Palm Beach Tan vs Desert Sun Tanning Salons

Published prices from official sources

9 documented amounts, split into services, add-ons, plans and policy charges. Each keeps the precise label it was published under so you can match it against the menu you are shown at booking.

A price documented for one location does not establish a national rate. Verify at the location you book.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

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.

These bands describe the national market, not this page's subject. Use them to judge whether a quote is sensible, not as a price you can book.

Where you live changes the price more than anything else

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 exact figure in any one row.

Why your quote differs from the menu

Ranking these matters. Most of us compare the headline price of two salons and skip past the next few lines below it that actually decide the bill.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

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

• 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.

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

The realistic total, worked through

This is the gap that surprises people. Starting from a $70 base, here is where the money goes by the time the card is out.

Worked at a $70 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $35 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.

Twelve months of uv bed - level 1, priced out

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.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is expected rather than optional. Remove it if you prefer to budget separately.

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

Membership break-even: the only maths that matters

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.

You can work out your own break-even against your actual visit count.

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.

• Salons that add an automatic service charge should say so when you book. Spot one on the bill, ask whether it goes to the provider before adding more.
• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.
• 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.
• At a resort or hotel spa, see whether a service charge is included before adding a further gratuity.

What people get wrong here

Ranked by frequency 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 approximately 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 separately.

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

Exactly what to ask when you book

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. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
2. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
3. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
4. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
5. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
6. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
7. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"

And when you pay: read the itemised receipt line by line. Unexpected charges are nearly always fixable at the desk and almost never fixable later.

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.

Common questions, answered with numbers

Sources and how we checked them

Every published figure above traces to one of these. Where a source describes a single location or a time-limited offer, that scope stays attached to the number rather than being generalised.

1. Official FAQStarting membership and price variation · updated 2026
2. Official Premier One pageOnce-monthly spray membership and billing dates · updated 2026
3. Official pricing and rewards finderLocation-specific membership pricing · updated 2026
4. Official contact and freeze informationMembership freeze structure and Tan Dollars · updated 2026
5. Official spray-tan preparation and aftercarePreparation, rinse and aftercare timing · updated 2026
6. Parker Colorado official pricingMembership tier prices and startup-fee conditions · updated 2026
7. Official U.S. brand websiteBrand identity, service scope, location/booking model and official-source gate · updated 2026
8. Risks of tanningUV risk facts · updated 2026
9. Tanning overviewUV risks · updated 2026

Spotted something out of date? Send a correction and we will re-check the source.