Glo Tanning vs South Beach Tanning Company

Documented price lines, service by service

Everything below was published by a source listed at the foot of this page. Grouping matters: 3 of these 8 lines are actual services and the rest are add-ons, plans or policy charges that should never be averaged together.

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

National price context for these services

None of these figures belongs to a brand on this page. They describe the wider market, which is what you need in order to judge a quote rather than just accept it.

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

The same service, four different markets

Before deciding a quote is high, check it against your own market rather than the national number. A $16 quote is costly in a tier-4 market and unremarkable in tier 1.

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

What actually changes your price

Every one of these is negotiable in the sense that you can turn down it — but only if you know it is coming before you are in the chair.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged on top of 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.

• 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.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

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

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

Five ways to overpay without noticing

All five are common, avoidable and quantified. Not one requires negotiation — only a well-timed question.

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

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted separately.

2. 2Comparing headline prices across different scopescosts $20–$70

   Two "haircut" prices can include completely different work.

3. 3Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add roughly a quarter to the menu price.

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

What to say on the phone

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 exactly why that is when they are raised.

1. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
2. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
3. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
4. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
5. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
6. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
7. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"

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

From menu price to what you actually hand over

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

Worked at a $56 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

The rule of thumb: add approximately 49% 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

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

Assumes 40 visits annually. Every number here scales with that visit count.

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

When a membership actually beats paying per visit

The honest test is your sensible 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 work out your own break-even.

Tipping: the numbers rather than the etiquette

Two rules do most of the work: tip on the service before tax, and tip the person who performed it.

• Holiday tipping is a separate convention from per-visit tipping and is usually a one-off larger amount.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.
• Missed-appointment charges are penalties rather than services. It is not tipped.
• 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.

How this compares with the alternatives

The useful comparison is like-for-like: same service scope, same provider tier, same market. These pages set the comparisons up that way.

Questions people actually ask

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

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