New & Upgrading Salons
Opening a Tanning Salon: Equipment, Electrical and Installation
Opening a tanning salon is an equipment business before it is anything else. The beds are the product, the electrical is the hidden cost, and the installer you choose is the person you will be calling for the next fifteen years. Sun Systems and Service has equipped and serviced Michigan salons since 1990. We help new owners plan the room, buy the right beds new or inspected used, get the power right, install, train the staff, and keep it all running. Call (248) 545-5577.
What it costs to equip a salon
- Inspected used commercial beds: roughly $1,500 to $4,000 each before installation. Commercial frames built to run all day, from salons that closed or upgraded, inspected and serviced by us before delivery.
- New commercial beds: roughly $5,000 to $15,000 and up each.
- Hybrid and red light beds: from about $15,000 to well over $50,000. The upgrade clients ask for and the one that sells year-round. See red light equipment.
- Electrical: a dedicated 220 volt circuit per bed, and a panel that can carry all of them plus HVAC. Often the surprise. See our electrical requirements guide.
- Installation, startup and training: quoted as one number before anything is ordered.
Full numbers in our cost guide and installation cost guide.
The new salon checklist
- Space and power. Panel capacity, service entrance, room sizes (most lay-down beds want roughly 8 by 10 feet with the door swing), floor loading, and where the heat goes.
- Ventilation and cooling. Each bed throws real heat. Exhaust per room or a plan for the HVAC to carry it. Beds shut down on heat long before clients complain.
- Equipment mix. Levels of beds, a stand-up, and whether hybrid or red light is in the plan from day one. Used for volume rooms, new for the signature room.
- Electrical spec to your electrician. Written, per bed, before the walls close.
- Delivery and install. Route in, assembly, leveling, startup at full output, timers and controls set.
- Staff training. Lamp changes, acrylic care, daily checks, what to never touch.
- Maintenance schedule. Relamp hours, acrylic replacement, fan and filter cleaning. See preventive maintenance.
- Rules and signage. Michigan restricts indoor tanning for minors and requires posted warnings and eyewear. Check your local ordinance too.
How we work with new owners
One call. We plan the room with you, source the equipment, coordinate the electrician, install and test, train your staff, and set the maintenance schedule. Afterward you have one local number for parts, relamps and repairs, the same one Michigan salons have called since 1990. Outside Michigan, we do the planning over video and ship parts; see virtual sessions.
Plan my salon
Tell us where you are and what you are planning. We reply within a business day with next steps and a rough equipment number.
Email me the checklist
The full opening checklist, including the electrical spec questions to ask a landlord, arrives in your inbox right away.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to equip a tanning salon?
Equipment is the biggest line. Inspected used commercial beds typically run $1,500 to $4,000 each before installation, new commercial beds $5,000 to $15,000 and up, and dedicated red light or hybrid beds from about $15,000 to well over $50,000. A four-bed starter salon equipped with inspected used beds usually lands in the low five figures before buildout; the same salon with new beds is several times that. We price the whole plan, new or used, before you sign a lease.
What electrical does a tanning salon need?
Most commercial beds need their own dedicated 220 volt circuit, often 20 to 30 amps each, and a panel with the capacity for all of them running at once plus HVAC. Older retail spaces rarely have it. We review the panel and the service entrance before you commit to a space, and we give your electrician a written spec per bed.
Do you help salons outside Metro Detroit open?
Yes. On-site across Michigan, with special jobs in Ohio, Indiana and northern Michigan. Anywhere else in the US, start with a virtual planning session: layout, electrical spec and an equipment plan over video.
Should a new salon buy new or used beds?
Usually a mix. Used commercial beds from salons that closed or upgraded give you commercial build quality at a fraction of new, if someone who knows the equipment inspects them first. We do that, service them before delivery, and stand behind them. New beds make sense for your signature room and for hybrid or red light units.
Can you handle the whole opening?
Yes. Layout and room sizing, electrical and ventilation spec, sourcing new and used equipment, delivery and installation, startup testing, staff training on lamps and daily care, and a maintenance schedule so the beds keep earning. Hundreds of Michigan salons have opened with our equipment since 1990.