Independent U.S. salon, spa and tanning price research
How prices are checkedRequest a correction

Preparation, Aftercare and Policy Guide

Prepare For Spray Tan

Prepare For Spray Tan: the checklist, the timing, what to avoid beforehand, and the costs ($19.99-$179) to budget for.

Source-separated pricing Reviewed August 2026 U.S. focus

Short answer

Preparation is the cheapest part of this service and the part that most often causes a redo. Budget $19.99–$179, and follow the checklist below in the 48 hours beforehand.

Every figure on this page is either a documented published amount or a labelled U.S. market range. Nothing here is a guess dressed up as a price.

Typical range
$19.99–$179
U.S. median
$45 per session
Applies to
Spray tan (booth)
Last reviewed
August 2026

Before you read on

  • $19.99–$179 is the working range for Prepare For Spray Tan, from 10 documented amounts.
  • The full documented set spans $19.99–$599 once fees and add-ons are counted.
  • The U.S. national median for spray tan (booth) is $45 per session.
  • Add about 29% to any menu price for sales tax and gratuity.
  • Maintained every 10-14 days in season, the annual cost is around $648.
  • The largest single variable is notice window — cancellation windows run from 12 to 48 hours.

Documented price lines, service by service

These 10 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.

Core services - The main appointment lines.
LinePublishedMidpointSpreadWhat it covers
Sunless first-month offer$19.99$19.99New member online offer
Spray session price range$35–$45$40$10Service/solution conditions apply
Six-session spray package$179$179Official advertised package
Memberships, plans and packages - Recurring or prepaid pricing rather than per-visit.
LinePublishedMidpointSpreadWhat it covers
Premier Choice membership$49.99$49.99Location-selected pricing; auto-bill; tax extra
Sunless membership$59$59Official membership store
Sunless membership monthly$59$59Official membership store; plan details apply
Premier Signature membership$79.99$79.99Location-selected pricing; auto-bill; tax extra
Premier Elite membership$109.99$109.99Location-selected pricing; auto-bill; tax extra
Sunless annual membership$599$599Official membership store
Sunless membership annual$599$599Official membership store; plan details apply

Individual owners set menus within a brand-set band. Treat these as documented examples.

Lines documented10
Core services3
Service range$19.99–$179
Median line$40

How this compares with the wider U.S. market

These are U.S. market ranges compiled from published industry pricing data, not figures published by any single brand. Use them to place a quote against the national picture.

U.S. market ranges, 2026
ServiceMarket lowNational medianMarket highUnitWhat drives it
Spray tan (booth)$25$45$75per sessionBooth is less expensive; hand airbrush costs more.
Women's haircut$28$69$140per cutNormally includes consultation, shampoo and a finish style.
All-over single-process colour$65$105$190per serviceAll-over root-to-tip or root retouch on virgin hair.
Gel manicure$30$45$70per serviceCured colour; removal is often a separate charge.
Brazilian wax$45$62$100per serviceFull removal; first-timer offers are common.
Classic lash full set$100$155$250full setOne extension per natural lash.

These bands describe the national market, not this page's subject. Use them to judge whether a quote is reasonable, 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 $45 national median for spray tan (booth) gives the following planning ranges.

Spray tan (booth) by metro cost tier
Market tierPlanning rangeMultiplierExample markets
Tier 1 - highest-cost metros$61–$791.35–1.75×Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC, Miami Beach
Tier 2 - large metros$50–$591.10–1.32×Chicago, Los Angeles suburbs, Denver, Austin, Atlanta, San Diego, Portland
Tier 3 - mid-size metros$42–$500.94–1.10×Columbus, Kansas City, Charlotte, Nashville, Phoenix, Indianapolis
Tier 4 - small metro and rural$31–$420.70–0.93×Smaller cities, county seats and rural markets

Bands scale the $45 national median by published metro cost multipliers. Planning ranges, not quotes.

What actually changes your price

Every one of these is negotiable in the sense that you can refuse it — but only if you know it is coming before you are in the chair.

  • Card on filechanges the contract, not the price

    Booking platforms enforce policies automatically.

  • Charge basis+25–100%

    Some policies bill a flat fee, others a percentage of the service.

  • Notice windowchanges the contract, not the price

    Cancellation windows run from 12 to 48 hours.

  • Deposit treatment+25–100%

    Deposits may apply to the balance or be forfeited.

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

What to tip, in actual dollars

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

Gratuity on spray tan (booth)
Gratuity rateOn $25On $45On $75When it applies
15%$3.75$6.75$11.25Standard for a satisfactory service
18%$4.50$8.10$13.50Common default in mid-size and large metros
20%$5$9$15Typical for a stylist you intend to rebook with
25%$6.25$11.25$18.75Reserved for complex colour, long appointments or a rescue job
  • Holiday tipping is a separate convention from per-visit tipping and is usually a one-off larger amount.
  • A tip is for the work performed, not for the price you were charged. Do not penalise a provider for a menu they did not set.
  • If the salon owner performed the service, tipping is optional by norm - though rarely refused.
  • Assistants who shampoo or rinse are regularly tipped separately, normally a few dollars.

Five ways to overpay without noticing

These are the errors that show up repeatedly in pricing complaints. All of them are fixed by a single question before the service starts.

  1. 1Not reading the notice window before entering a cardcosts $25–$100

    Windows range from 12 to 48 hours.

  2. 2Assuming a deposit applies to the balancecosts $25–$100

    Some deposits are forfeited rather than credited.

If you want the policy detail behind these: Spray Tan Safety Guide and What Is A Rapid Spray Tan.

Exactly what to ask when you book

Read these out. The whole thing takes a minute or two and they are the gap between a quote and a surprise. The final question matters most — a written quote settles any dispute at checkout.

