Health care bill brings higher taxes on tanning services

Some tanning salons have begun to feel burnt by a new tax.  

The federal government implemented a 10 percent excise  tax on indoor tanning services on July 1 in order to help pay for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23.

The tax has hurt business for some Bloomington tanning salons, Sol Spa Tanning owner Jeff Mills said.

Mills said he believes both the tanning tax and the economy are responsible for slower business.

In a bad economy, people are not willing to spend as much on discretionary services, such as tanning. However, he said he believes the tanning tax has upset some of his customers.

“It leaves a bad taste in peoples’ mouths,” Mills said. “They wonder why they’re being
singled out.”

In reaction to the tax, some local tanning salons have come up with strategies to offset the costs by attracting more customers.

In order to help offset the increased cost, A Total Tan of Bloomington began having sales, said employee Erin Stockman.

Sol Spa increased the size of their monthly packages and lowered the tanning costs, customer Alison Brown said.

“I heard about the tax over the summer and was a little bit concerned,” Brown said.

However, Brown said she doesn’t plan to decrease her tanning because of the new tax.

Some people think of a tan as a nice and healthy glow, but a tan is a sign of skin damage from a reaction with UV rays, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report.

Exposure to UV rays from sources, such as the sun or sunlamps used in tanning beds, increases the risk of developing skin cancer, the report stated.

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, is the second most common type of cancer in women ages 20 to 29.

Some customers have expressed concerns about skin health and choose to use the spray tan option instead, Stockman said.

“A couple people I’ve sprayed mentioned they don’t like to lay down in beds because of the risk,” Stockman said.

Stockman said she tans about two to three times a week and feels comfortable with the amount of sun her skin gets, however, she tries not to go every day because the risk is always something on her mind.

“For the most part, people who come in and use the beds are aware of the risks,” Stockman said.