Glo Tanning vs Planet Beach

What the brand actually publishes

Everything below was published by a source listed at the foot of this page. Grouping matters: 3 of these 9 lines are actual services and the rest are add-ons, plans or policy charges that should never be averaged together.

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

A quote well above these bands is not automatically bad value - it usually means a different scope, a senior provider, or an expensive metro. This table tells you which question to ask.

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

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.

Why your quote differs from the menu

Ranking these matters. Nearly everyone compares the headline price of two salons and skip past the next few lines below it that really determine the bill.

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

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

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

• 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.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged in addition to the monthly rate at many chains.

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

Mistakes that cost real money

Ordered by how frequently they happen rather than how much they cost. The fix in every case is a question at booking.

1. 1Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add around a quarter to the menu price.

2. 2Not asking what is required versus optionalcosts $20–$70

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted on a separate line.

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.

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

Read these out. They take about ninety seconds and they are the gap 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. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
3. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
4. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
5. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
6. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
7. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"

Then do one thing at checkout: ask for an itemised receipt. If a line appears that you were not told about, that is the moment to raise it — not after you have left.

The realistic total, worked through

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

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

Takeaway: budget $82 when the board says $56. The difference is $26.

Prefer not to do the arithmetic? You can do this with your own quote.

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 effectively compulsory. Strip it out if you budget gratuity on a separate line.

Dropping one visit per year saves around $13. Dropping the cadence by a quarter saves about $132. Compare that against what you would save by moving to a lower-priced provider before you switch.

Membership break-even: the only maths that matters

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.

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

Before signing, test this against your real visit count.

What to tip, in actual dollars

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

• Missed-appointment charges are penalties rather than services. It is not tipped.
• An automatic service charge ought to be disclosed when you book. Spot one on the bill, ask whether it reaches the provider before adding more.
• Assistants who shampoo or rinse are frequently tipped on a separate line, usually a few dollars.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by convention - though seldom refused.

Worth comparing before you commit

Price is not normally the deciding factor. Line up the inclusions first — what is actually included — and only then the price.

Regularly asked - with the maths

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

Prices move. If you were quoted something different, send it over and we will re-verify.