Glo Tanning vs La Tan

Official published amounts and what each covers

These 8 lines come from published sources and are grouped by what they actually are. Folding fees into a service list is how misleading "average" figures come about, so they are separated here.

Franchise and independently-owned locations set menus inside a corporate band. Use them as documented examples only.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

Context, not a price list. The point of these numbers is to tell you whether the quote in front of you is standard for the U.S. in 2026.

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

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.

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

Ask about these when you book, not at checkout. Each is easier to decline before you arrive than mid-appointment.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged in addition to the monthly rate at many chains.

• 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.

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

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

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

The booking script, word for word

Read these out. It takes under two minutes and it is the gap between a quote and a surprise. Save the last one for emphasis — a written quote settles any dispute at checkout.

1. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
2. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
3. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
4. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
5. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
6. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
7. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"

Finally: get the quote on paper. A text or email costs the salon nothing and removes any argument at checkout.

Menu price versus final bill

This is the gap that surprises people. Starting from a $56 base, here is where the money goes by the time the card is out.

Illustrative. The 7.4% tax figure varies by state - several states do not tax personal services at all.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $27 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

Prefer not to do the arithmetic? You can try it with your own figures.

The real annual cost of keeping this up

A single $11 appointment is easy to justify. Maintained twice weekly in season, uv bed - level 1 becomes a $528 annual commitment at the national median — and that is the number worth deciding on.

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

The cheapest lever is nearly always stretching the cadence, not finding a cheaper provider. Moving from 40 visits per year to 30 saves about $132 annually — usually more than switching salons would.

Is the monthly plan worthwhile?

The honest test is your sensible 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.

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 run your own break-even.

How much to tip on this service

Working out a percentage on the spot is a nuisance. These are the dollar amounts at the low, middle and high end of the market range.

• 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.
• 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.
• Cash reaches the provider fastest and is still preferred in most independent salons.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though rarely refused.

What people get wrong here

Ordered by how frequently they happen rather than dollar impact. All of them are solved at the booking stage.

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: How To Compare Salon Prices and Prepare For UV Tanning.

How this compares with the alternatives

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

Questions people actually ask

Sources and how we checked them

Listed so you can check the figures yourself. If a source has changed since we recorded it, the correction form below is the fastest way to flag it.

1. Official pricing
2. Official membership freeze information
3. Official homepage
4. Official U.S. brand website
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

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