses a $11 market per-visit rate. Substitute the rate you were actually quoted.

Before signing, run your own break-even.

How much to tip on this service

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

• Do not tip on membership dues, booth rent, deposits, annual fees, gift-card loads or cancellation charges — no service was performed.
• On a $11 service, the difference between an 18% and a 20% tip is $0.22. It matters less than whether you tip at all.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.
• A tip is for the work performed, not for the price you were charged. Do not penalise a provider for a menu they did not set.

Mistakes that cost real money

These are the errors that show up repeatedly in pricing complaints. Each is prevented by one question asked before the service starts rather than after.

1. 1Not asking what is required versus optionalcosts $20–$70

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted separately.

2. 2Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add around a quarter to the menu price.

3. 3Comparing headline prices across different scopescosts $20–$70

   Two "haircut" prices can include entirely different work.

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

Your other options, and when each wins

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

What people want to know before booking

Sources and how we checked them

11 sources were reviewed for this page. Official brand pages are used for brand claims only; nothing here extrapolates one location's menu into a national rate.

1. Official pricing
2. Official membership freeze information
3. Official U.S. brand website
4. Official homepage
5. Official spray-tan preparation
6. Official spray-tan preparation and aftercare
7. Official spray-tan preparation
8. Official offers page
9. Brick NJ official services
10. Brick NJ Mystic Tan service
11. Official brand and services page

Prices move. If you were quoted something different, let us know and we will re-verify.