Is misinformation in the tanning business common?

[Michael]

After reading the "My salon told me" thread for the last few days, it seems that some salon owners and employees are absolutely clueless about tanning. The majority of people said that the everyday thing was not a good idea when starting out. The few people that said they needed to go every day to get a base only said that because they had experience tanning.

I remember the first time I went to the salon in my town. They told me that their "Royal Sun 44/6 VHR Turbo" bed was considered high-pressure. After a little research on iamTAN and other sites, I don't think it is an HP bed (no HP bulbs except the facial), yet it seems they would like people to believe it is. The HP comment came from an employee and not the owner though.

How common are these kinds of scenarios? It sounds like some employees and/or owners are either ignorant or too focused on the bottom line when dealing with new customers.

[LucaBella]

I think it may be a bit to common, but not everyone is this misinformed. It is very very important though that you go out and find out the real facts of tanning for yourself, and that you do not only take one persons advice, so that you do not get caught in a situation where you were told bad advice.

[BrownJen]

I would agree with that. There are many salon owners/and or employees that really do take the time to educate their clients about tanning and caring for their skin based on their individual skin type. At the same time, there are many salon owners/ and or employees that only care about the profit they make. Some can't tell you anything about tanning and some are misinformed. That's what makes this site so nice, tanners can get the information/answers they seek that they may not be able to get from their salon.

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[ This Message was edited by: BrownJen on 2003-11-10 01:25 ]

[njchica]

unfortunately, there are lots of clueless owners... I have been lucky enough to tan at a great salon for the past few years but my first salon was a real shady operation. They made you clean your own beds and never told me about wearing eye protection. I have permanent eye damage and vision problems as a result...

[ladyboss]

I've had the same experiences at salons, the owners knew nothing about the bed, never recommended using a lotion and 2 of the places just put everyone regardless of skin type or previous tanning for the full 20 minutes It's always better to do your own research and to go to a salon that is certified.

[Vikingdotter]

I think, a required & controlled certification with high standards for staff schooling like in Sweden or France or (theretical voluntary, but in fact necessary) in Germany would help. Each Taxi driver needs a special licence.

[Blondie41280]

The last 2 places I went to tan at never informed me of half the stuff I learned on here. I was never told to moisturize after tanning or not to shower right away after tanning or that I shouldnt tan 2 days or more days in a row. I have learned everything I need to know off of here and I thank you all.

[wannatan]

Maybe there should be a mini-tan knowledge certificate or something like that.

[Val]

I know the employees at my salon are clueless. Every time I ask a question they are just like *doh* I usually end up answering the question myself and they say "ok"

[boobrandt]

If it wasn't for this board, I probably would still be in the dark about so many tanning things! I have had countless ppl tell me about their "high pressure" bed when some didn't even have facial lamps! In sum, yes there is rampant misinformation out there!

[Michael]

Quote:
On 2003-11-10 11:57, wannatan wrote:
Maybe there should be a mini-tan knowledge certificate or something like that.


Actually, I found something just like that. Check out this link:

http://www.tanningtraining.com/basic_intro.html

They have some good information about tanning including some scientific stuff about skin, tanning bulbs, wave lengths of light and such. Google is a dangerous thing.

[ This Message was edited by: Michael on 2003-11-10 18:03 ]

[tanningemporium]

If the salon you are going to is in a regulated state..all employees must be certified. I tell all my clients when visiting other salons look for the certifications for all employees..and ask them what type of lamps are in the beds and the wattage...You would be amazed at how many employees dont know anything about tanning. I dont like it but it is that way..Most of my clients tell me they have never been told the stuff they are told here...I love that compliment...We educate our clients, and I also send the to websites that will give them the same info I give them and mOre.

[Rich]

Actually you can be in a regulated state and not have to be certified. My stae has been regulated for years and they are just now starting to ask for certification, not requiring it. Look at it this way. In any industry there are good better and best. There are over 100,000 deaths a year from medical malpractice acts. There is probably no better trained or at least heavily trained industry then medicine. That is human nature. I don't condone it but I can understand it.

[njchica]

NJ is supposedly a regulated state but the salon employees are NOT certified, for the most part.

[tanningemporium]

i say if you work in a salon you should be certified.

