Tanning salons reinvent themselves with new health and wellness services

Zoe Routh is a regular at her local tanning salon, stopping by as often as three times a week.

But the goal for Routh isn’t tanner skin; it’s healthier skin.

Routh, a 22-year-old college student based in Oklahoma, said she doesn’t touch the salon’s tanning beds. Rather, she’s been drawn to the variety of spa offerings at the salon, including its dry sauna pod and red light therapy booth.

“My family has a history of skin cancer – my grandmother had it – so it scares me to use a tanning bed,” Routh told USA TODAY. “I wouldn’t have gotten the membership if it wasn’t for the extra (spa) services.”

Amid growing concern overUV rays, tanning salons have worked to rebrand themselves byintegrating spa and wellness offerings like red light therapy, a treatment purported to help clear skin and reduce wrinkles.

With the U.S. wellness industry worth an estimated $480 billion as of 2024, per consulting firm McKinsey & Company,tanning salon owners say these new offerings could be a major turning point for the industry.

“We no longer want to be called a tanning salon, we want to be called a sun spa,” said Onyi Odunukwe, founder and CEO of Glo Tanning, a chain with more than 100 locations in 17 states. “The ones that don’t adopt, won’t survive.”

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A 'natural opportunity' for the industry

In 2011, there were nearly 85,000 tanning salon establishments operating in the U.S., according to research firm IBISWorld.

Numbers slipped as federal and state governments worked to dissuade Americans from indoor tanning, pointing to evidence that tanning beds can lead to skin cancer. The Obama administration's Affordable Care Act in 2010 levied a 10% tax on indoor tanning services. And at least 22 states and D.C. have passed laws prohibiting minors from using tanning salons as of 2024, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The industry has also faced growing competition from alternatives like spray tans and tanning lotions. Nearly 18% of women aged 18 to 49 reported using sunless tanning products, compared with 12% who said they used indoor tanning, according to a study published in the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association in 2023.

By 2024, the number of U.S. tanning salon establishments dwindled to fewer than 21,000, per IBISWorld.

“People have become more aware of the risks for developing skin cancer. And of course, COVID has had an impact on many industries,” said Carolyn Heckman, a professor in the department of medicine and chief of the behavioral sciences section at Rutgers school of medicine.

The fix to get more people in the door, according to industry leaders? Spa services.

Palm Beach Tan, one of the largest tanning salon chains in the country, recognized a post-COVID spike in consumer interest for self-care products and has been working to meet those demands, according to CEO Diane Lucas.

The company had its 250 corporate locations install infrared saunas and red light panels last year, with the rest of its roughly 400 franchised storefronts set to add the equipment by mid-April.

“I think our customer in particular has always been one very conscientious of how they look and how they feel,” Lucas said. “It was a natural opportunity for the brand to move into more beauty and wellness.”

The company is rebranding itself to make these new options apparent from the get-go. New and remodeled stores will go by “Palm Beach Beauty and Tan,” with all stores set to update signage over the next couple of years.

Lucas said the switch has been driving more business, with nearly one-third of new customers coming in for wellness offerings.

Odunukwe of Glo Tanning said his stores have been offering spa services for nearly a decade, which has helped broaden their customer base.

Indoor tanning facilities have traditionally been a service used by younger white women. Now, Odunukwe said non-white customers make up as much as 20% of the business, with demands for spa and spray tan services expected to rise in the coming years.

Sherry Pagoto, a professor at the University of Connecticut's department of allied health sciences who has researched tanning industry trends, said the shift makes sense for salons.

“Gen Z isn’t as into (tanning) as previous generations, so they’re going to have to modify their offerings to meet young people,” she said. “In order to stay viable, they’re offering other services.”

A shift toward health and wellness is a “great” direction for the industry, Pagoto said, but she has concerns that offering wellness products next to tanning beds could send the wrong message to consumers.

"As long as we have tanning beds on your premises and that’s part of your product offering, it’s disingenuous to say that your company is about health and wellness,” Pagoto said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns too much exposure to UV rays from tanning beds or the sun over time can cause skin cancer.

“In order to tan the skin, it’s basically the body reacting to DNA damage,” said Dr. Joel Gelfand, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's dermatology department. “So it’s a choice people need to make for themselves.”

Does red light treatment work?

Bill Pipp, vice president of sales and marketing for Tanning Supplies Unlimited, said one of the company’s better-selling machines is a stand-up red light booth.

Demand for red light is only expected to go up; Pipp expects some sort of red light feature will be integrated in most tanning machines from here on out.

Dermatologists who spoke with USA TODAY said research on the benefits of red light therapy has been promising, but more research is needed to understand the effects.

Some research has indicated that red light – which generally utilizes 630 to 700 nanometers of light – can help clear acne and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Dr. Elizabeth Houshmand, a double board-certified dermatologist, pointed to a 2014 German study on red and near-infrared light that found "pretty good results," with subjects experiencing improved skin complexion and texture.

Other studies on infrared light, which has a longer wavelength of at least 800 nanometers that penetrates deeper into the skin, suggest that there's potential for the treatment to speed up muscle recovery.

“There is some science to this,” Houshmand said. “But to date, we don't have, I would say, large, clinical trials. They're very limited with few subjects.”

Dermatologists also say consumers should be aware of potential side effects.

People with photosensitive conditions like rosacea or lupus should consult with a doctor before using red light since it can cause symptoms to flare, Houshmand said. Gelfand warned that users with darker skin may be more prone to hyperpigmentation.

Users should also protect their eyes to avoid damage.

“It generally should be safe,” Gelfand said. But “my general advice would be to first, use what’s proven to work. If those things aren’t working, then talk with your doctor about what the best options are and how to achieve the outcome you’re trying to achieve.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans are skipping tanning beds. How salons are shifting services