Our Mystic Tan Field Trip Page Five

The Mystic Tan solution was developed through thousands of tests, so any alterations are unlikely to result in an improvement, and those who have reported exiting the Mystic Tan a drippy mess will probably concur with me. I urge anyone with a bad experience to call 1-877-MYST-TAN to report it, because no franchise wants to have local operators create a bad impression of their product.

Not that they need worry about Totally Tan; my experience there was ideal. It was no accident, either: the employees serviced and cleaned the Mystic Tan unit between each customer use.

Then there is the price. In Texas, I was able to get my first two Mystic Tans for $35, with additional "tans" $10 each. In California, a price of $45 each could come to pass, which puts it out of my price range.

As far as I know, Palm Beach Tan is not specifying the price charged by local operators — which is wise, as the costs of doing business differs hugely in San Francisco and Memphis. But charging so much means many would consider the alternative of a spa package, typically $80, which includes a massage, exfoliation, and a hand application of a sunless tanner. In addition, some months ago I learned about the Fantasy Tan, which uses an air brush device to apply a sunless tanning solution. Priced at $20 a session, I didn't think it could compete with the Mystic Tan, but that is obviously no longer the case.

Far more disturbing, I've learned that some tanning salons are coercing their Mystic Tan customers into buying regular UV tanning packages — if the customers don't, they must pay a premium price for their Mystic Tan sessions. Attempting to sell Mystic Tan sessions bundled with UV tanning is an outrage; haven't the tanning salon owners noticed the skin cancer scars on some of their best customers?

While Palm Beach Tan may not want to get into the MacDonalds mentality, where manuals specify exactly how many pickles should be used on a cheeseburger, it seems that greater control may be advisable. At the very least, a stern warning to not tamper with the solution is needed.

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