TanningSalon.ie: The place where I get away from the world for 5 minutes

For some it’s just about a tan, for others it’s about some self-time.

It required me to do just a little bit of Google research to discover TanningSalon.ie in the Clondalkin Village, or Dublin 22, where I’m staying. It’s right in the heart of the village.

When I told my landlord that I’m going to a solarium, he just asked me: “Sorry, where?” Such moments are always stressing me out as I do not know whether I’ve used the right term. Eventually, we settled on a “sunbed” although English dictionaries do know the “solarium”.

I discovered sunbeds two years ago. If I recall well, it was in the Romanian town of Sibiu, where I studied for a few months, when I decided to try it out. I am white, and I’ve always been jealous of people with darker complexion. So, I gave it a go and fell in love with sunbeds, although I turn red rather than go brown.

I’ve been going to the solarium since my time in Romania, with longer breaks, but my experience with TanningSalon.ie has been fairly new in several ways.

Registration

Based on my past experiences, I thought I would not have to get registered or to be told how many minutes I could spend in a sunbed. Well, TanningSalon.ie surprised me with its approach but in the best way possible.

Sunbeds are a great place to relax in, but they may harm your skin. Therefore, it is important to go brown using the sunbed mindfully. And TanningSalon.ie does exactly that – it protects your health.  Not just in Clondalkin, but also in its other salons around Dublin, including Grafton Street, Tallaght, Dundrum, Swords, and Blanchardstown.

When I came in for the first time, I had to first register online. It was the first surprise. Thankfully, the salon has computers where you can do it. It is a quick procedure but remember that you cannot use any punctuation. It took me a while to figure it out.

Once you’re done, an employee will take your fingerprint to make your identification faster every time you come in. However, they are always asking me for a date of birth, so I do not know if the fingerprint identification works indeed.

Also, TanningSalon.ie does not allow people under 18 to use sunbeds.

Not every day  

In the past, I used to go to a solarium for five minutes during a seven-day period and then, I had a break. TanningSalon.ie allows people to use their sunbeds every second day. Customers can choose any of several lie-down and stand-up sunbeds.

A price starts from €0.70/min. but stronger sunbeds are a bit more expensive. However, even the cheapest sunbed is quite strong. In Clondalkin, I tried a lie-down sunbed for the first time. It is more comfortable. I do not know why I’ve been avoiding this type.

There’s also music playing in every sunbed. I remember listening to Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez most of the time I turned up at TanningSalon.ie.

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Moreover, sunbeds and the whole place is very clean, and the staff is very nice and helpful. What more can you ask for, right? That’s why I love the place.

Oh, one more thing. Their opening hours are long enough so any customer can show up there at 22:00 or even a bit later as it closes at 23:00.

Regulated business

Now, as I said, a sunbed is something that can be damaging to your skin. The Environmental Health Association of Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society have demonstrated that 7% of the population use sunbeds.

In addition, international research documented in Standards Australia 2002 show that sunbeds can emit Ultraviolet Radiation (UV) radiation up to 5 times as strong as the Australian midday sun. Hence, the risk of developing skin cancer can increase by using sunbeds.

Therefore, Ireland adopted The Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014 on 24 June 2014. Each sunbed business operator must notify their premises to the Health Service Executive and pay a fee of €120. If they fail to do so, they may face a fine of €300 per offence and/or prosecution.