Indoor Tanning Age Rules Guide

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.

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

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

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.

What actually changes your price

Every one of these is optional in the sense that you can decline it — but only if you know it is coming ahead of time.

• Membership tier+$15–$70

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

• 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.

• Bed level+$8–$40

  Level 1 through level 5 is the primary price ladder.

Related cost breakdowns: UV Tanning Price Components Guide, Tanning Membership First-Year Cost Guide and Salon Add-On Price Guide.

What the bill looks like at checkout

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

Illustrative. The 8.4% tax figure varies by state - several states do not tax personal services at all.

Plan for the total, not the base. The $13 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.

What uv bed - level 1 costs you over a year

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.

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

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

Break-even points for monthly plans

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.

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

Gratuity, converted from percentages into money

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

• Card tips may be pooled or delayed to the next pay run. Ask if you want it to reach one person directly.
• Holiday tipping is a separate norm from per-visit tipping and is generally a one-off larger amount.
• 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.
• If more than one person worked on you, ask how tips are shared before assuming the lead provider receives all of it.

Avoid these ahead of booking

Each of these is common, avoidable, and has a dollar figure attached. None of this involves haggling — only asking one question at the right moment.

1. 1Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

   Higher-level beds are usually an upgrade on top of the plan.

2. 2Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

3. 3Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged in addition to the monthly rate at most chains.

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 Check Tanning Salon Rules and Indoor Tanning Risks Explained.

Seven questions that prevent a surprise bill

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. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
2. "Is removal of my existing product included, or is it a separate charge?"
3. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
4. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
5. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
6. "What is the precise price for uv bed - level 1 at my hair length and density?"
7. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"

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

Your other options, and when each wins

The number alone rarely determines it. Line up the inclusions first — what is actually included — then compare the number.

Questions people actually ask

Sources and how we checked them

4 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. Risks of tanning
2. Tanning overview
3. Indoor tanning bed laws
4. FDA Authority Over Cosmetics

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