Who Needs The Shore? Plenty of Tanning Options in Hoboken

For an industry that traffics in fabricating the effects of sunshine, the tanning salon business can often seem like a shady operation. The industry's dubious reputation is precipitated by several factors, among them: a ceaseless onslaught of scientific studies admonishing the health risks of tanning, the latest of which cautions that frequent use of tanning beds can triple a person's risk of developing melanoma.

Even in Hoboken, many owners and managers of tanning salons are reluctant to discuss the business. Most of the tanning salons Patch contacted for this story either brusquely declined to comment or didn't return phone calls. The receptionist at one tanning salon even said she was prohibited from disclosing the name or the work hours of the store's manager. No wonder scores of people cast a suspicious eye on the tanning industry.

But, especially here in Hoboken, scores of people embrace the tanning lifestyle with unbridled enthusiasm.

In fact, for a city that is contained within the limits of one square mile, the market for tanning salons in Hoboken might seem saturated at first glance. Hoboken boasts at least six tanning salons in operation and possibly eight in the near future (two Tantaztic locations are rumored to be temporarily closed for renovations, but it can't be confirmed that they will reopen).

The newcomer, L.A. Sunset, opened in March and celebrated its grand opening last week with a personal appearance by permatanned Jersey Shore star Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino. L.A. Sunset owner Inez Gioffre was the only tanning salon owner or manager in Hoboken willing to speak on the record with Patch about the state of the tanning business in the city.

Despite the preponderance of tanning salons in Hoboken, Gioffre, who owns another L.A. Sunset in Ramsey, said opening a salon here was a logical choice because the city is teeming with young people, the demographic most likely to use indoor tanning facilities.

"The market is huge," Gioffre said. "But Hoboken in particular is a great location because of the young people."

Gioffre also pointed to her location on Ninth Street in the rear of the Shop Rite as an advantage because there's only one other small tanning salon in the neighborhood (Solares, located a block south) and she expects the neighborhood to continue developing.

"In the next few years, that'll be a hot spot," Gioffre said, noting that her salon, which has the mod ambience of a spa, "appeals to a different type of clientele." She said many of her clients are dancers and bodybuilders who seek specific body contouring that can be achieved through a sunless, airbrush tanning method.

In fact, when asked if the constant deluge of news reports and studies on the dangers of tanning under ultraviolet (UV) lights, the rise of self-tanning creams and the looming tax has had a negative impact on business, Gioffre says quite the opposite is true.

In anticipation of the imminent 10 percent tanning tax, Gioffre says many clients at her salon, including those older than 30, have been trying the sunless tanning method, which she says is an all-natural and harmless alternative and won't be subject to the 10 percent tax. "Sunless tanning accounts for 50 percent of our business," Gioffre says, adding that there will always be in a contingent of clients who will remain loyal to UV tanning.

James Gilbarty, 28, of Hoboken, who says he's been using tanning beds since he was 16, is one of those UV loyalists. Gilbarty acknowledges the existence of health risks associated with tanning beds, but says he's not worried about developing skin cancer.

"I think we're just young and dumb," Gilbarty says about the dearth of concern among tanners, while conceding that he doesn't anticipate that he'll continue using tanning beds when he's "married with two kids." He prefers "old school" tanning because he thinks the spray-on tanning doesn't look natural and leaves an offensive odor for several hours afterward.

Gilbarty, with whom Patch spoke right after he left a tanning salon and was heading to get a haircut before leaving for Point Pleasant, says he uses tanning beds three times a week during the summer and about once a week during the other seasons.

"This is Jersey," he laughs. "The Jersey shore is competitive—from what clothes you wear, to whether you go to the gym, tanning, haircut."

Polly Hans, 39, of Hoboken says using tanning beds has been one of her "guilty pleasures" for roughly 15 years and expresses a similar sentiment on the vanity of New Jersey and Hoboken, specifically. "I think Hoboken is sort of about image and materialism," said Hans. "I do it because I think I look better."

The general manager of a local mom-and-pop tanning salon agreed to speak with Patch, but on the condition that she remain anonymous because she didn't have the approval of the salon's owner to speak with the media.

The general manager estimates that the bulk of the salon's client base is in the 25- to 40-year-old age range, and notes that since November 2008, the approximate beginning of the economic recession, business has declined by about 15 percent at the salon. She fundamentally disagrees with the new tanning tax, but is optimistic that it won't hurt business. She said the salon plans to not pass the tax on to customers in the near-term, but will reassess and change course if the salon's bottom line is too negatively impacted.

Though Gioffre and the general manager seemed to indicate that sub-30-year-old set is the prime tanning demographic, Patch spoke with some people in their mid-40s (and older), who said they have recently begun using indoor tanning facilities.

Jacqueline Marto of Jersey City, 44, first tried a tanning bed in April and says, "I like the results. It gives me good color and I feel like I look better." Marto says she opposes the tax, but speculates that it won't impact her decision to continue tanning in the future.

Maria Martinez, 47, and Patricia Lisa, 47, are also newbies to the tanning scene and hadn't heard about the tanning tax until questioned about it. After a brief pause, both said the tax wouldn't deter them. 

Gioffre, whose salon is part of a well-known chain that was featured on a reality TV series on E!, says everything is on the level at her store and that she goes to the length of training her staff to be conscientious about not letting customers abuse tanning.

"We turn people away if we feel people have tanned too much," says Gioffre, who uses both sunless and UV tanning herself and believes that tanning in moderation won't pose a health risk.

Gioffre also bristles at the new tanning tax, which doesn't affect doctors who use tanning beds to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, and says she has no choice but to pass the tax on to customers.  However, she plans to run creative promotions and wave membership fees to help alleviate the burden felt by tanners.

While it might not be a prevailing attitude, she offers a neat summary of what certainly is a recurring theme underlying why tanning is poised to thrive in Hoboken: "It's all about beauty," she says.