Is it “Sun is Life Clean?”

“Is it safe? Is it safe?”

As salons are adapting to life with COVID – offering a facility that’s “Sun is Life Clean” is a great start!

Well, is your salon clean? Is it really clean? Older movie aficionados may appreciate the lead-in taken from the 1976 movie classic, “Marathon Man” starring Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider and Sir Laurence Olivier.

As salon operators continue trying to recover from the pandemic of 2020, enter COVID-19’s next of kin, the Delta variant. Oh, boy. Just as we all took a fairly deep sigh of relief and seemed to be getting over the health crisis hump and back to (somewhat) the norm. OY!

Well, this event inspired many tanning professionals to do the really deep dive and clean up their facilities – top to bottom, full-out attack on germs in the entire salon. Next: establish strong roles and cleaning routines for every salon team member. Consider adding hand sanitizer for guest use and maybe even offering a disposable mask to those who want to wear one. You may have customers and prospective customers who are “mask up” kind of folks. Take care of them!

Those of you who have taken Sun is Life® Training and Certification are certainly aware of the program’s module dedicated to salon cleaning and sanitization. If you have not yet received this education, read on!

Look, in order to enjoy their indoor tanning session, people come to your salon and remove their clothing. That tanning room had better be clean! Of course, using proper cleaning solution on the top and bottom sunbed acrylics is the first order of business. Make sure you are using only one towel and one side of that towel per acrylic. Leave the solution on the surface for several minutes and then wipe it completely dry. Solution residue left on the bottom acrylic may induce a photosensitizing response with some tanners. So, wipe until it’s dry. Bottom line: A guest should never be responsible for cleaning the tanning bed prior to using it.

Next, every (and I mean every) surface in the tanning room that a guest may come into contact with must be sanitized. Door knobs, equipment handles and buttons, chairs, mirrors and more must be wiped with sanitizer after each session.

Moving on to the bathroom – this is no place for a once-over. Clean and sanitize all surfaces that a customer may touch. Next, what message does your reception area convey? The front lobby reflects your salon’s image to the masses; current as well as prospective customers.

It had better be spotless: no fingerprints on glass surfaces, no “dust bunnies” under chairs or tables.

Okay, you’re on a roll! Let’s address another prospective germ-spreader: eyewear. If you sell reusable eye protection (goggles), make sure they’re cleaned before each use. That’s right, even your guest’s personal pair of goggles. Customers must understand that a risk of getting conjunctivitis (pink eye) and other infections is prevalent and the owner/user of the eyewear can be re-infected. Keep an alcohol dispenser and cotton pads handy for your guests to use each time they come in for a session.

Dealing with COVID in our everyday lives is turning out to be a fluid and changing situation. Be ready to adjust and adapt your business practices. Offering a facility that’s “Sun is Life Clean” is a great start!