[Summers Tan]

I think you should,too.When I went to the cerification,half the class was nearly asleep.I don't know how much they learned.I even wonder how much attention the rest of my co workers were paying,if you want to know the truth.You got to keep correcting your test til you passed,too.I guess the grade was paid for since it cost my boss $35.a head for us to go.

[Michael]

It's interesting that in California you need a license to be a cosmetologist where the worst you can do is give someone a bad haircut or perm. Yet in the tanning industry, where a person could get 1st and 2nd degree burns from over exposure, there is no license required.

[Summers Tan]

Yeah,here in Missouri,too.That is a major double standard.

[tanningemporium]

Summers...what company did you get your certification from...We do Smart Tan, and there is no correcting during class...they will mail your failed test to the salon and then I make my employees retake the test...

[white2dark]

There are alot of salons that I feel don't have a clue about tanning or their beds and that is exactly why I don't go there.

[Sheila]

Kiddies ~ If I may .....

I would like to pipe in on Certification.... and I know Diva Ree would agree with me as we just spoke about this very issue today.

When I bought my salon 4 years ago.... my first thought was ~ 'Holy poopoo! I need more knowledge!!'

As a tanner for 6 years ~ I THOUGHT I knew it all..... after plunking down my life savings/401ks and a second mortgage to buy this place ~ I was for the first time in my life - not at the top of my game

To the best of my current knowledge - there are approx. 25000 'tanning providers'.... please note I do not call all of the Professional Salons.... this number includes the 1-2 bed in a trailer where the real primary business is selling Auto Parts.

And to the best of my knowledge - if they PAY the membership fee - they will get certified.... what I am saying is any assclown can have the Smart Tan certification on their walls... it only guarantees the client that this salon PAID atleast 280$ to be a member for that year.....

As a newbie salon owner - I (as was Ree) PROUD of that darned certification... it hung on my lobby wall. I even still have my Sea Life Checks with the tag "Proud to be Smart Tan Certified" on them.... *note to self to STOP using the debit card and get RID of those checks!!!*

Now - I am fully aware that not all of you are able to ACCESS a QUALITY salon .... there are some areas of this country that just DON'T go there....

But if you are paying GOOD and Reasonable prices for tanning services - then you SHOULD be getting knowlegable, Helpful Staff.... if you are not - and you have no other choices in your area or within a 15 mile radius.... Go ahead and rip on salon owners.

BTW ~ I tanned @ a poopooshak for 6 years without knowing any better..... my first session in a tanning bed (the first one I had ever seen) was without a tour - without eye protection - without a freekin clue.... full 20 min session that fried my back ~ if I had KNOWN to close the canopy my front would have been burnt too

Normally - you get what you pay for..... if you are unhappy with the staff, treatment & knowledge - LET that owner know!! Not in a rip down drag out session at the front desk.... but do ask to speak with them regarding some concerns you have....

S

[Michael]

Great post Sheila. I agree that certifications can easily be devalued when tests are compromised or when the certification can be purchased. We have similar situations in the computer industry. Some certs are very stringent and to pass, real knowledge must be demonstrated. Other certs are nothing more than multiple guess tests, some of which are poorly written.

Since tanning is something of a cosmetic industry, do you think that regulation or licensing is appropriate? As a point of discussion, do you think a requirement that for X number of auxillary employees, one person have a state regulated license is feasible?

[Kissedbythesun]

I think it would be great to require all salons to be certified and trained. I don't think we should have to pay for a license from the state. I think the state views tanning as something you do at your own risk (like cigarettes) if you burn that's your fault.... the regulations are pretty leninent at least in Texas. I have yet to be inspected as the hair salon next to me deals with the inspections regulary?

[Sheila]

Hello Michael ~ I am afraid you found one of the 6 thousand sore points on the 'Cosmetic' factor .... and I will admit ~ I tend to be grumpy these days ... bear with me okay?

#1 - back around 1994 there was a massive power struggle between Anti Tan (American Acadamey of Derms) and the Indoor Tanning Industry.... The derms wanted Tanning Lamps / Salons Banned / Shut down.... THEY want to be the sole providers of UV services (can you say 'Cha-Ching!'?) They tried to push the FTC (fed trade commission) and the FDA (food & Drug admin) into bending to their will..... and what happened was this:

#2 *indoor tanning was no longer ALLOWED to discuss/advertise any medical benefits involved in UV Light..... they were only ALLOWED to say it was a way to get a cosmetic color.

