Sun Tan City vs Planet Beach

Every published amount we could verify

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 are produced, so they are kept apart here.

A single location's menu proves nothing about the chain. Check with the location you intend to book.

U.S. market ranges for comparison

Use this as a sanity check. If your quote lands outside this range, ask what is included before you assume it is a bad deal — scope differences explain most outliers.

Compiled national figures for context only. No brand on this page has published these numbers, and none of them is a bookable rate.

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.

Your own market may sit between tiers. The point is the 2.5x spread, not the exact figure in any one row.

Where the extra money goes

Each of these is negotiable in the sense that you can decline it — but only if you know it is coming in advance.

• 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.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged on top of 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.

Related cost breakdowns: Airbrush Tan Cost, Spray Tan Cost and Spray Tan Price Components Guide.

Annual cost of ownership

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

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is expected rather than optional. Remove it if you prefer to budget on a separate line.

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

Break-even points for monthly plans

Ignore the marketing and do one division. If the plan costs more than your sensible monthly visit count × $11, it loses money. The table shows the crossover for common plan prices.

Excludes enrolment and annual fees. Add those before comparing plans over twelve months.

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

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 national 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.
• 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.
• Cash gets to the provider quickest and is still preferred in most independent salons.

What people get wrong here

Listed by how frequently they occur rather than dollar impact. The fix in every case is a question when you book.

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

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

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

   Two "haircut" prices can include entirely different work.

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

   Together they add around a quarter to the menu price.

If you want the policy detail behind these: How To Compare Salon Prices and What Is An Airbrush Tan.

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 precisely why they are offered there.

1. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
2. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
3. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
4. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
5. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
6. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"
7. "What is the exact price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"

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 normal 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 $32 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

To check a specific quote, try it with your own figures.

Your other options, and when each wins

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

Straight answers to the usual questions

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 membership page
2. Official specials page
3. Official shared VIP membership
4. Louisville Highlands official salon page
5. Official VIP membership terms
6. Official U.S. brand website
7. Official spray-tan preparation and aftercare
8. Official spray-tan preparation
9. Official spray-tan preparation
10. Official offers page
11. Brick NJ official services
12. Brick NJ Mystic Tan service

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