Palm Beach Tan Aftercare Guide

Documented price lines, service by service

These 8 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 get made, so they are separated here.

Franchisees price within a corporate range rather than to a fixed card. Treat these as documented examples.

Market ranges: what everyone else charges

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.

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.

The same service, four different markets

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.

Why your quote differs from the menu

Ask about these when you book, not at checkout. Every one of them is easier to decline over 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.

• Membership tier+$15–$70

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

• Enrolment or annual fee+$15–$60

  Charged in addition to the monthly rate at many chains.

• Lotion purchase+$25–$90

  The largest and least-expected line on a first visit.

Related cost breakdowns: Spray Tan Aftercare Product Cost, Airbrush Tan Cost and Spray Tan Cost.

Annual cost of ownership

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

Gratuity is included at 20% because it is expected rather than optional. Strip it out if you budget gratuity separately.

Dropping one visit per 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.

When a membership actually beats paying per visit

A membership is worth it 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 test this against your real visit count against your actual visit count.

What to tip, in actual dollars

Percentages are hard to judge in the moment. Here they are converted to dollars at the low, middle and high end of the national range.

• Cash reaches the provider fastest and is still preferred in most independent salons.
• An automatic service charge ought to be disclosed when you book. Spot one on the bill, ask whether it goes to the provider before adding more.
• Assistants who shampoo or rinse are regularly tipped on a separate line, usually a few dollars.
• Holiday tipping is a separate convention from per-visit tipping and is generally a one-off larger amount.

Mistakes that cost real money

All five are common, avoidable and quantified. Not one requires negotiation — only a well-timed question.

1. 1Not asking about the enrolment or annual feecosts $15–$60

   Charged in addition to the monthly rate at most chains.

2. 2Joining before checking the freeze policycosts $60–$300

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

3. 3Buying lotion at the counter without checking the pricecosts $25–$90

   The single largest surprise on a first visit.

4. 4Assuming the membership covers every bedcosts $10–$40

   Higher-level beds are usually an upgrade in addition to the plan.

If you want the policy detail behind these: UV Tanning Aftercare and Spray Tan Aftercare.

Exactly what to ask when you book

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 the reason they come up at that moment.

1. "Is a shampoo, blow-dry or finish included in that price, or billed on a separate line?"
2. "Which provider tier is that quote for, and what does the next tier up cost?"
3. "Do you take a deposit, and does it come off the final balance?"
4. "What is your cancellation window, and what is the charge if I miss it?"
5. "What add-ons do you normally recommend for this service, and what does each cost?"
6. "Are taxes added at checkout, and do you have a card-payment surcharge?"
7. "If this runs longer than booked, does the price change?"

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.

Menu price versus final bill

This is the gap that surprises people. Starting from a $74 base, here is where the money goes by the time the card is out.

Illustrative. The 6.4% tax figure varies by state - several states do not tax personal services at all.

The rule of thumb: add around 59% to any menu price for uv bed - level 1 to get your sensible out-the-door number.

You can run the numbers for your own service rather than doing this by hand.

Worth comparing before you commit

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

What people want to know before booking

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 FAQStarting membership and price variation · updated 2026
2. Official Premier One pageOnce-monthly spray membership and billing dates · updated 2026
3. Official pricing and rewards finderLocation-specific membership pricing · updated 2026
4. Official contact and freeze informationMembership freeze structure and Tan Dollars · updated 2026
5. Official spray-tan preparation and aftercarePreparation, rinse and aftercare timing · updated 2026
6. Official pricing and rewardsLocation-selected membership prices · updated 2026
7. Official U.S. brand websiteBrand identity, service scope, location/booking model and official-source gate · updated 2026
8. Risks of tanningUV risk facts · updated 2026

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