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FRANCHISE RESALES

Buy a Sun Tan City Franchise

Sun Tan City is one of the largest tanning and wellness salon franchises in the United States, operating more than 250 salons nationwide. The brand was founded in 1999 by brothers Rick and David Kueber, growing from a few tanning beds in the back of a video store into a national chain. Rick Kueber remains Co-Founder and CEO, and the company stays privately held and founder-led.

Salons combine traditional UV tanning with spray tanning, skincare and a growing range of wellness services, sold largely through membership plans alongside single sessions and retail products. This mix gives units a recurring-revenue base, supported by trained Tanning Consultants and a consumer mobile app for booking and promotions.

Sun Tan City positions itself on a consistent client experience: clean, modern salons, current equipment and knowledgeable staff at accessible prices. The franchise is brick-and-mortar and territory-based, and the franchisor actively converts existing independent salons to the brand.

Latest Resales

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Why buy a Sun Tan City Franchise?

Buying a Sun Tan City franchise means stepping into an established, widely recognised brand in a category built on repeat visits. The membership-led model produces recurring revenue, and salons earn across multiple streams: UV and spray tanning, wellness services, and retail lotions and skincare. National vendor purchasing power and standardised operating systems help owners run lean, consistent units.

A recognised name draws membership and walk-in traffic that an independent salon would have to build from scratch, and the brand’s scale and 25-plus-year history in a resilient personal-care category give new owners proven systems to follow.

Sun Tan City Franchise Costs & Information

Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

  • Brand Profile

    • Year Founded

      1999

    • Franchising Since

      2007

    • New Startup Cost

      $1,048,790 – $1,797,750

    • Avg. Resale Price

      Contact us for details

  • Franchise Fees

    • Initial franchise Fee

      $30,000

      for new territories

    • Transfer Fee

      $5,000

    • Royalty Fee

      8%

      of Gross Revenue

    • Marketing Fee

      3%

      of Gross Revenue or $3.0 min

  • Unit Performance

    • Total Units *

      252

    • New Units Opened *

      0

    • Units Transferred *

      0

    • Avg. Unit revenue *

      $627,114

    * Based on 2025 data reported in the 2026 FDD

Sun Tan City – Additional  Information

  1. Training & Support

    Sun Tan City trains owners and staff as accredited Tanning Consultants, covering equipment operation and maintenance, salon sanitization, skin typing, spray tanning, skincare and state tanning regulations. New franchisees attend Discovery Day at the corporate office in Louisville, KY. Ongoing support spans operations, reporting and analysis, marketing, IT, procurement, loss prevention and risk management, plus the booking and promotions mobile app. Buyers of an existing salon should confirm what transfer training and Tanning Consultant certification the franchisor provides to incoming owners and staff.

  2. Ideal Owner

    The model suits a hands-on local operator comfortable managing an hourly retail team and driving membership sales. Day-to-day focus is staff recruitment and development, customer service, local marketing and keeping salons clean and well run. Industry experience helps but is not required; the franchisor's systems and training carry the technical side. Owners should be process-driven, sales-aware and attentive to the consistent client experience the brand is built on. Multi-unit operators and those converting an existing tanning or wellness salon also fit well.

  3. Recognition & Awards

    Sun Tan City has been recognised as one of the fastest-growing privately owned tanning salon chains in the United States and was named multiple times to Inc. magazine's Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. Over 25-plus years it has built a national footprint of more than 250 salons and a reputation for clean, modern locations, current equipment and trained Tanning Consultants. For resale buyers, brand-level recognition should be weighed alongside the specific salon's local reviews, membership base and community standing, which drive day-to-day performance.

  4. Industry / Market

    The US tanning salon market is worth roughly $1.9 billion (IBISWorld, 2025), served by a large but consolidating base of around 27,000 businesses. Demand is steady and visit-driven, with membership plans smoothing revenue across the year, though spring and pre-summer typically peak. Operators increasingly diversify into spray tanning, skincare and broader wellness services to widen appeal beyond UV alone. For resale buyers, a salon's membership retention and local competition matter more than headline market size, since performance is highly local.

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