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If you are considering starting a tanning salon, there are many things to think about before making the investment. Even an established business tanning bed operation has some important questions to answer before committing to new equipment. If you have never purchased commercial tanning beds before, the answers to the following questions will be an important factor in your equipment purchases:

• Do I have a floor plan already established? Or am I having a commercial space built to suit?
• If the floor plan is already established, how wide are my doors? How tall is my ceiling?
• Do I want to include standup tanning?
• Does the property have the right power supply? Will I need to have it reconfigured?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you make an informed choice when selecting your tanning beds and where to install them. If a potential business space can't accommodate your choice of tanning beds, you may need to look elsewhere for property. If you are already committed, you'll need equipment that fits the space you are in.

Floor Plans

Commercial tanning booths come in a variety of sizes and configurations. If you are having a space built to suit, you may do better selecting your commercial tanning beds first, calculating the space requirements you need and then having a floor plan designed to accommodate your needs. Commercial tanning beds in standup configurations need additional ceiling clearance, so be sure to get the full specs for each bed and submit them to your designer or include those specs in your own design.

If you plan on starting small with a limited number of commercial tanning beds, consider an open design using modular walls that can be removed and reconfigured easily. Doing this instead of having a builder construct permanent individual tanning rooms gives you additional flexibility to modify your existing floor plan when you decide to add more commercial tanning booths.

If you've selected a commercial space that is already built or has a less flexible floor plan, fitting your equipment may be more of a challenge, but careful selection of your business tanning beds can eliminate many problems. If you have low ceiling space, find out what the local building codes require for clearance before ordering a standup tanning bed. It is very helpful to do some demographic research before investing in your business space.

How many of your potential clients will use a standup tanning bed? If more of your clients are comfortable lying down, the standup commercial tanning bed could be a purchase you can safely delay for another time or when you change locations to a more flexible floor plan. If your research shows a demand for standup beds, your floor space and ceiling clearance issues become more important. Don't short change yourself on your equipment or your location.

Door and Ceiling Width

Even if you don't choose a standup commercial tanning bed, you may need additional ceiling clearance or doorway width to get the equipment into you work space. Before purchasing, submit your floor plan with door and ceiling clearances to the vendor and ask the sales rep what will be required to get your business tanning beds properly installed. Don't forget about having enough space in each tanning booth to do maintenance on the machine, change light bulbs, and other chores. A room just large enough to accommodate the tanning bed itself may not be large enough to properly install it.

An established commercial tanning bed operation is already set up for its current beds, but when adding new equipment you may find newer makes and models are configured and sized differently than your older tanning beds. Be sure to double check with the vendor before purchasing about changes in height, width, and electrical needs.

Power Supply Requirements

If you are new to buying commercial tanning beds, be sure to consult an electrician about your property's specific power supply setup and the needs of your business tanning beds. Many models require a hard-wired connection to the power system and cannot simply be plugged into a wall socket. Your rental property may require a revised power supply, new circuit breakers or special power supply design. Less elaborate commercial tanning beds don't require hard wiring, but most need 220-volt power to operate properly. Before buying, consult with an electrician to go over your equipment choices and the power grid of your property. Don't forget to anticipate your business needs growing over time. Don't pay for a modification to an existing electrical setup without expecting to add machines in the future.

When choosing your tanning beds, remember that in addition to power requirements, different commercial tanning booths have different tanning time limits. Your choice of models may permit longer or shorter tans depending on the type of bed. Make a note of the tanning times as well as the power requirements. You may find yourself faced with a variety of timer choice, but this won't be a problem if you know in advance.

Color Schemes and Other Options

When buying your commercial tanning booths, don't forget to ask the vendor about tanning bed lighting color options and color schemes for the booths themselves. If you are going for a uniform look for your equipment and décor, ask the vendor about color schemes. You may not be able to get a uniform color when using a variety of different makes and models it's better to use a single brand when it comes to aesthetics. That isn't always possible, but a custom logo can be designed and placed on all your machines to help with branding and uniformity.

Choosing a set of commercial tanning beds isn't a difficult once you are equipped with the right knowledge about your building, power requirements, and information about the booths themselves. A fully informed purchase is best. If you have questions about the process as a whole, ask your tanning booth vendor for advice about pre-planning the purchase based on your specific needs.