The Struggles of Working at a Tanning Salon

I worked in a tanning salon for about two years and I loved it. I loved the atmosphere, the knowledge of tanning and tanning products I had gained, and of course- tanning for free and those employee discounts on lotions was pretty amazing. But behind the few perks comes a lot of struggle. Working with the general public is always difficult, but you see a whole new side of people when you work behind the counter at a tanning salon.

Don't get me wrong, I've met some interesting, kind people. BUT I have also came across angry adults who have been keeping up with a 20 year tanning addiction and those who are made they have to pay so much for a service they CHOOSE to invest in to better their looks.

Neverless, here are the struggles every tanning salon worker knows too well:

1. Being super friendly when greeting a customer and they go straight to what bed they want to use and for how long they want to bake in there.

2. Going into a room to clean a bed and noticing that a customer left all their garbage all over the room...as if there isn't a garbage can they have to walk past on their way out of the salon.

3. Or worse...noticing that not only is there garbage left in the room, there is also lotion EVERYWHERE. How did they get lotion all over the floor? All over every part of the bed? The mirror and walls? HOW?

4. Customers acting annoyed with you because the prices of tanning isn't cheap. Believe me if I made the prices for tanning they would be cheaper, I'd sell more packages/memberships and make a higher commission. But, I do not have any say on how expensive the prices for tanning are, so please don't yell at me because you want tan skin but don't have to pay for it.

5. When you get an airbrush appointment and the customer doesn't leave a tip for you providing a specialty service.

6. And worse...when they customer is extremely specific about the shade of tan they want, what areas they want sprayed a few extra times, requires you to spend over 30 minutes of your time spraying them and resetting the time clock...and STILL DOESN'T TIP.

7. When people bring their young kids and let them run around the salon, that YOU have to keep CLEAN, making it a mess, and then expecting you to watch their children while you tan. This is where you come to TAN, not get child care.

8. When you work so hard on a sale, just to have the person say "I have to think about it..." or "okay, I'll come back when I have money."

9. Or when you work hard on a sale with a customer, they say they'll come back and they do...but give the sale to one of your coworkers. *mini panic attack when I think of how hard I worked for a sale just for a coworker to get the commission*

10. Cleaning an airbrush room takes FOREVER.

11. When people use oils when using a bed even after you tell them they aren’t allowed to use oils when bed tanning because 1. You will absolutely fry yourself and 2. You’ll damage the acrylics (which are expensive to replace!)

12. When someone shows up to tan 10 minutes before closing...you really couldn’t have gotten here 20 minutes earlier? Now I have to wait for you to get in your room, undress and lotion up, tan the full time AND for you to get redressed..which often takes people AT LEAST 20 minutes. I don’t get paid overtime, tan at a normal hour please and thank you!

13. You become OBSESSED with everything to do with tanning... the beds, the lotions, and being the coworker with the best tan. The obsession is almost consuming.

While there are clearly many struggles of being a tanning salon worker, I will forever miss it.