#3 *MD offices can use the SAME lights - but they can claim it's for medical reasons.....

C me say? It is the POWERS that BE fighting for the Power and the Ching that determined this.

I personally do not tan for COSMETIC reasons..... I am the truest believer in the medical necessity of UV Light in my life.... (could you imagine HOW crabby I'd be without it??? )

Now----- does this mean that the MAJORITY tan for the same reasons I do?

Many are not even aware of the reasons WHY they feel so good after tanning----> and why it is THAT feeling that is making them come back... but I also believe that EVERYTHING looks better with a nice golden tan....and nothing looks worse then an overdone human body.... so ~ Cosmetic Vanity is one part of why you go tanning---- but certainly not the sole purpose.

Good anaolgy on the computer certs..... very true. My brother spent thousands of $$ just to prepare for a certification.... While I am 'pi*ssed' about the devaluation of Smart Tan Certification I will also tell you in all honesty.... I LEARNED MORE FROM MY PEERS ONLINE then any book.

One does not need a Lab coat and a Meter chasing levels of UVA/UVB on a lamp to know how to use that lamp correctly.... and we CERTAINLY don't need to be FEE'd to death by the local governments to PROVE we are professional and or knowledgable.....Our industry is still such 'black magic' to so many government agencies - - and Anti Tan has pressed the buttons to make it seem so 'distasteful' to regular businesses..... Honestly, I could get a loan quicker to run prostitutes and crack quicker then a loan for tanning beds....

Governmental Regulations are only GOOD if they are BASED on FACTS, REALITY, and BOTH sides of the story.... (being forced to follow Europes 'standards' to tan Americans in American voltage is bogus) but in my humble opinion - while politcal posturing is at the BASE of WHO gets heard at meetings and WHO gets to submit science....

Well, I think the Wheel was created faster.

The Chemicals involved in Beauty/Hair services are frightening..... more so for the employees using them day after day then for the clients.... but still ~ I can see the necessity for inspections - at least Beauty has people that are INDUSTRY PROS to do the inspection.... Santa Claus can do the inspections in my area - and be just as accurate.

So - I quit being a Smart Tan Member due to their LACK of action on the Tanning bed Coffin Ads put out on mass Mailings spouting bs stats on killer cancers & it was easy to do as every rock ape can get one .....

I could run circles around most people in this industry - but I am now no longer affilitated or certified by Smart Tan..... If it becomes necessary to be CERTIFIED by some group - I will probably form my own ~

Kissed ~ I am an x-=smoker.... started at 11 and quit at 34..... Cigarettes are a CHEMICAL ADDICTION... a drug. And Tanning Beds and the use of UV Light should never be linked as they are ALL THE TIME. Even our 'tanorexics' have an emotional addiction.... not a physical addiction.... and we cross the street 'at our own risk'.... I guess that I am kewl with lots of things as long as there is FULL DISCLOSURE.... and the funny thing is ~ is that the restrictions put on Indoor Tanning on what we can say and advertise is not held to the medical communities..... FULL DISCLOSURE means ALL THE FACTS - not just some sunscreen company's 'facts' and not some political structure of the medical associations version fo the 'facts'....

Humans can make some wonderful things happen when they are given the tools and the knowledge to do so.... and I hope we are able to learn and share what we learn with everyone within a puter!!

[njchica]

Sheila, I am so happy that you're posting here.

To any members who do not know, Sheila is a salon owner in Minnesota who is very active online... she is a real expert about tanning and lotions--most call her the Goo Goddess. I've learned so much more from her than I ever did at my salon.

[Val]

Great post Sheila!

[Michael]

Thanks Sheila again for the great response. Your explanation makes alot of sense. Sounds like the issue of regulation has been properly clouded by money as such things always are. Similar things happen in the pharmacutical business too. Under the auspices of protecting us from potentially BAD medications, companies want to regulate import of meds from Canada. The truth is they simply want to protect their profit margins in the US markets.

[Sheila]

Thanks Kiddies ~ and yes.... most certainly PROFIT is the KEY here.

This industry is not free of it's own greed and corruption - so it is NOT just Governmental or agendas from the AAD that need to be discussed....

