Advice on vertical sunbeds

[Boxcleva]

Hi folks,
I have a small back room in the salon that I want to shoehorn a vertical tanning unit into.
I certainly can't afford £3000+ , so obviously I am looking at a second hand unit.


The bed I am looking at has 48 body tubes (160w) and 25 face tubes (25w).
The new beds seem to have bulbs ranging from 180w to 250w, and most seem to be .3 compliant.

So my questions are as follows:

Does the wattage 160w to 200w make a huge difference?
What is .3 compliant?
A lot of second hand beds have been 're-tubed'. Does this mean that the tubes loose their effectiveness over time even if they haven't actually blown ?


Many thanks :o

 

[collin]

Hi folks,
I have a small back room in the salon that I want to shoehorn a vertical tanning unit into.
I certainly can't afford £3000+ , so obviously I am looking at a second hand unit.


The bed I am looking at has 48 body tubes (160w) and 25 face tubes (25w).
The new beds seem to have bulbs ranging from 180w to 250w, and most seem to be .3 compliant.

So my questions are as follows:

Does the wattage 160w to 200w make a huge difference?
What is .3 compliant?
A lot of second hand beds have been 're-tubed'. Does this mean that the tubes loose their effectiveness over time even if they haven't actually blown ?


Many thanks :o

If you are considering getting a second hand sunbed do make sure you make the purchase from a reliable dealer and one that warrants the bed for at least 6 month...if you purchase one without warranty and it has a fault it gets very expensive to repair.

UV lamps when put in new actually tend to have a slightly higher UV/UVB output than what is stated on the lamp...once run in they then run at the optimum stated output fox X number of hrs and then they start to reduce there output values.

This is why when a salon re tubes a bed that their customers all move over to use that bed rather than another where the output value has reduced....indeed many salons actually promote the fact their beds have just been retubed

The life expectancy of the outputs is very much dependent on the quality of the lamp being used.

It is quiet normal and right that a dealer of used beds sells it to you with new lamps...dont buy one otherwise...costs for a re lamp can be expensive.

Try contacting UVL in Preston as they are a supplier into the types of dealers you need to be talking to and could link you up with one that's local to you....Call 01772790093...ask for Lynn and im sure she will help point you in the right direction.

You should be able to pick up a reasonable used unit for a third less than you have mentioned.

Another alternative is to consider a profit share arrangement which avoids upfront capital expenditure on your part as well as ongoing repair/re tube costs as this is the responsibility of the unit provider.
Also a good way of assessing if there is a demand for this type of tanning in your area without risking capital

HTH and good luck :hug:

 

[jes]

I have a small back room in the salon that I want to shoehorn a vertical tanning unit into.

Hiya, Just to add to Colins excellent advice.... Before you splash out with your hard earned cash you need to discover if this room will be suitable for a sunbed. Sunbeds throw out a substantial amount of heat and this needs to be properly dissipated or vented. There also needs to be sufficient access around it for servicing and repairs, but I'm sure any decent sunbed company will advise you.

 

[collin]

Hiya, Just to add to Colins excellent advice.... Before you splash out with your hard earned cash you need to discover if this room will be suitable for a sunbed. Sunbeds throw out a substantial amount of heat and this needs to be properly dissipated or vented. There also needs to be sufficient access around it for servicing and repairs, but I'm sure any decent sunbed company will advise you.

Good point Jes...tell me is that mouse chewing through the lead to your sunbed

Another point to consider is power supply into your premises...is it large enough to take the substantial load of the sunbed and as some sunbeds are three phase its important to check you have this available at the mains distribution point...if not you will need to purchase a single phase unit.

 

[Flesh_and_Bone]

You should also check with the planning department at your local council as installing a sunbed constitutes a change of use and can mean that you need to apply for planning permission.

 

[Boxcleva]

Great replies! Many thanks.

I have put an example of the bed I am looking at beneath. Any comments ?

Used 160w Stand Up Sunbed With 120 Tubes By Sundome on eBay (end time 25-May-10 22:01:26 BST)

Points noted re power and warranty. Would a re-tubed 160w sunbed still make the grade these days, or are they considered below par now?