  1. "What is the precise price for spray tan (booth) at my hair length and density?"
  2. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"
  3. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
  4. "Is there a first-visit offer or a package rate I should know about?"
  5. "If I join the membership today, is there an enrolment or annual fee on top?"
  6. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed separately?"
  7. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"

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.

The sensible total, worked through

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 example of a single appointment
LineAmountNote
Base service$92The line you see on the menu
One typical add-on$15Accepted at the chair without a stated price
Subtotal$107Before tax and gratuity
Sales tax at 7.9%$8.45Varies by state and city; services are taxable in some states only
Gratuity at 18%$19.26Calculated on the service, not on tax
Sensible total$134.7146% above the menu price

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 $43 gap between the two is the part people forget when comparing two salons.

Prefer not to do the arithmetic? You can calculate your own total.

Twelve months of spray tan (booth), priced out

A single $45 appointment is easy to justify. Maintained every 10-14 days in season, spray tan (booth) becomes a $648 annual commitment at the national median — and that is the number worth deciding on.

Annual cost at 12 visits (every 10-14 days in season)
Provider levelEach visitVisits/yrService spendGratuityAnnual total
Budget provider$2512$300$60$360
National median$4512$540$108$648
Premium provider$7512$900$180$1,080

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is not optional in reality. Deduct it if you track tips apart from service spend.

The lever most of us reach for - switching salons - is normally the weakest one. Moving from the $45 median to the $25 budget end saves $288 annually, but so does just stretching the interval by a quarter.

Your other options, and when each wins

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

Straight answers to the usual questions

Prepare For Spray Tan: what should I expect to pay?

Plan on $19.99–$179. Across the 10 amounts documented here the median line is $40, the cheapest is $19.99 and the dearest is $599. That fuller range takes in add-ons, plans and policy charges rather than the core service alone.

Is there a price for sunless first-month offer?

Documented at $19.99 for sunless first-month offer. New member online offer. Amounts like this are verified periodically and can change without notice.

Spray session price range: what is the published amount?

The published band for spray session price range is $35–$45. Service/solution conditions apply. A $10 gap on one line is normal where locations set their own menus.

Is there a price for premier choice membership?

Documented at $49.99 for premier choice membership. Location-selected pricing; auto-bill; tax extra. Published lines like this are re-checked on a schedule and can be revised at any time.

What does sunless membership cost?

Sunless membership is documented at $59. Official membership store. That is above the $45 national median for spray tan (booth).

How much more than the menu price should I expect?

The menu price is not the final price. Budget 29% more - approximately $29 extra on a $99 service - and more if you accept anything offered at the chair.

What does keeping this up cost annually?

At every 10-14 days in season - about 12 visits annually - the annual figure is approximately $648 including gratuity at the $45 national median. Dropping to 9 visits saves around $162.

Why can two salons quote such different prices?

Rent, wages and local demand set the menu. Scaling the $45 national median by published metro multipliers gives about $31 in a small market and up to $79 in a top-tier metro - before provider tier is considered.

How reliable are these figures?

Treat them as a well-sourced starting point. Documented amounts come from the listed sources and market bands are national estimates - neither can be booked at. Last checked August 2026.

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 pricing and specialsIntro offers · updated 2026
  2. Official membership storeMonthly and annual prices · updated 2026
  3. Official UV serviceIntro offer and access · updated 2026
  4. Official spray-tan preparation and aftercarePreparation, rinse and aftercare timing · updated 2026
  5. Official cancellation policyCancellation timing and balance requirements · updated 2026
  6. Official spray-tan preparationPreparation requirements · updated 2026
  7. Official spray-tan preparationPreparation and aftercare guidance · updated 2026
  8. Official brand and services pageAirbrush tanning, sugaring and body-service scope · updated 2026
  9. Official locations and service modelAirbrush-tan locations, packages and membership availability · updated 2026
  10. Brick NJ official servicesRegional UV/sunless service scope and single/month-to-month options · updated 2026

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

People also ask

Frequently asked questions

Prepare For Spray Tan: what should I expect to pay?

Plan on $19.99–$179. Across the 10 amounts documented here the median line is $40, the cheapest is $19.99 and the dearest is $599. That fuller range takes in add-ons, plans and policy charges rather than the core service alone.

Is there a price for sunless first-month offer?

Documented at $19.99 for sunless first-month offer. New member online offer. Amounts like this are verified periodically and can change without warning.

Spray session price range: what is the published amount?

The published band for spray session price range is $35–$45. Service/solution conditions apply. A $10 gap on one line is routine where locations set their own menus.

Is there a price for premier choice membership?

Documented at $49.99 for premier choice membership. Location-selected pricing; auto-bill; tax extra. Published lines like this are re-checked on a schedule and can be revised at any time.

What does sunless membership cost?

Sunless membership is documented at $59. Official membership store. That is above the $45 national median for spray tan (booth).

How much more than the menu price should I expect?

The menu price is not the final price. Budget 29% more - around $29 extra on a $99 service - and more if you accept anything offered at the chair.

What does keeping this up cost annually?

At every 10-14 days in season - about 12 visits annually - the annual figure is roughly $648 including gratuity at the $45 national median. Dropping to 9 visits saves around $162.

Why can two salons quote such different prices?

Rent, wages and local demand set the menu. Scaling the $45 national median by published metro multipliers gives about $31 in a small market and up to $79 in a top-tier metro - before provider tier is considered.

How reliable are these figures?

Treat them as a well-sourced starting point. Documented amounts come from the listed sources and market bands are national estimates - neither can be booked at. Last checked August 2026.

Last reviewed . Prices change without notice — report a correction.