There are some REAL ISSUES with (1) lack of real knowledge (2) lack of real ethics that clients of tanning will face.... Sad but True.

Even sadder - is the fact that the American Public is treated like sheep ~ cause they WILL calmly go and do what they are told to....

Online sites are slowly changing that quite acceptence. We scream against the tides- and hopefully for each person here that gets the FACTS ~ they will SHARE those FACTS with 2-3 people... Walllllah!! Less Sheep in the herd

[crazy44]

Everyone that is certified way to go. Learning something new every day is the way to keep an open mind. If I don't know something I will find out for my customers, I want to learn all there is to pass on to my customers.Smart tanning the way to tan.

[~*HoneyBee*~]

Ya'know what? When I am shopping for a tanning salon, I look to see if the owner and the employees have tans. If they don't, I won't purchase a package from them.

[techie_guy]

HoneyBee, that remark amuses me no end .... I've often walked past tanning salons here, or hairdressing places that also have tanning booths, and I don't think I've ever seen ONE employee with a tan AT ALL - they seem to emply the lily-white people who don't or won't tan.
The general feeling amongst the UK populace is that tanning beds are dangerous and will, in time, cause skin cancer. Although I've yet to use one, I know I feel a LOT better after having been out in the sun. I feel there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation being disseminated here, and it's important to be in possession of the facts before going ahead, just as you would if you were purchasing anything else.
As has already been said, lack of knowledge on the part of salon employees can and will lead to people being badly burned .... surely there must be good colleges and so on where they can be educated?
Someone I know is currently pursuing a beauty therapy course, and tanning is covered - I saw the course notes a few days ago, but how deeply it (alongside the other topics) will be covered I cannot say.

[~*HoneyBee*~]

Techie_Guy: I am glad you can understand where I am coming from on that comment. I just don't want to deal with people at my choice of salon, who don't tan themselves. I want to go where people are experienced tanners and know what they are talking about. Not someone who only sat through a training session and took and past a test saying they know it all.

[techie_guy]

HoneyBee, I couldn't agree more ... there's a difference beween one who has LEARNED a lot and one who KNOWS a lot .... why else do companies hesitate to take on college students and dish out the old catch-22: "To get a job, you must have first had a job"?
Of course, this is general to anything and everything, especially in my field (computing (now, there's a surprise!)).
Coming back to the tanning salons, if the employee who would help me, answer my questions, and sell the products to me LOOKS like they know what they're talking about, what they've got to say will be far more believable and trustworthy.

_________________
If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing half a job.
Email[ This Message was edited by: techie_guy on 2003-11-22 17:00 ]

[nikptbo]

i jsut wanted to mention my salon has the royal sun 44/6vhr as well and its not a hp bed, it has 44 160W lamps and 6 hp FACIAL lamps...the specs for the 160vhr lamps are 33UVA and 1.2UVB

[wannatan]

I think there is minimal training in some places, and I don't think they anticipate the kind of queries that tanners often have.

:: [X] ::

[Mako]

Not sure if this is 'misinformation' as much as neglect:

My step-daughter came home from tanning the first three sessions - slightly burned every time. Although she *did* start out with short sessions (8-10 minutes) I think she cheated a bit. The salon owner's daughter is one of her classmates, and I think she let her tan longer than a normal "newbie."

A few days later, she told us her friend got burned because she did two 20 min. sessions in 3 days trying to get a quick tan for a wedding she was in. I think this was in a different salon, because she doesn't live in town.

I guess no one at the salon explained to these girls that you can't get a base tan in a couple of sessions. They may not be able to afford a spray tan, so they try to get as much as they can for their money in two or three sessions. The salon where I tan would never allow this. I started tanning before I went to Mexico. I went for about two weeks, started slow, and had a good base before I left. When I came back, I had a pretty good tan - but the salon had me pick up where I left off a week and a half earlier, at around 12 mins. That was a responsible move.

Now I have a membership at that salon. I like tanning at a place where they actually care about me. And in reality, that's good for business - theirs, and the industry. Letting people fry themselves can't be good for business, and it certainly isn't good for their clients. I will recommend the salon I use to anyone, and caution beginners whenever I can.

[ladyboss]

I have found that in many of the salons I've been to there is minimal knowledge of the equipment and they are referring to any upgrade as an hp. I do think that owners and employees should be familiar with their tanning equipment.