ist magazine August 2022

Salon of Distinction

COASTÁ TANNING RESORT A Five-Star Experience BETHLEHEM, GA

S alon owners often inquire about how they can be featured in IST as a Salon of Distinction. Answer: It’s simple! Take either the online or classroom version of our popular Sun is Life® Salon Operator Training & Certification course and you’ll have the opportunity to be randomly chosen. Each year over the past decade (or more), I’ve had the pleasure of teaching salon staff the classroom version of our SIL certification program at select industry events. It’s pretty cool when one of those that I have personally trained is selected – even cooler when it’s a salon from the area where I live! Mo Makkani had several of his staff take the training to begin his run with the Sun City salon chain (now Coastá Tanning Resort) in Metro Atlanta. A very enthusiastic group to say the least, they were selected to join this illustrious group. Read on!

salon, to provide our guests with a “five star resort style” experience. We offer additional spa services alongside tanning in an environment where our guests can tan, relax and rejuvenate. After being presented with over a 100+ possible names, we landed on Coastá Tanning Resort which encapsulates a getaway to a luxury resort on the Amalfi Coast or coastline of Santorini. IST: You told me you enjoyed the Sun is Life Certification course and I recently had the opportunity to train some of your staff classroom style at an industry event. What insights did they gain? How important is it to have a staff fully trained with Sun is Life? MM: Sun is Life is an excellent resource for training any new employee

IST: Mo, every salon owner has a story about how they came to the tanning industry. I know you are involved with other businesses and recently acquired a chain of salons in Metro Atlanta. Tell us about it. MM: With years of experience in fitness & health, we saw tremendous potential in the tanning industry. Anyone who has operated a successful gym knows there’s a lot of money to be made from offering relatively low-cost memberships,

even with sizable investment in equipment and other overhead.

IST: How did you choose the name for the salon re-brand? MM: We hired a branding company to reimagine the tanning industry. Our goal was to be more than just a tanning

Anna R / stock.adobe.com

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istmagazine.com

August 2022