Image Sun Tanning Centers vs Planet Beach

What the brand actually publishes

These 4 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 separated here.

Published prices change without warning. The review date on this page tells you how current this set is.

U.S. market ranges for comparison

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

Where you live changes the price more than anything else

Location is normally 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.

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.

Six things that decide what you pay

All of these can be declined in the sense that you can turn down it — but only if you know it is coming in advance.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Tipping: the numbers rather than the etiquette

Percentages are awkward to compute at the counter. Below they are converted into actual dollars at the low, middle and high end of the market range.

• If more than one person worked on you, ask reception how tips are split before assuming the lead provider receives all of it.
• Holiday tipping is a separate norm from per-visit tipping and is normally a one-off larger amount.
• At a resort or hotel spa, check for an automatic service charge before adding a further gratuity.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though seldom refused.

Mistakes that cost real money

Listed by how routinely they occur rather than how much they cost. All of them are solved at the booking stage.

1. 1Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged in addition to the monthly rate at most chains.

2. 2Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

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

3. 3Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

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.

What to say on the phone

You do not need to negotiate. You need the price to be stated before the service starts. These questions do that without any awkwardness.

1. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
2. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed on a separate line?"
3. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
4. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
5. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
6. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
7. "What is the exact price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"

One more at the desk: ask for the itemised total before you tap the card. Every line should match something you were told about on the phone.

What the bill looks like at checkout

Every line below is routine 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.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $18 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

Swap in your own base price and work this out for your exact service.

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 around $528 annually once gratuity is included.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is expected rather than optional. Deduct it if you track tips apart from service spend.

The lever most of us reach for - switching salons - is usually the weakest one. Moving from the $11 median to the $6 budget end saves $240 annually, but so does simply stretching the interval by a quarter.

When a membership actually beats paying each visit

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.

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.

Worth comparing before you commit

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

Frequently asked - with the maths

Sources and how we checked them

Brand-specific amounts on this page come from the pages below. A source covering one location is not used as evidence of a national price, and market ranges are labelled on a separate line.

1. Brick NJ official VIP Sunclub
2. Brick NJ official services
3. Official membership page
4. Official U.S. brand website

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