|
|
|
|
|
|
hobokeni.com - MERCHANT SPOTLIGHT
|
|
Reviewed
By: Lisa Costantini
|
Archived
Articles & Reviews >>>
|
|
|
|
A Survey of Hoboken's
Tanning Salons
|
|
|
Reviewed by: Lisa
Costantini
|
BangZ Hair Salon
|
|
|
Hoboken Beach Club
Island Tans
Planet Sun
Solares Inc.
Tantaztic
Underground Tanning
|
|
|
|
Black and Tan
Seasons? Love them. Winter white (on us, not the ground)? Not so much (natch!).
But thanks to the abundant number of tanning salons popping up all over our
little mile square -- many of which offer spray tans for you cancer-phobes --
Casper-look-alikes no longer have an excuse for their see-through skin. Here's
a rundown of what's out there and their pros and cons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
BangZ Hair Salon
612 Washington Street
PH: 201-798-3171
Offers: Tanning (UV), Haircut, Color, Brazilian wax
Promotion: $39.95 unlimited tanning for a month
Positive: You get control of the radio.
Good sound system. High walls so you don't have to hear what the person next to
you is listening to. Friendly staff.
Negative: Packages expire after a year.
Older beds
Verdict: One stop shopping for summer preparations… hair cut and
colored, tan, and wax.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hoboken Beach Club
(Tanning and Juice Bar)
938 Washington Street
PH: 201-222-9600
Offers: Tanning (UV), Smoothies (with free samples of the smoothie of the week)
Promotion: $49.95 unlimited tanning for a month
Positive: Plenty of beds, new. Lively
space. Boomboxes at the head of every bed. Reasonable prices.
Negative: Young unprofessional staff. Talk
on cell phones in between (and during) assisting customers.
Verdict: I'm all for something that combines two of my favorite things,
tanning and smoothies, but when you take one brand-new company (that's still
working out the kinks) and add a staff that could care less about doing so,
even beach-themed smoothies can't make this a winning combination.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Island Tans
84 Washington Street, 2nd floor
PH: 201-222-5404
Offers: Tanning (UV), Swimsuits for sale
Promotions: Early bird special Monday - Friday 10am.-12p.m. 15% off sessions.
Receive one free tanning session with the purchase of a package or a bottle of
lotion when you mention this article.
Positive: Packages expire after two years.
Plenty of beds, all brand new. Helpful staff. Serene space. Competitive prices.
Negative: They've only been open since
February so finishing touches are still in-the-works.
Verdict: With appointments recommended between 5:30 and 8p.m. we're
guessing the word is already out on this place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Planet Sun (same
owner as Underground Tanning)
55 14th Street
PH: 201-222-8520
Offers: Tanning (Spray and UV)
Promotion: Unlimited month tanning for $59
Positive: Lots of beds (5 regular, 1
bronzing, 1 stand-up, 1 Mystic a.k.a. spray). Calm environment. Patient and
friendly staff happy to answer questions and offer suggestions.
Negative: Like their sister salon, staff
sometimes has a tendency to be otherwise engaged, resulting in uninformed
clients looking lobster-like.
Verdict: With a professional feel and happy-go-lucky staff it's hard to
believe they're owned by the same people as Underground Tanning (see below for
review).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Solares Inc.
727 Monroe Street
PH: 201-420-9969
solaresnj.com
Offers: Tanning (Spray and UV), Hydro Therapy, Eyebrow threading,
FREE Wireless Internet access, Brazilian waxing and Henna
tattoos coming soon
Promotion: Through July 1st get 20% off any package 10-sessions or more
Positive: Friendly staff. CD players in
beds. Open late. Can surf the web while you wait. Sells Emer'gen-C packets
(energy boosters that are my latest obsession) and nutritional bars. Space is
brand new and beautiful.
Negative: Limited beds: One spray, hydro,
and UV bed with another spray and two UV to come. Packages expire after a year.
Verdict: Any company that would remove the bronzer (which is just for
show) out of their Mystic Tan, because they don't want it to stain customers’
clothes, is one that has only your best interest in mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tantaztic
400 Newark Street
PH: 201-386-0255
www.tantaztictan.com
Offers: Tanning (UV)
Promotions: Offers free trial to new customers and $5 regular beds on Sunday's
Positive: Rarely have to wait. Open late.
Packages expire after 2 years. Opening a new location in June at 79 Hudson
Street.
Negative: Speakers piped in to rooms from
the front desk so everyone listens to the station picked by the young staff who
have A.D.D. when it comes to the radio and are oftentimes aloof and distracted.
Some older beds.
Verdict: A great bang for your buck if you can stand the lackadaisical
staff and being fingerprinted when you walk in the door… it's so you can't scam
on someone's package (um, tanning package, that is).
[NOTE: After tanning for three straight
weeks at Tantaztic I found myself fried beyond belief on the 4th visit, yet I
did nothing different on this last visit. The next week the same thing happened
to my roommate who had been on vacation and didn't see me in my sorry state.
When I called to inquire as to why this might have happened I left a message
for the manager (who never returned my call). Finally, I went in and spoke with
the manager; she only offered excuses, but no answers or compensation. She said
she would have the owner call me, he never did (shocker!). I just want to warn
readers as I would hate for anyone else to be burned (literally and
physically!) by this establishment.]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underground
Tanning
225 Washington Street
PH: 201-798-7788
Offers: Tanning (UV)
Promotion: Unlimited month tanning for $59
Positive: Only the month packages expire.
Negative: Rude staff. Terrible service.
Atmosphere more befitting an underage bar than a business with teeny-boppers
camped out in the waiting area chatting with the staff. Boom boxes in every
room -- that sit on a shelf so there's no adjusting -- with horrible radio
reception (heck why not open Underground Cell Phones while you're at it?!?!),
and although they have CD drives, what's the point when every room is playing
something different?
Verdict: Since you're obviously not paying for the setting the prices
are reasonable, but considering what awaits you, spend the extra couple bucks
and go somewhere else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please send all
comments, questions and corrections to features@hobokeni.com
and we'll be glad to forward them.
|
|
