Zoom Tan vs Tan Republic

Official published amounts and what each covers

12 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.

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

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

Use this as a sanity check. Where a quote falls outside these bands, ask what is included before concluding it is poor value — scope differences explain most outliers.

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

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.

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

The variables that move the number

Ask about these when you book, not at checkout. All of them are easier to decline on the phone than mid-appointment.

• Bed level+$8–$40

  Level 1 through level 5 is the primary price ladder.

• 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.

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged in addition to the monthly rate at many chains.

• Membership tier+$15–$70

  Each tier unlocks a different set of beds and spray inclusions.

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

Exactly what to ask when you book

Read these out. It takes under two minutes and they are the difference between a quote and a surprise. Save the last one for emphasis — a written quote settles any dispute at checkout.

1. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
2. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
3. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
4. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
5. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
6. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
7. "Can you email or text me the quote before my appointment?"

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.

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.

Worked at a $26 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

The rule of thumb: add around 64% to any menu price for uv bed - level 1 to get your sensible out-the-door number.

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

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.

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is not optional in reality. Strip it out if you budget gratuity separately.

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

Is the monthly plan worth it?

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.

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

Use the quoted rate rather than the market one and 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.

• If more than one person worked on you, ask reception how tips are split before assuming the lead provider receives all of it.
• On a package or prepaid series, tip each visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Assistants who shampoo or rinse are often tipped on a separate line, typically a few dollars.
• If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though rarely refused.

Five ways to overpay without noticing

These are the ones that generate complaints. Each is prevented by one question asked before the service starts rather than after.

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

   Some finishes are effectively mandatory but quoted separately.

2. 2Forgetting tax and gratuitycosts $20–$30

   Together they add approximately a quarter to the menu price.

3. 3Comparing headline prices across different scopescosts $20–$70

   Two "haircut" prices can include completely different work.

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

Where else to look

The useful 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

12 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 store
2. Official pricing and specials
3. Official U.S. brand website
4. Official UV service
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
12. Official locations and service model

Pricing shifts. If your quote differed, send it over and we will re-verify.