A Just A Little Bit Orange Feature
By Clara Pettitt. Copyright © 11/26/2000. All Rights Reserved.
Sunless.com in Chicago — Page Six
Tom gave me the welcome news that Mist-On would be moving into Canada [first location in the province of Ontario].
Saturday, November 4, 2000
The day started with Dave and I meeting Tom and his family for breakfast.
It was extremely pleasant to talk to Tom again now that all of the uncertainties with his invention are vanishing. [See The Mystic Tan: The Future of Sunless Tanning for my first encounter with Dr. Laughlin]. Through his company Mist-On Tan, he has sold over thirty units to locations around the country. The Mystic Tan version of his invention is appearing in hundreds of new locations this year. The days when he had just two units are long, long gone, and his invention is an unqualified success.
Not everyone in the tanning industry is comfortable with his success. Television news stations who feature the Mist-On Tan frequently conclude or start their coverage with unfavorable comments about tanning beds; while Tom has no control over the editorial content of these shows, he is criticized for it by those in the tanning industry.
After breakfast, it was back off to the Expo, this time with Dave, whom I had instructed to choose the exhibitor with the best looking female models [there was no point in picking out the best male models. You could count them on one hand].
Once at the Expo, I looked in vain for some of the biggest names in tanning lotions: Australian Gold, Body Drench, Swedish Beauty, and Touch of Bali.
The week before, a tanning trade show had taken place in Nashville, Tennessee, and rumor had it that some of manufacturers didn't make it to Chicago because they were too tired. However, it appears California Tan was at neither event, which surprised me.
Fortunately, I found Professional Tan Distributors, which carries Australian Gold and Swedish Beauty products. There I saw my old buddy, Australian Gold Espresso Dark Tanning Milk. I noticed something different about it: "French Vanilla" on the label.
I asked the exhibitor, Sue, if it had replaced the original product. "Oh yes," she said. I asked her if just the fragrance had changed. "Yes," she said, "we had a problem with the smell." She made a "I smell something bad" face. "It worked really well, but the smell!"
She gave me plenty of samples, and allowed me to buy the revamped Espresso product at a great price. In return, I told her to watch out for the guy in the black suit.