 

[jes]

Hi, On no account would I buy something as complicated as a sunbed from ebay, it looks truly awful too!

Go with a big company, like the one Colin suggests. You can then be assured that you're buying something that's up to date with the current electrical and UV regulations (0.3W/m2 for example). They'll offer servicing and training packages too. FWIW I brought mine from Helionova and have been thoroughly satisfied with them Professional Sunbeds from UK Commercial Sunbed Suppliers - Helionova

 

[Flesh_and_Bone]

Sorry, but I agree with Jes... that sunbed looks a bit grim and rather old.

Sunbed users will go to whoever has the best beds in the local area and you could find that if you buy a cheap bed no-one will want to use it and it just sits idle in the corner.

 

[Coconuts]

Sorry if I seem a bit 'dim' but if you have the room for a sunbed why not invest in spray tanning instead?.....perhaps I have missed something:o but in my opinion so many people are coming away from sunbeds and opting for a spray tan

 

[Roxie20]

Hi, we are selling our vertical sunbed and it has hardly been used!

The reason for the sale, is that we have had a very good offer from a chiropodist who wants to rent the room that the sunbed is in.

We are based in the West Mids and are looking for a buyer who can collect......it cost over £3,500 new and we are looking for £500.

If you are interested then give me a call 07711 142850

 

[nailzoo]

Sunbeds are very close to being banned in Australia, think about this before investing money....
Make sure you have really good insurance, they are proven to give skin cancers, so, if you can deal with the fact you are giving your clients cancer.... go for it

 

[jes]

Make sure you have really good insurance, they are proven to give skin cancers, so, if you can deal with the fact you are giving your clients cancer.... go for it

What a ridiculous statement! There's hundreds of known carcinogenics and sunbeds are just another one of them. Let the clients know the facts and then let them decide. Shall we also ban the birth control pill and HRT?

A typical supermarket sells tobacco, alcohol, artificial sweeter, numerous food and drinks with artificial sweetner, smoked fish, tinned meat, candles, bbq food, etc etc which all are classed as or can contain carcinogenics. Oh and of course, if you went there in daylight you've exposed yourself to UV from the sun!

 

[Boxcleva]

Hi folks,
And thank you for the replies, they are very much appreciated.

We have been asking clients who come to the salon for hair what they would prefer, and the majority would prefer a sunbed to a spray tan booth. In reality we will probably end up with both eventually.

We have decided to look seriously at the lease option on a new sun bed unit. So I have a couple of questions.

1. I'm assuming that most companies start with an initial 12 month lease. Do any companies offer a trial , for example 3 months to sample the market?

2. Can anyone give a personal recommendation for a company they have dealt with and would be happy to refer ?

We are based in North Wales close to Chester.

Thanks

 

[EMMA AT ELITE]

Sunbeds are very close to being banned in Australia, think about this before investing money....
Make sure you have really good insurance, they are proven to give skin cancers, so, if you can deal with the fact you are giving your clients cancer.... go for it

That is a very harsh & stupid comment!
Everyone knows risks that come with everthing, smoking, drinking, etc whether a client / person choses to use a sunbed or smoke is their choice.
You could say the same to shop owners selling tobacco, or McDonalds for selling fast food that is no good for you, or for pubs selling alcohol etc.
Also in business you dont GIVE clients anything, they pay for it!!

 

[jes]

Hi folks,
And thank you for the replies, they are very much appreciated.

We have been asking clients who come to the salon for hair what they would prefer, and the majority would prefer a sunbed to a spray tan booth. In reality we will probably end up with both eventually.

We have decided to look seriously at the lease option on a new sun bed unit. So I have a couple of questions.

1. I'm assuming that most companies start with an initial 12 month lease. Do any companies offer a trial , for example 3 months to sample the market?

2. Can anyone give a personal recommendation for a company they have dealt with and would be happy to refer ?

We are based in North Wales close to Chester.

Thanks

Hiya, If you're unsure of the market, why not find a company that will do a 50/50 profit share. There's normally some sort of returnable deposit, of around £1000 to £1500, to pay and then after that it's a simple 50/50 split of the profits.

It's a low risk option but it's worth considering that the 50% you give away each month might be more than the cost of finance to buy them outright.