At The Beach Prices

Official published amounts and what each covers

These 18 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.

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

U.S. market ranges for comparison

Use this as a sanity check. If your quote lands outside this range, ask what is included before writing it off — 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.

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.

The variables that move the number

Ask about these at booking, not at checkout. Each is easier to decline over the phone than halfway through a service.

• 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.

• 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.

• Contract term and freeze ruleschanges the contract, not the price

  Minimum terms and freeze policies change the true cost.

Related cost breakdowns: Annual Tanning Cost, Stand Up Tanning Cost and Tanning Lotion Cost.

Mistakes that cost real money

These are the ones that generate complaints. All of them are fixed by a single question up front rather than at checkout.

1. 1Joining before checking the freeze policycosts $60–$300

   A plan you cannot pause bills through the off-season.

2. 2Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged on top of the monthly rate at most chains.

3. 3Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

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

4. 4Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

If you want the policy detail behind these: Prepare For UV Tanning and UV Tanning Aftercare.

What to say on the phone

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

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.

The realistic total, worked through

Work it forwards once and you will never be caught out again. A $39 service does not cost $39.

Worked at a $39 base with one add-on. Swap in your own quote and the proportions hold.

Takeaway: budget $61 when the board says $39. The difference is $22.

To check a specific quote, run the numbers for your own service.

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 not optional in reality. Strip it out if you budget gratuity on a separate line.

Before hunting a less expensive provider, look at the interval. One fewer visit per year is about $13 kept; two fewer is $26. Neither costs you any quality.

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.

Uses a $11 market per-visit rate. Substitute the rate you were actually quoted.

Before signing, run your own break-even.

What to tip, in actual dollars

Tip on the pre-tax service amount. If a reduction or promotion applied, the convention is to tip on the original value of the work, not the discounted price.

• On a package or prepaid series, tip each visit on the value of that visit rather than once on the whole package.
• Do not tip on membership dues, booth rent, deposits, annual fees, gift-card loads or cancellation charges — no service was performed.
• 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 generally a one-off larger amount.

Worth comparing before you commit

Price alone seldom settles it. Start with what is included — what is actually included — before you look at the figure.

Regularly asked - with the maths

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 U.S. brand websiteBrand identity, service scope, location/booking model and official-source gate · updated 2026
2. Risks of tanningUV risk facts · updated 2026
3. Tanning overviewUV risks · updated 2026

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