THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 17, 1996 TAG: 9604160147
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
IF YOU THINK a bright red burn is a good start to a deep tan, think again.
That's just one of the myths that Frank and Durene Cottone fight every day as the owners of Cool Tan, a tanning salon in the Kempsville Marketplace shopping center.
Together, the two have dedicated themselves to not only operating a tanning salon but to educating their customers about safer tanning. In fact, they say they won't allow unsafe tanning and have turned away more than one customer who insisted on tanning longer than was deemed safe.
``It's a moral thing,'' said Frank Cottone, 30. ``I couldn't see just coming in here and burning people.''
Cottone is adamant about overseeing each customer's tanning schedule.
He's the one who recommends how long first-time customers tan, according to their skin tone. As time passes, he will gradually increase the tanning time depending on how the skin looks or has reacted to previous tanning.
Records of every customer, including previous amount of time spent in a bed and what type of bed, are kept on a computer. When customers come in, Cottone calls up their file to review their previous schedule so that he can recommend whatever adjustment is needed. Sometimes he adds a couple of minutes of tanning time per session. Sometimes he reduces the amount of time or even recommends that the customer not tan for a few days if there's a noticeable red tint to the skin or if a rash develops.
``When we first opened, we kind of kicked ourselves in the knees by not allowing people to tan like they wanted to,'' Cottone said. ``People thought, `Hey, this guy's just trying to save on his electric bill.' It took a good year or so before people realized that monitoring them so closely just meant we cared about (tanning) education,'' said Cottone, who himself tans only enough to tint his skin a light brown.
The salon offers three types of tanning beds - 20-minute beds, 10-minute beds and a stand-up 12-minute tanning booth. He said the best way to tan is to alternate between the different types of beds.
The business serves between 170 and 180 tanners a day with the potential to serve about 325 customers daily. About 20 percent of the tanners at the salon are professional business people, including a couple of psychologists and a doctor or two. The vast majority of tanners are women age 30 and up, he said.
The tanning salon business usually peaks around the end of February or beginning of March and goes through Memorial Day.
There are several ways to buy a tan. Clients can pay by the visit at six visits for $30, a month's membership for $42 or a six-month membership for $165. A year's membership is $30 down and $19.95 a month or $249 (with an option to forgo tanning and the payment for two months out of the year).
There are also any number of gels and lotions made specifically for indoor tanning. Cottone chose a line by California Tan.
``I used to believe lotions were a scam until we started attending seminars and realized that the ingredients minimize the number of times you have to tan to get color and also minimizes damage,'' said Frank Cottone.
When Durene Cottone suggested they open a tanning salon, Frank Cottone was adamantly against it - until he began to research the topic.
``I was totally against it at first,'' said Frank Cottone, a former Navy man. ``I'd never been in a tanning bed. Finally, we decided if it could be done in a healthy manner, we'd go for it.''
He and Durene, his wife of almost 10 years, began attending seminars and networking with other salon owners. He said he was finally convinced that tanning could be achieved safely.
The couple approached several banks about a business loan but were turned down because they didn't have retail experience. They ended up opening the salon with the help of family investments. Tanning beds can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $6,000 each for the high end models.
In 1992, the couple opened the doors to Cool Tan.
Durene Cottone, 28, works one or two nights a week in the salon and works full time as an accountant for an automobile dealership. Frank Cottone works up to 70 hours a week in the shop with a few hours reserved for the couple's 2-year-old son, Sage.
The Cottones hire seasonal help and usually have one full-time worker year around. They hope to open a second salon within the next year or so.
``The biggest challenge in this business is convincing people they don't have to burn to tan,'' said Frank Cottone. MEMO: Cool Tan is in Kempsville Marketplace and is open from 9 a.m. to 8:30
p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 497-8189.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Frank and Durene Cottone own the Cool Tan Tanning Salon in the
Kempsville Marketplace shopping center. They monitor their clients
and limit their visits if necessary to protect their skin.
INDOOR TANNING
These tips are from the Indoor Tanning Procedures and Guidelines
issued by Sun Industries, a tanning bed manufacturer.
How to Tan Safely
Never tan indoors or outdoors more than once in a 24-hour period.
Always follow the minimum and maximum exposure schedules
according to the type of bed in which you are tanning.
Always wear protective eyewear to shade eyes from harmful ultra
violet rays.
Be aware of photosensitive drugs that can cause an adverse
reaction. Tanning salons should have this list displayed.
Know your skin type to prevent burning and overexposure, which
damages skin cells.
The four types of skin
Type II - Burns easily and severely, tans minimally or lightly
and peels.
Type III - ``Average'' complexion, burns moderately and gets an
average tan.
Type IV - Burns minimally, tans easily and above average with
each exposure.
Type V - Rarely burns, tans easily and substantially.
Exposure times
A ``10 minute bed'' starts at two minutes per session up to three
sessions for all skin types. Times are gradually increased between
the fourth and sixth visits, the 11th and 15th visits and subsequent
visits. Tanning time for Type II and Type III skin types should
never go over eight minutes. Tanning time for Type IV and V types
can be up to 10 minutes in a 10-minute bed.
A ``20 minute bed'' starts at three minutes for Type II and III
skin with the times increasing gradually until after the 15th week
when time tops out at 20 minutes. Tanning times for Type IV and V
skin starts at three minutes and tops out at 20 minutes between the
11th and 15th week of treatment for a 20-minute bed.
by CNB